2021 Celebration

Celebration of Peace Pilgrim and Helene Young
Sunshine, joy, and words of peace filled Peace Pilgrim Park on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, as dozens of friends, new and old, gathered to celebrate the lives of Peace Pilgrim and her sister, Helene Young.

Drone shot of some attendees around Peace Pilgrim statue.

Ground level group shot.

One-mile peace walk in which FoPP Board Member Bruce Nichols (front left) invited everyone to imagine “holding hands with Peace Pilgrim on one side and Helene on the other.”

Some t-shirts from previous celebrations

FoPP Board Members Bruce Nichols and Barbara Reynolds with the Peace Pilgrim statue at her namesake park in Egg Harbor City, NJ.

A tapestry captures Helene Young’s beautiful spirit.

Al Shollenberger, with his wife May seated behind him, reads proclamations in honor of Helene Young, which he presented to her son Dale Young (left). FoPP Board Member Barbara Young holds a portable mic.

Peace Pilgrim’s tunic and sneakers were on display along with many FoPP materials.

Naida Burgess offers yogic drumming during a silent meditation led by FoPP Board Member Bruce Nichols.

World-traveling troubadours William and Alexandra Riggins performed several songs.

Folksinger-songwriter Pat Lamanna (who can be heard on our Bios & Music page) added her beautiful voice to the day.

The group sings along with William and Alexandra Riggins and Pat Lamanna.

Dick Colby offers a tune.

Sculptor Sally Laird McInerney poses by her beautiful Peace Pilgrim likeness, which was re-installed just in time for the celebration after she repaired it from extensive damage caused during a storm when a tree fell on it.

Helene Young’s long-time friend and caretaker Sandy Leary leaves her handprint on the traditional cloth done at every celebration, while Chrissy Reilly looks on.

Handprints for peace cover the celebration cloth.

Sally Campbell and Ellen Friedman lead the group in a peaceful recitation.

Along with BYO food, attendees enjoyed a celebration cake.

Eric Rhiel and Joshua Salt, who traveled to the celebration from Wisconsin (walking from Phili airport!), shared music, stories and their plans to produce a play based on Peace Pilgrim’s life.

Peace Pilgrim’s statue stands before the beautiful pine grove where participants gathered to celebrate her life.

A view through the pines to the brilliant sky.

Tiles made by local middle school art students surround peace pilgrim’s statue.

The Peace Garden in Peace Pilgrim Park.

Symbols of peace filled the park during the celebration.

This sign greets visitors to the beautiful park in Egg Harbor City, NJ.

The festivities kicked off with a one-mile peace walk in which FoPP Board Member Bruce Nichols invited everyone to imagine “holding hands with Peace Pilgrim on one side and Helene on the other.”
Participants, many in Peace Pilgrim t-shirts from previous celebrations, then gathered in a magnificent pine grove in the Egg Harbor City, NJ, park, where Rev. Jeannie Collins led a beautiful homage to the sisters and their legacy of peace. Bruce led a short meditation with yogic drumming by Naida Burgess.
Helene’s long-time friend Al Shollenberger read proclamations on her behalf, which he presented to her son, Dale Young, then called for a moment of silence in remembrance of 9/11.
Several celebrated musicians, all inspired by Peace Pilgrim and her sister, shared tunes and invited participants to sing along. Two new attendees, Joshua Salt and Eric Rhiel, are so inspired by Peace Pilgrim that they flew from their native Wisconsin into Philadelphia and walked from the airport to Peace Pilgrim Park for the celebration. The pair are planning to create and stage a theatrical production based on Peace Pilgrim’s life. (FoPP will share info as we get it.) During the gathering, Joshua played his ukulele as he offered a moving rendition of Peace Pilgrim’s song, I Am.
“While it was not the weekend-long event we held for many years, we were thrilled to bring back its spirit,” said FOPP board member Barbara Reynolds. “It was doubly special to include Helene in this celebration.”
Helene Young, who helped spread the peace message for decades after her sister’s passing in 1981, made her own “glorious transition to a freer place” on Jan. 14, 2021, just six weeks shy of her 106th birthday. (See our newsletter dedicated to Helene.)