International Day of Peace to be Celebrated at Assumption College for Sisters

A press release from Assumption College for Sisters:

On the 30th anniversary of the International Day of Peace (Wednesday, Sept. 21), a group at Assumption College for Sisters (ACS), consisting of sister-students, aspiring religious, lay students, and members of the school’s staff, will mark the occasion with a liturgical service in the college’s chapel of Mary Immaculate.

The public is invited to attend and take an active role in parts of the liturgy. Anyone wishing to do so, however, should first contact the college at 973 543-6528, Extension 230.

Sister of Christian Charity Joseph Spring, president of ACS, explained that the International Day of Peace was created by the United Nations in 1981 –“and is celebrated annually to foster world peace, alleviate tensions and recognize causes of conflict.” Additional goals, she continued, are to inspire ceasefires for at least one day wherever wars are being waged as well as encourage nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

According to Sister Spring, participants in the college’s religious service, which begins at 11:15 a.m. and concludes at noontime, will process up the chapel’s main aisle, two at a time, and enter the sanctuary. There six sister-students will follow one another in reciting a prayer aloud that offers reflections on peace inspired by world renowned figures, past and present: Blessed Pope John Paul 11, Blessed Pope John XX111, Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Saint Francis of Assisi, Maya Angelou, the American writer, poet and civil rights activist, and Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of the best-seller on the problems of evil, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”

The ceremony’s first prayer leader, Sister Mary Sabina Ndunge, CPS, of Kenya, East Africa, will offer a prayer that is inspired by Blessed Pope John Paul II.

“O God, Creator of the universe, who extends your paternal concern over every creature and guides the events of history to the goal of salvation, we acknowledge your fatherly love when you break the resistance of mankind and, in a world torn by strife and discord, you make us ready for reconciliation. Renew for us the wonders of your mercy; send forth your spirit that he may work in the in the intimacy of hearts, that enemies may begin to dialogue, that adversaries may begin to shake hands and people may encounter one another in harmony…”

While Sister Ndunge prays, Ms. Tam Le from Viet Nam, a discerner for the Sisters of Christian Charity, will hold a globe aloft to symbolize God’s universe; at the conclusion of Sister Sabina’s prayer (and the prayers of each of the five remaining teams) the college’s chapel bell will toll in unison with the United Nation’s Peace Bell in New York. The entire group, along with worshippers in the pew, will then join in the supplication, “Long live absolute world peace.”
The remaining teams will be Sister Mary Do, FMSR, of Viet Nam and Carla Murphy, an American lay student at ACS; Sister M. Joyce Mwanisenga, OSB, of Tanzania and Sister Elfie Del Rosario, FMA, from the Philippines ; Sister Mary Grace Harazim,SCC, from the U.S. and Sister Mary Joseph Thuoc Le, LHC of Viet Nam; Sister Alaina Zachman, FMA, of the U.S. and Sister Anna Duong, LHC, from Viet Nam; Ms. Katie De Lucy, an American postulant for the SCC’s and Sister M. Donatha Gunda, OSB, from Tanzania.

The ceremony closes with all of the congregants singing the recessional whose opening lyric is “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”

International Day of Peace

How will you observe the International Day of Peace on September 21? Click here for some suggestions and materials. Interested in "Pinwheels for Peace"? Click here. The National Council of Churches has a Litany of Light for Peace. You are welcome to pray an Evening Prayer for September 21 available at the SCC Generalate website or the SCC Eastern Province website. A Morning and Evening Remembrance can be found on the SCC Western Province website (from Septebmer 11, but still appropriate).

What does peace mean?

You'll recall that at the prayer service for the International Day of Peace on September 21, the international Sister-students at Assumption College for Sisters (ACS), Mendham, NJ, were asked to share what peace means to the people of their respective countries. More answers follow:

Kenya
For the people of Kenya, peace means to accept and appreciate one another, despite our differences in culture, tribe and religion. It also means to preserve creation and to use and share the natural resources responsibly.
Indonesia
For the people of Indonesia, peace means to have a decent and good moral life and the freedom to practice their beliefs.
Haiti
To the people of Haiti, peace means finding jobs so that one may provide for their family in order to prevent violence that occurs because of hunger.
Costa Rica
Fro the people of Costa Rica peace means respecting the dignity of the human being and creation by continuing to uphold its heritage of education, family, democracy, stability and peace which began when it abolished the death penalty in 1997 and its armed forces in 1948.
United States
The people of the United States cry for healing not only for country, but for healing in our families and neighborhoods.

What did you do for the International Day of Peace? Feel free to share with us!

Some Sharings from Peace Day

These photos are from the International Day of Peace prayer service held on September 21 at Assumption College for Sisters (ACS), Mendham, NJ (If subscribers cannot see the photos, click here). Thanks to Sister Joseph and Sister Gerardine for responding to the blog request to share some Peace Day events with us. At ACS, international Sister-students were asked to reflect on "Peace: What does it mean to the people of your country?" Here are some of the answers:

South Africa

Peace for the people of South Africa means living in harmony, accepting one another, black and white, appreciating each other’s culture, traditions, and beliefs.
Tanzania

For the people of Tanzania peace cannot be limited to a mere absence of war; it is the result of an ever-precarious balance of forces. No, peace is something that is built up day after day, in the pursuit of the order intended by God which implies a more perfect form of justice among people. May God grant peace during presidential and parliamentary elections which will be held in Tanzania on October 31, 2010.

Vietnam

For the Vietnamese people, peace is no war, no oppression in religion and in speech and respect for human dignity.

Stay tuned to future blog posts for more answers to "What does peace mean?"

International Day of Peace

The United Nations' International Day of Peace is marked every year on September 21. An Evening Prayer was e-mailed to SCCs. Assumption College for Sisters in Mendham is having its traditional prayer service at 11:45 on that day. Leave us comments on the blog to indicate how you will celebrate the International Day of Peace. (That is, if you are an e-mail subscriber and want to comment, you have to go to the blog first -- link at bottom of page.)

Additionally, the Culture of Peace Initiative will host its first-ever 24-hour Global Broadcast on Peace Day!