The Walls at The Pacifist Memorial
In the center  of
The Pacifist Memorial stands a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, created
by the sculptor Lado Goudjabidze. Gandhi was not only a central
pacifist of our time; his life and philosophy inspired generations
of nonviolent peacemakers, including Dr. King and President Mandella.
In the face of ethnic conflict and struggles for liberation, we
remember Gandhi, who accomplished the freeing of a multiethnic,
religiously diverse people through the power of love and nonviolence
alone.
Radiating out from the statue of Gandhi are six brick walls, on
which are recorded the names of and quotations from sixty peacemakers,
thirty men and thirty women. Some are well-recognized, others lesser
known, but each contributed courageously to the path of peace, facing
misunderstanding, hardship, and often death in its cause. A select
committee examined a number of nominations before choosing these
initial sixty; other names and quotations will be added to the Memorial
on an ongoing basis. Nomination sheets are available to all.
It is our hope and our purpose that this Memorial, dedicated to
the spirit of pacifism and to the women and men who have embodied
it, will nourish and encourage the transformation of our families,
our neighborhoods, and of ourselves as instruments of deep and lasting
peace. In remembering the heroes and heroines of nonviolence, let
us fully embrace our heritage; in vigilance, let us be attentive
and mindful of our susceptibility to anger and its result, and to
the opportunities for love and healing around and within us. With
courage, let us recommit ourselves and our nation to the peaceful
way, knowing it is "better to suffer injustice than to inflict
it, to love an enemy than to be one."
And may we move out from this sacred place to fully transform our
planet.
Click here for the quotes from
the Plaques which are on The Pacifist Memorial. Feel free to print
them out and reflect upon their meaning and intent.
HONOR GUARD FOR PEACE
Written by George Chappell
Mother Ann Lee, 18th century pacifist and feminist and founder of
the United Society of Believers, known to the world as the Shakers,
was honored May 10 at the Pacifist Memorial in Sherborn, Massachusetts,
USA. More than 75 people attended.
"We can testify to all souls that a good foundation in peace can
never be moved or shaken," said Sister Frances at the ceremony.
She is one the six remaining Shakers from the Maine community of
Sabbath Day Lake, the last active Shaker village in the United States.
Lee's name was inscribed on a bronze plaque and added to a list
of 68 other peacemakers whose names appear on the six brick walls
of the memorial surrounding an 8-foot statue of Mohandas K. Gandhi.
Included are the names of Martin Luther King Jr., Margaret Mead,
Leo Tolstoy, St. Francis of Assisi, Albert Schweitzer, John Lennon,
William Penn, Gandhi, Jesus, and Buddha. It also has prayers of
peace from 12 major religions: Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Muslim, Sikh,
Baha'i, Shinto, Native American, Zoroastrian, Jewish and Christian.
Lewis M. Randa, Memorial founder, read a commemorative proclamation
that will be recorded in the Massachusetts archives, the U.S Library
of Congress, and the United Nations memorial archives in Geneva,
Switzerland. The Pacifist Memorial is the only monument in America
that honors men and women who devoted their lives to nonviolent
social charge. Lee's plaque is the first to be added since the Memorial
was dedicated in 1994. A ceremony honoring Scott and Helen Nearing
is slated to be held in August.
Located on Route 16 on the outskirts of Sherborn, a residential
community with a population of 4,300, the Peace Abbey is an interfaith
center for peacemakers from around the world. It provides a spiritual
environment and retreat center for the peace movement, and serves
as an ecumenical prototype for all people of faith and good will,
Randa quotes. It is the site of the privately owned special needs
school in the former town hall, a vegetarian resource library, a
shed and animal pens, and a three-story hermitage situated on a
knoll overlooking the grounds. Two monuments, one to recognize "Unknown
Civilians Killed in War," and the other to honor "Victims of Violence,"
lie in front of the hermitage. Across the road from the property
stands the town's war memorial.
The Pacifist Memorial at the Abbey was dedicated Oct. 2, 1994, on
the 125th birth anniversary of Gandhi. It grew from The Life Experience
School founded by Randa in 1972 to serve children with special needs
and was founded in memory of Robert Francis Kennedy and Martin Luther
King Jr. Its creation was an alternative service for Randa, who
was discharged from the military as a conscientious objector in
1971. The school was developed as his master's degree project from
Goddard College. He has a bachelor's degree in special education.
At the head of each brick wall surrounding the Gandhi statue at
the Memorial is engraved a Peace Seed, a condensed form of The Sacred
Office of Peace. These prayers were handed down by the leaders of
the 12 major religions in Assisi, Italy, on August 27, 1986, called
by Pope John Paul II. The staff and students pray the Peace Seeds
daily. The staff and children also created Courage of Conscience
awards as a way of integrating peace education with the honoring
of local, national and international peacemakers.
The Abbey was dedicated on Mother's Day 1990 following Mother Teresa's
visit to the school in1988. Today it is a retreat for students from
nearby Harvard and Wellesley colleges, and for peacemakers seeking
a day of meditation.
Maintaining the Memorial has been a long financial struggle. In
March, Randa trekked the 10 miles from the foot of the Gandhi statue
to nearby Needham, Mass., carrying a $177,000 check in his pocket
to present to the bank holding the mortgage, thus lifting the threat
of foreclosure. The three-hour walk gave Randa time to reflect.
The money-unsolicited because The Memorial does not engage in fund-raising-was
a gift from an anonymous donor, who made it "on behalf of peace-loving
people throughout the world." Randa says that during its history
whenever the Peace Abbey has faced tough financial times, someone
has helped. In 1992 Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon, gave a major
contribution. Randa and his wife made a commitment 12 years ago
when they bought the whole property.
The shed and pens house several animals and serve as a center for
the Animal Rights Movement. They also are home to Emily the Cow,
a fugitive from a local slaughterhouse. The 1,400-pound Holstein
eluded everyone for 40 days in November and December 1995 before
appearing at the Abbey grounds, where the Randa family and several
townspeople had put out bales of hay to attract her. After negotiations,
the slaughterhouse owner allowed the Randa family to keep the cow
for $1. Emily's escape has helped crystallize animal rights concerns
and vegetarianism interests. Her story is about to be made into
a movie. To keep up the momentum, Randa urges people to join in
creating the Peaceable Kingdom , America's first animal rights memorial.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured
by the way its animals are treated," he says, quoting Gandhi.
Although Randa has been associated with the Society of Friends,
commonly called the Quakers, he says his religion is Pacifism. "It's
who I am," he says. The father of three children and husband to
Meg, who shares his interests and commitment to a life of non-violence
and peacemaking, Randa enjoys the irony that the Peace Memorial
is the next door to the Sherborn War Memorial.
"John F. Kennedy said 'war will cease to exist when conscientious
objectors to enjoy the same prestige as warriors,'" Randa said.
"War memorials are everywhere." He decided that President Kennedy's
statement would have a better chance of coming true if peace memorials
were built to commemorate pacifists.
Recently a local official asked Randa what Gandhi has to do with
the town of Sherborn because he was not a local person. "If you
turn that question around and ask, 'what does Sherborn have to do
with Gandhi?'-well, then we can explore pacifism," Randa said.
Conscientious objectors increase and decrease in numbers as wars
come and go. Randa believes the Peace Abbey must remain a beacon
of peace, a beacon of hope.
Written by George Chappell
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