A new project by Pax Christi Little Rock is designed to raise funds for school supplies, as well as awareness for core Catholic values.
The idea started when Dr. Sherry Simon, a parishioner of Christ the King Church in Little Rock and chairwoman of Pax Christi USA, gave fellow parishioner and neighbor Raymond Bertasi a “peace pole” for Christmas.
A peace pole, created by the Peace Pole Project, is a rectangular, four-sided pole meant for display outdoors in a garden or in a home, and includes the phrase “May peace prevail on Earth” on each side in a different language.
The Peace Pole Project was started in Japan more than 50 years ago, and since then, more than 200,000 peace poles have been planted outside of homes, businesses and in gardens around the world.
Over the years, Bertasi, an experienced woodworker, has used his skills to help the Catholic peace and social justice group, creating blue birdhouses, cutting boards and charcuterie boards to raise funds for the local organization.
As Simon and he studied the Peace Pole, Bertasi had an idea.
“We realized it would be an incredible project, if Raymond could make these peace poles and play around with it for a good long time and figure out if he could,” she said.
And Bertasi did.
Bertasi began to experiment in his woodworking shop — which he has named the Pax Tiny Workshop — and began working on making two different sizes of peace poles, designed to withstand the elements. He has already completed 48 3-foot poles, intended to be put in a garden or front lawn, and six 18-inch poles for inside display.
“They’re made out of western cedar, then on the tops and bottoms to protect them, I used pressure-treated pine,” he said. “Then we put some spikes in the bottom so they could be put in the garden to display them.”
Paula Kalina, who taught art at Christ the King School in Little Rock from 1994 to 2017, enlisted the help of several student artists from Mount St. Mary Academy to paint the peace poles. The poles are hand-painted in bright colors and designs.
The Peace Pole languages are customizable, and so far, Kalina has prepared the Peace Pole phrase “May peace prevail on Earth” in 11 languages, including English, Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic, Irish, Latin, Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese and Polish.
When donors order a Peace Pole, they will be allowed to pick which four languages they want on theirs. While traditional peace poles are white with black lettering, Kalina and the art students are opting for colorful versions instead.
“We want to make them bright and colorful to fit into a yard or a garden,” she said. “Bright florals and patterns. They’re all going to be different. … I’ve researched symbols from all over the world that mean peace, so I will try to put those symbols on some of the poles
The Peace Pole Project allows nonprofits to use their message on their poles, so long as it isn’t for personal gain. For that reason, donations to obtain a Peace Pole will be used to fund school supplies for St. Theresa School in Little Rock, North Little Rock Catholic Academy and Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Little Rock for the 2025-2026 school year.
“It feels good to know that maybe we made a difference in some child’s life and may make a difference long term by doing that,” Bertasi said. “And that’s the motivator.”
Even beyond helping students in need, the peace poles are designed to be a constant reminder of our faith values as they dot the gardens and front lawns of local communities.
“Catholics need to be aware. I think they really need to educate themselves on our own Catholic Social Teachings,” Simon said. “What I have found is that most people aren’t aware that we even have those. The idea of respecting the dignity of every life may not be something that many Catholics are aware of that is a very core part of our faith. And so education, I think, comes first of all.”
Simon said Pax Christi Little Rock plans to have the peace poles available by the end of March.
Large, 3-foot peace poles will be available for a minimum donation of $300, and 18-inch ones will be available for a minimum donation of $100.
For more information or to buy a peace pole, contact Leslie Bertasi at (501) 343-8963 or paxchristilr@gmail.com. To learn more about Pax Christi Little Rock, visit paxchristilittlerock.org.
CORRECTION: May Peace Prevail On Earth International and The Peace Pole Project promote the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” which is a registered trademark of May Peace Prevail on Earth International. As a nonprofit, Pax Christi is allowed to use their trademarked message.
