GLADSTONE, MI— On Sunday, November 7, the Hannahville Indian Community, Trinity Episcopal Church of Gladstone, and the Great Lakes Peace Center will come together to dedicate a Peace Pole and Labyrinth on the grounds of Trinity Episcopal Church in Gladstone, Michigan. The event takes place at 2:00 PM. There will be a sharing of different traditions, including songs and drumming, followed by prayers that peace will prevail. Afterwards, there will be a meal for all who are present.
The Peace Pole represents hopes and goals that all three groups share. For Sue Gustafson, who works at the Hannahville Health Center, the pole embodies efforts they have made using Native Connections Grants to “help bring people together in an effort to promote healthy connections.” For Trinity Episcopal Church, putting up a Peace Pole arose out of the desire to create a sacred public prayer space on the grounds of the church. And for the Great Lakes Peace Center, it is a step toward one of the goals expressed in their Guiding Pillars, “The act of practicing peace is ultimately about the healing of self, family, neighborhood, town, city.…by celebrating our diversity while honoring our shared humanity.”
The Peace Pole movement began in Japan in the 1950s and has spread around the world. Each pole carries the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in multiple languages. The pole in Gladstone will carry the message in eight: Ojibwa, English, Spanish, French, German, Hebrew, Arabic, and Mandarin Chinese.
The pole will stand at the heart of a Labyrinth behind Trinity Episcopal Church.
The dedication is a significant, first joint event between the Hannahville Indian Community and the people of Trinity Episcopal Church. It is just one step, but it shows that steady, hard-earned progress is being made in building positive relationships in Upper Michigan. Relationships that respect the dignity of every human being and progress that promotes peace and unity.
