Worcester Dedicates Peace Pole

Posted by Rich Prager on Jul 24, 2022
Elm Park Peace Pole Worcester World Peace
The Rotary Club of Worcester has dedicated a Peace Pole, with the joyous event taking place on July 21 near the footbridge at Worcester's Elm Park. To watch the dedication ceremony, recorded by WCCA-TV, click here.
 

Shown unveiling the Peace Pole at Elm Park are Worcester co-presidents - left to right - Rich Prager, Bob Mangan, and Barbara Guthrie.

The PVC pillar is inscribed with the phrase May Peace Prevail On Earth, written in the eight languages most commonly spoken in Worcester County, and representing Greater Worcester's diverse immigrant population. These languages are Chinese, English, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, and Vietnamese.

Our Club extends a sincere thank you to everyone who helped make our Peace Pole dedication a success. We had a very good turnout, especially with the concerns about the weather. Everyone who came to the ceremony took away something of value - maybe an inspiration, maybe a memory, maybe a warm, pleasant feeling.   

Special thanks go out to the city's Parks and Recreation Commission for approving the project and doing the actual installation. The Commission is responsible for supervising the maintenance of the 1,300 acres of municipally owned park land, operation of the city-owned Green Hill Golf Course, and provision of athletic facilities, tennis courts and basketball courts.

History of Peace Poles
 
More than 200,000 Peace Poles have been planted over the past nine decades around the world. The first Peace Poles were planted in Ishikawa, Japan after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the United States during World War Two. The message of May Peace Prevail On Earth has resonated on every continent and in every major city in the world.
 
Why Plant a Peace Pole?
 
Planting a Peace Pole is a way of bringing communities together to inspire, awaken and uplift the human consciousness. It is an uplifting project for any community, organization, or your own home. Peace Poles are now recognized as the most prominent international symbol and monument to peace. They remind us to think, speak and act in the spirit of peace and harmony.  They stand as a silent visual for peace to prevail on our planet.  There is now a Peace Pole in every country on Earth.
 
District 5100 Rotary Peace Pole Project
 
Three year ago on the International Day of Peace, Rotary District 5100 in Oregon, set out to plant 100 Peace Poles in Northern Oregon and Southern Washington. In actuality, 128 Peace Poles were planted that day. At the end of 2020, more than 325 Peace Poles had been installed.
 
Peace Pole Ceremony
An important part of the Peace Pole planting is the Peace Pole Ceremony. The ceremonial gathering brings the community together and can include interfaith peace activities, concerts, tree plantings. exhibitions, speeches, picnics, and activities for children.
 
To view the worldwide Peace Pole map, click here. To learn more about Peace Poles, visit May Peace Prevail on Earth International. Or, contact Larry Strober
of the Rotary Peace Pole Project at lsstrober@yahoo.com and 415-720-8262. And visit his Facebook page.

For more information, contact Worcester Co-President Richard "Rich" Prager at rcprager@charter.net