22 Sep Students of Assumption College for Sisters Celebrate the International Day of Peace
Pictured here are the international resident students who have come to Assumption College for Sisters for the first time this year: Sister Isabel Mula, CPS, Mozambique; Sister Renilde Ndabihaze, BM, Burundi; Sister Sister Pascaline Musyoka, CPS, Kenya; Sister Mary Duong Nguyen, FMV, Vietnam; Sister Maria Linh Tran, LHC-TT, Vietnam; Sister Lucia Misoji, OSB, Tanzania; Sister Mary Thuan Bui, FMV, Vietnam; and Sister Lucia Pham, LHC-TT, Vietnam. Flags of the various countries represented by the students were depicted surrounding a globe placed in front of the altar.
On September 21, international resident students of Assumption College for Sisters. Denville, gathered in the convent chapel to pray a special Evening Prayer commemorating the International Day of Peace. The altar was surrounded by flags representing the countries of origin of the resident students. At the beginning of the prayer, ACS faculty member, Jean Wedemeier, explained and distributed mission rosaries that she herself made, reminding the students and those assembled, that only through prayer will world peace be achieved.
The International Day of Peace was created in 1981 when the United Nations resolved to observe September 21 each year for the purpose of fostering peace throughout the world through focusing on common goals, alleviating tensions and recognizing causes of conflict. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has used the International Day of Peace to call for a nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. UN member states have also been urged to commemorate the International Day of Peace with a global ceasefire in any sort of warfare that they are engaged in. By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged all of humankind to work in cooperation for this goal.
To inaugurate the day, the “Peace Bell” is rung at UN Headquarters. The bell is cast from coins donated by children from all continents. It was given as a gift by the Diet of Japan, and is referred to as “a reminder of the human cost of war.” The inscription on its side reads: “Long live absolute world peace.”
Assumption College for Sisters is a two-year Sister Formation College, the only one of its kind in the United States. For more information, visit www.acs350.org.