Peace Pole

Peace Poles bring communities together to engage and celebrate peace. They serve as tools to initiate meaningful conversations around peace education and inspire others to take action for peace. The more we can inspire, the more peaceful actions will follow, creating a more peaceful world for all. The message of Peace Poles also encourages peace within our hearts, our homes, our schools, and our communities.

The Peace Pole Project was started in Japan by Masahisa Goi (1916 - 1980), who dedicated his life to spreading the message, "May Peace Prevail on Earth". Mr. Goi was greatly affected by the destruction caused by World War II and the atomic bombs which fell on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His desire to assist in the creation of world peace was answered when in 1955, the Peace Message, May Peace Prevail on Earth, came to him in a moment of great inspiration and deep prayer. Not long after Mr. Goi authored the Universal Peace Message in 1955, Peace Poles inscribed with the Peace Message began to appear in various locations across Japan initiating the start of The Peace Pole Project. The Peace Pole Project was first introduced to the United States with the opening of The World Peace Prayer Society offices in San Francisco and New York in 1986, The International Year of Peace. Peace poles are now the most recognized international peace symbol and monument the world over with more than 200,000 Peace Poles standing in almost every country throughout the world.

Old Saybrook Rotary is proud to be a peace-building club. Our Peace Pole has the message “May Peace Prevail” in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese (mandarin). The languages were chosen based on the population within our communities of Old Saybrook, Westbrook and Old Lyme. Our club will continue to work towards promoting harmony and understanding through service to others.