THE SPECIAL PEACE CORPS
Learn about the Special Peace Corps
at The Life Experience School
which is under the care of the
Peace Abbey Foundation.
Description of Public Art Placement
Mohandas K. Gandhi Statue (Nine foot, Bronze)
Placement:
The Pacifist Memorial, Sherborn, MA
Mohandas K. Gandhi Statue (Nine foot, Fiberglass)
Placement:
Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston, MA
Gandhi Statue at the Pacifist Memorial in Sherborn, MA.
The Gandhi statue was unveiled at the Pacifist Memorial on October 2, 1994, the 125 birth anniversary of Mohandas K. Gandhi. Listed on the plaque below are the individuals that participated in the dedication ceremonies. (Included are Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Daniel Berrigan, Dave Dellinger, Arun Gandhi and other significant peacemakers.)
The Pacifist Memorial in Sherborn, MA. Bronze Gandhi statue at the Pacifist Memorial in Sherborn, MA where over 65 pacifists throughout history are acknowledged through quotations on bronze plaques. The Pacifist Memorial is an Open-Air Peace Chapel of the World’s Major Religions.
Occupy Boston placement of Gandhi Statue
Chris Randa and other activists move Gandhi statue hours before Occupy Boston ended.
Within days, a nine-foot statue of Mahatma Gandhi was brought to the Occupy Boston encampment as a symbol of peaceful, nonviolent civil disobedience by the Peace Abbey of Sherborn, MA. The ten- week long citizen’s occupation to protest economic injustice ended on December 10, 2011. It was the longest continual Occupy demonstration in the country. Dewey Square is the proposed location of the bronze statue of Gandhi as a gift to the City of Boston.
With the uprising of discontent in America over what was perceived to be unbridled corporate greed and disregard for human needs, the Wall Street Occupy Movement spread to Boston on September 30, 2011. 1% of the world’s wealth is owned and controlled by 80 people.
The Closing of the American Mind: Occupy Boston
by VIJAY PRASHAD
That Strange Brown Man, Gandhi
Gandhi is standing in the bustle of Occupy Boston. The wry smile, the flapping ears, and the walking stick in hand. A sign flags near his knees, “The world holds enough for everyone’s NEED, but not enough for everyone’s GREED.” People rush past him, walking on the wooden planks that work as the walkways between tents in Dewey Square. These people are temporary heroes, the people who have walked away from their ordinary lives to seek shelter together in the public square. Some of these people are happy, pleased to be together and to model a different social life. Others are already cold, already a bit dispirited. The days have begun to drag on. The novelty will wear off. It is precisely to ward off a drop in morale that Gandhi warned his fellow activists, “If patience is worth anything, it must endure to the end of time. And a living faith will last in the midst of the blackest storm” (Young India, June 17, 1926).
Quakers from the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts, brought the statue to the site. They had made it as a gift to Goldman Sachs. On October 28, 2010, the Abbey workers and children from the Life Experience School came down to the Goldman office on High Street, not far from Dewey Square. They wanted to install their statue of Gandhi as a beacon against Greed. Goldman’s people declined the offer, so Gandhi was then chained to the doors of the building. He didn’t last long, went back to the Abbey, and then, when Occupy Boston started, came to his place amongst the protestors.
Mohandas K. Gandhi Busts
Placement:
United Nations Headquarters, NYC
Healey Library, University of Massachusetts
Greyhound Friends Animal Adoption and Shelter, Hopkinton, MA
Sociology Department, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Farm Sanctuary,
Watkins Glen, NY
Advocates Standing Strong, Boston, MA
Emily the Cow Statue (Bronze) and Sacred Cow Nat’l Animal Rights Memorial
Placement:
Sacred Cow Animal Rights Memorial, Sherborn, MA
Emily the Cow Fiberglass Portable Statue
Placement:
(Possible location: FARM Headquarters, PETA Headquarters)
Blessed Mother Statue
Placement:
Holy Name Church, Duxbury, MA
Blessed Mother and Child statue, which was in the circular drive in front of the Peace Abbey for 25 years, was gifted and re-dedicated on Mothers Day 2013 at Holy Family Church in Duxbury, MA. The sculpture was originally given to the Peace Abbey / Life Experience School by the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master. The original statue was sculpted by world-renowned artist, Sr. Angelica in Rome, Italy.
Mother Teresa Statues
Placement:
Blessed Mother Teresa Church, Dorchester, MA
Women’s Correctional Facility, Framingham, MA
Mother Antonia, Tijuana Correctional Facility, Mexico
Archdiocese of Des Moines, IA St.
Anthony’s Church, Des Moines, IA
Mercy Hospital, Des Moines, IA
Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston, MA
St. Mary’s Church Dedham, MA
Dedham TV, Dedham, MA (Bust)
The original statue of Mother Teresa, commissioned for the Peace Abbey. was the centerpiece in the Joseph Campbell living room in the Guesthouse. It was given to St. Mary’s Church when the Abbey closed its Guesthouse.
Missionaries of Charity Dorchester, MA
Relic of St. Clare of Assisi
Placement:
Portiuncula Chapel at Cardinal Cushing Center, Hanover, MA
Peaceable Kingdom Picture
Placement:
East Sandwich Friends Meeting, Cape Cod, MA
PEACEABLE KINGDOM OF THE BRANCH by Edward Hicks, gifted to East Sandwich Friends Meeting. This framed print from the Archives collection at Swarthmore College hung over the fireplace in the Quaker Room at the Peace Abbey Conference Center for 25 years. Its “vegetarian implications” were central to the teachings at the Peace Abbey as it operated Veganpeace Animal Sanctuary where food production animals were cared for following their escape from the local slaughterhouse in Hopkinton, MA.
