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The 1,000 Years of Peace Story

As the year 2000 approached, a group of communicators from Catholic Sisters' congregations, Sisters United News (Greater Cincinnati Region), had a brainstorm. What better way to celebrate the new millennium than by gathering pledges for a millennium of peace?

As plans were launched to gather pledges in person, the sisters approached friends at St. Anthony Messenger Press for help creating a web-based component of the program. Late in 1999 a web page was launched at www.AmericanCatholic.org, and pledges streamed in immediately. Pledges that were gathered by hand through the sisters' many outreach ministries were entered onto the Web site as well.

During that first year, over 800,000 hours were pledged! But as 2000 progressed, it became clear that gathering 1,000 years' worth of pledges was going to take far more than one year. The web page was moved to a more permanent home at www.pledgepeace.org, where it still is maintained and promoted by the Web publishing team of St. Anthony Messenger Press—with occasional help from the women religious who helped launch the project. The goal remains the same: to gather 1,000 years' worth—about 8,5 million hours—of peace pledges. After the horrific acts of violence on September 11, 2001, the effort seems needed more now than ever.

1,000 Years of Peace Founders

Sisters United News

Sisters United News, Greater Cincinnati Region, a coalition of 13 congregations of women religious, is dedicated to promoting a postive, accurate image of Catholic Sisters in the contemporary media. Media contact person for the group is Sister Mary Bookser, S.C., 513-347-5471.

The member communities are:

Benedictine Sisters of the Walburg Monastery (OSB)
Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati (SC)
Congregation of Divine Providence (CDP)
Franciscan Sisters of the Poor (SFP)
Sisters of the Good Shepherd (RGS)
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas (RSM)
Sisters of Notre Dame (SND)
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN)
Sisters of the Precious Blood (CPPS)
Sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg (OSF)
Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille (CSJ)
Ursulines of Brown County (OSU)
Ursulines of Cincinnati (OSU)

St. Anthony Messenger Press Internet Department

PledgePeace media contact: Judy Ball (513) 241-5615 Ext. 121

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