A plea for peace

WASSAIC — A Call to Peace — a day of prayers for gratitude and peace — was held Saturday, Sept. 19, at the World Peace Sanctuary in Wassaic. Those of all ages, nationalities, races, religions and beliefs were welcomed. The event promoted peace through flag ceremonies, music, prayer, dance and other art forms.

Those who attended the peace festival said it brought them closer to understanding the human element in today’s world and the need for communicating peacefully amid chaos.

“It’s beautiful here,� said Don Badgley of New Paltz, NY. Badgley was on hand to offer a prayer for peace from the Poughkeepsie Quaker meeting.

“It’s wonderful. It’s just a beautiful day and we need peace on earth and we’re delighted to participate in the ceremony,� said Michiko Abe, member of the Ichi Fuji-Kai Dance Association. “We bring the Japanese culture here and we wish many more countries would get together. If we could exchange [information about] more cultures it would be nice.�

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