Father Pilarz:

It is with great pleasure that we see the improvements and the new construction on our campus. It is a testament to the generosity of our supporters and a sign of the revitalization of our city. With the building of the new science building and the possible removal of Loyola Hall it is possible that we are going to gain some green space on our campus. My proposal is to have some part of this green space dedicated as a peace garden. While there are monuments to our nation's exploits in war in Scranton there are no monuments to our desired goal, namely peace.

Specifically, I would envision it being called the Pacem in Terris garden. It would be a green space with a wooden arch over the entrance with the words Pacem in Terris written on it. Each of the four corners of the garden and the space opposite the entrance would have a plaque with an inscription on it. I would suggest the following quotes:

1. Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called children of God. -- Matthew 5:9

2. They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up the sword against nation, nor shall they train for war again. -- Isaiah 2:4.

3. You must be the change you want to see in the world. -- Mahatma Ghandi

4. Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. -- Martin Luther King

5. The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace. -- Mother Theresa

The remainder of the garden would be filled with various flowers, shrubs, trees, benches on each of the sides and a central area with seating for people to enjoy the garden. It might be nice to have individual donors for each plant in the garden giving our friends a lasting connection to the garden and the campus.

The garden would be a visible sign of our University's continuing commitment to social justice and would serve to further beautify our campus. Our University has a 120 year history of teaching our students to use their education and talents to work for justice. This garden would be a testament to that history and to the values which we instill in our Ignation tradition. As a garden it would show our concern for environmental issues and as a monument to peace it would show our commitment to care for the people of the world.

The cost to the University would be minimal but the gain would be immense. It could serve as yet another sign to our students and visitors of our belief in the dignity of all life.

Sincerely,

Steven Dougherty

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