Monadnock Ledger

Learning to be Peacemakers
By Kerry McDonald, Monadnock Ledger Staff
Thursday, September 21, 2006

Where is the best place to begin to answer the question: “What does each religion teach us about peace?”

One good place is the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Mass., according to Cynthia Schroer, director of religious education at the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church. On Sunday, a group of local children and their parents toured the Peace Abbey to learn more about peace and social justice.

“Our focus this year is to encourage the children to take a respectful approach to other peoples’ religious beliefs,” said Schroer, “no matter how different than our own.”

The Peace Abby was founded in 1988 by Lewis Randa after a visit by Mother Teresa. According to its literature, the Peace Abbey serves “as a model for religious organizations, communities, and individuals seeking knowledge and guidance on nonviolent, pacifist pathways to peace.” Since its inception, many well-known individuals, including Maya Angelou, Muhammad Ali, Sen. Edward Kennedy and Daniel Berrigan, have gathered there to discuss peace and non-violent strategies

“Our goal is to bring all of the major religions together around non-violence,” said Randa.

The children’s tour on Sunday started at the Pacifist Memorial, which honors Mahatma Gandhi and his message of nonviolence. A nearly 15-foot bronze statue of Gandhi stood at the center of the Memorial, surrounded by six brick columns with engraved plaques quoting 60 peacemakers over the ages. Prayers for peace from twelve world religions Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jain, Sikh, Bahai’, Shinto, Native African, and Native American were mounted on the ends of the walls.

“I knew about 12 of the names out of the 60,” said Josie Orlandella, 14, from Temple. “Reading those quotes sparked my interest in learning more about the pacifist movement.”

The children then followed a path to the Sacred Cow Animal Rights Memorial, where a life-size bronze sculpture of a cow named Emily stood, commemorating her burial spot. The statute was surrounded by granite plaques with engraved quotes by animal-rights activists. Randa told the children the story of how Emily escaped from a Hopkinton, Mass., slaughterhouse and eluded capture for months. She ended up staying at The Peace Abbey, where she eventually died in 2003.

“I really liked learning about Emily’s journey,” said Olivia Mobayed, 12, from New Ipswich. “When I read a quote that said ‘Why are some animals pets and others dinner?’ I started thinking about what it means to eat cow.”

“We don’t ask anyone to do anything or believe anything,” said Randa. “We just try to encourage people to be attuned to all species, not just our species, and to try to become more gentle.”

The children also toured The Conscientious Objectors Hill of Remembrance, where a memorial stone contains the names of well-known pacifists whose cremated remains have been scattered there.

“Traditionally, conscientious objectors were men and women who refused to serve in the military,” said Randa. “This memorial includes those who have renounced violence and have embraced the path of activist peacemaking.”

He later showed the group a bound copy of The National Registry for Conscientious Objection that was created for the Peace Abbey.

The tour concluded with the children spending time in the multi-faith chapel while Randa explained and discussed the symbols and sculptures of the 12 major faiths. The children also viewed a selection of relics and personal effects of numerous peace activities, including the prison uniform of a Holocaust survivor.

“I found it interesting that the Jains wear a small mask over their face,” said Sophia Mobayed, 9, of New Ipswich, “to remind them not to say anything bad or hurtful and to keep the bugs out so they wouldn’t perish.”

“Peace-making is about trying to bring people together,” said Olivia Mobayed, “and trying to make everyone learn and understand each other.” “We all have different definitions and notions of what peace is,” said Schroer.

“It’s important to introduce the children to people like Lewis Randa and see what he’s doing at The Peace Abbey so that they can learn about people who live their convictions regarding peace.”

According to Randa, the Peace Abbey is currently for sale to a family trust or foundation so that it can be protected in perpetuity. The abbey offers many classes, programs and retreats. For more information, contact www.peaceabbey.org.