Peace Pole at St James

History of the Peace Pole at Saint James

(abridged from description by John Heermans)

 

The idea for the Peace Pole was born from a request from the Executive Director of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship*, Melanie Merkle Atha, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the EPF by honoring one of its founders, Bishop Paul Jones (1880-1941), whose feast day is September 4". In 1917, Bishop Jones was hauled before a special committee of the House of Bishops in St. Louis, Missouri because of his opposition to World War I, and particularly because of his statement that "war is un-Christian". He was forced to resign his post in 1918.

 

In preparation for the ceremony on September 7, 2019, and to honor Bishop Paul Jones, John Heermans built a peace pole in his barn on Jackson Street. He ordered a four-sided cedar pole from a sawmill in Swanton; Ron Belair and John picked it up and hauled it back in Ron’s pickup truck. John designed the pole and built it some help from Cecilia and Gabriela. Based on advice from Sandy Willey, Ron and John installed it in front of the church.

 

The writing on the pole is basically the word for peace in different languages. Bishop Jones' name is also on the pole. It is four-sided to celebrate the four seasons of the year in Vermont and the four gospels.

 

Retiring Bishop Tom Ely and newly-arrived Bishop Shannon participated in the celebration, as they were on a tour of Vermont during the handover process to the new Bishop. A short service with songs, prayers, and speakers was held at Saint James. Amma Kim played the cello.

 

*Mission of EPF: To form people of Peace in the Way of Jesus, people who practice peace-making in their personal lives and who advocate for justice, peace, and non-violence in the public square.

​