On June 21, 2005, the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom and Virginia Wesleyan College dedicated its Peace Garden.
Located just outside the offices of the Center in Clarke Hall, the Peace Garden honors the late Dr. Catharine Cooks
on, former director of the Center. It is a fitting tribute to her life as a peacemaker in this era of religious turmoil, misunderstanding and strife.
Anchoring the garden is a Peace Pole, bearing the message May Peace Prevail on Earth in a different language on each of its four sides, English, Arabic, Hebrew and Hindi. It joins the more than 250,000 Peace Poles located in nearly every country and symbolizing the hopes and dreams of the entire human family.
We invite you to visit the garden and be reminded that peace begins in the heart and mind of each individual.