May peace prevail on Earth.
This is the message the youth of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church are sharing in the community by planting peace poles.
Now found in most countries of the world, peace poles were the brainchild of Masahisa Goi in 1955 in Japan.
The first peace poles outside Japan were constructed in 1983. Since then, more than 100,000 have been placed around the world in more than 180 countries.
A monument to peace, each pole displays the prayer, “May peace prevail on Earth,” in the language of the country where it has been placed, and usually in three to five additional translations.
In Salmon Arm, the message on the poles handcrafted by Micah Gunn will appear in four languages – English, French, Secwepemc and Japanese.
Teresa McKerral, a member of the church, says the youth of the church decided they wanted to be part of the international program.
In order to raise the funds they needed to have the poles built, they developed a PowerPoint presentation for parishioners
“We raised so much money, $385, we were able to have two peace poles made,” McKerral said, noting Saturday, Sept. 21 is International Day of Peace and a perfect time to set the poles in place.
Representatives from First Nations, French, Japanese and English cultures are invited to the unveilings, one at Peace Park on the Salmon Arm waterfront in the morning and a second at St. Joseph’s Church.
The international Peace Pole Project today is furthered by the World Peace Prayer Society.
Peace Poles are made of many materials in varying sizes, from tall granite poles to small wooden ones. The text might be carved or etched or painted. In some cases it merely is a plastic sign attached with screws.
Peace Poles have been placed in such notable locations as the North Magnetic Pole, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and the Egyptian pyramids in Giza.
The Salmon Arm peace poles will be placed Saturday, Sept. 21 at 11 a.m. at Peace Park and 4:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Church.