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| A student at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School in Beloit “plants” his Pinwheels for Peace. (Contributed photo) |
BELOIT — On September 21, Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School children took part in an international art project, Pinwheels for Peace, by “planting” pinwheels with messages of peace in front of their school and church.
Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, of Coconut Creek, Fla., as a way for students to express their feelings about what is going on in the world and in their lives.
In the first year, groups in over 1,325 locations throughout the world were spinning pinwheels on September 21. Last year, the 11th year, over 4.5 million pinwheels were spinning in over 3,500 locations, including the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, Africa, and South America.
This project is non-political; peace doesn’t necessarily have to be associated with the conflict of war. It can be related to violence or intolerance in our daily lives and even to peace of mind.
To each of us, peace can take on a different meaning, but, in the end, it all comes down to a simple definition: “a state of calm and serenity, with no anxiety, the absence of violence, freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups of people.”
Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School students are proud to display their pinwheels in recognition of the importance of peace in all areas of their lives. The pinwheels were blessed by Fr. Mike Resop, pastor, as part of the instillation ceremony and were planted by each participant with the hope that those seeing the art installation will be moved to acts of kindness and prayers for peace.