Charles City students making ‘Pinwheels for Peace’

By Sister Dianna Blong, PBVM

Special to The Witness

CHARLES CITY — Immaculate Conception School in Charles City is teaming up with Immaculate Conception Parish (IC) and its social justice committee in a month of celebrations, including the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21.

Students in primary classes are creating “Pinwheels for Peace” that will be displayed during the Drive Thru Fall Festival celebration weekend and from Sept. 19-27 in observance of Campaign Nonviolence. A noon prayer service led by students begins at noon on Monday, Sept. 21 with a minute of silence.  (The United Nations theme for 2020 is “Shaping Peace Together” by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the pandemic.)

Banners, hymns, intercessory prayers and blessings celebrate the month-long “Season of Creation” from Sept. 1-Oct. 4.  The social justice committee is uniting with people in 185 countries Sept. 19 for “World CleanUp Day” to clean up global trash, in its “Bridge to Bridge along the Cedar River” efforts, inviting each parishioner to be a “plastic changer” by removing plastic waste. (For every plastic bag that gets picked up, even if only 5 percent of the global population picks up only one single plastic bag, 7,600 tons of waste are removed from nature!)

IC continues to have parishioners share their garden produce for others to enjoy at their “Table of Plenty.” Parishioners have also been actively engaged in the monthly area mobile food pantry from NE Iowa Food Bank.

Sister Dianna is pastoral associate at Immaculate Conception Parish in Charles City.

Cover image: Students from Immaculate Conception School in Charles City are making pinwheels are part of events to mark the International Day of Peace. (Contributed photo)