John F. Kennedy Busts
Placement:
JFK Presidential Library and Museum, Boston
John Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston
Robert F. Kennedy Busts
Placement:
JFK Presidential Library and Museum, Boston
Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston
Samantha Smith Busts
Placement:
Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston, MA
Peace Seeds Rosaries
Placement:
Gandhi and earth image on the Peace Seeds medallion. The Peace Seeds represent the twelve prayers for peace prayed in Assisi, Italy on the Day of Prayer for World Peace during the United Nations International Year of Peace, 1986. The Prayers were brought to the United States and entrusted to the care of the children at The Life Experience School. Peace Seeds can be acquired from the Peace Abbey for a small donation.
Peace beads are strung together to form the Peace Seeds Rosary by Roy and Dorothy who devote themselves to prayerful service to others.
Conscientious Objector Memorial Stone
Placement:
Cambridge Friends Meeting, (Quakers) Cambridge, MA
Honoring Conscientious Objectors. Stone honoring Conscientious Objectors created by the Peace Abbey was gifted to Cambridge Friends Meeting and is located in the side garden to the left of the Administrative Offices. It was pulled by Stonewalkers from the Abbey to Friends Meeting Cambridge. This is the first of many stones to be created by the Life Experience School.
Victim of Violence Memorial Stone
Placement:
Pacifist Memorial, Sherborn, MA
Victim of Violence Stone was dedicated by Fr. Daniel Berrigan on May 4, 1994 during the unveiling of the Gandhi statue. It was created to honor all victims of violence, whether domestic or state sponsored through the death penalty or the waging of armed conflict.
Memorial Stone for Conscientious Objectors on CO Hill
Placement:
Pacifist Memorial, Sherborn, MA
CO stone installed by Dan, Leah, Jonah and Lewis. Granite Memorial Stone for Conscientious Objectors. Buried here are the ashes of over a dozen pacifists who devoted their lives to social change through the power of nonviolence. The names engraved on the Memorial Stone include Pat Farren, David Dellinger, Wally Nelson & Chuck Matthei, Lynda Bock Weitz, Paramal Das, Ralph DiGia, Ann & John Rush, Patricia Watson, Zell Draz, Norman Nylund, Tom Lewis, Sheila DeSalvo and Howard Willard, Jr.
Granite Stones for Unknown Civilians Killed in War
Placement:
Pacifist Memorial, Sherborn, MA
St. Michael’s Cathedral, Coventry, England
Hiroshima, Japan
DMZ Korea (Gift from Hibakusha)
(Proposed location at Arlington National Cemetery.)
The memorial stone on the grounds of the Peace Abbey. Memorial Stone for Unknown Civilians Killed in War on the grounds of the Pacifist Memorial next to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Sherborn, MA. Located where Routes 27 & 16 fork in Sherborn, MA.
COVENTRY, ENGLAND
The Coventry blitz from the German word Blitzkrieg meaning “lightning war” was a series of bombing raids that took place on the English city of Coventry.
Memorial Stone for Unknown Civilians Killed in War placed at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Coventry, England in 2001. Pulled by Stonewalkers from Liverpool to Coventry where it was placed in perpetuity during a special ceremony at St. Michael’s Cathedral which was bombed during the WW II.
Hiroshima, Japan
Memorial Stone pulled from Nagasaki to Hiroshima, Japan by Stonewalkers and placed in perpetuity at the Hiroshima World Peace Memorial Cathedral on August 6, 2005, the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing.
DMZ Korea
Memorial Stone for Unknown Civilians Killed in War created and pulled by Japanese Stonewalkers from the Southern coast of South Korea to the DMZ in 2007. The Stone is placed in perpetuity at the Korean demilitarized zone.
Multi-Faith Prayer Altar
Placement:
University of Massachusetts Boston
Commissioned altar with the words: Always Pray & Pray all Ways with Earth design and the names of the 12 major religions carved into each of the 12 sides of the base of the altar. Designed by Lewis Randa. A replica was created by Wellesley College, Multi-faith Chapel.
PEACEMAKERS TABLE AT UMASS BOSTON Re-dedication of the Peacemakers Table at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Among the noted peacemakers that met at the Abbey Peacemakers Table are: Mother Teresa, Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Howard Zinn, Arun Gandhi, Camila Sadat, Raul Julia, Thich Nhat Hanh, Daniel Berrigan, Richie Havens, Ram Das, Helen Caldicott, Ramsey Clark, Barry Crimmins, Michael Klaper, Harry Wu, Ralph DiGia, Dave Dellinger, Patch Adams, Hugh Thompson Jr., Stanley Kunitz, Ngawang Choephel, Betsy Sawyer, Elise Boulding, Michael True, Roy Bourgeois, Paul Rusesabagina, Camilo Mejia, Cindy Sheehan, Francis Crowe, Gene Sharp, Will Tuttle, Tommie Smith, John Dear, Mother Anonia Brenner and numerous other extraordinary peacemakers. The Peacemakers Table was dedicated to the late Quaker scholar and peace activist, Elise Boulding.
Peace Pilgrim
From 1953 to 1981 a silver haired woman calling herself only “Peace Pilgrim” walked more than 25,000 miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace. She vowed to “remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food.” In the course of her 28 year pilgrimage she touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals all across North America. Her message was both simple and profound. It continues to inspire people all over the world.
Expressing her ideas about peace, Peace Pilgrim referred to herself only as “Peace Pilgrim.” Peace Pilgrim’s only possessions were the clothes on her back and the few items she carried in the pockets of her blue tunic which read “Peace Pilgrim” on the front and “25,000 Miles on foot for peace” on the back. She had no organizational backing, carried no money, and would not even ask for food or shelter. When she began her pilgrimage she had taken a vow to “remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food.”