ANAHEIM, CALIF (April 29, 2009) Jeremy Bermudez of Anaheim completed his Eagle Project at his alma mater, St. Catherine’s Military Academy. A Peace Pole and three handmade benches were dedicated at the school’s campus located at 215 North Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim. The special celebration took place on April 29, 2009, the feast day of Saint Catherine of Siena, the Academy’s patron saint.
A Peace Pole is a hand-crafted monument that displays the message and prayer May Peace Prevail on Earth on each of its sides, usually in different languages. There are more than 200,000 Peace Poles in 180 countries all over the world dedicated as monuments to peace. They serve as constant reminders for us to visualize and pray for world peace.
The Peace Pole at St. Catherine’s proclaims the message of peace in the four most prominent languages of the current student body: English, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. In the special ceremony dedicating the peace pole, a St. Catherine’s student read the message of peace in each of the four languages of the peace pole. The entire student body then joined hands, and each cadet made a special prayer for peace in his native language.
In order to meet the requirements for Eagle Scout, Jeremy planned, developed, and led this service project to benefit the Academy. He managed over 50 volunteers including family members, friends, adults, and students from St. Catherine’s. All together, the team put in over 300 volunteers hours to benefit the school.
To Jeremy, who graduated from St. Catherine’s in 2007, it only seemed appropriate that his Eagle Project benefit St. Catherine’s. SCMA’s leadership program helped prepare Jeremy for the leadership required to earn the Eagle Scout, Boy Scouting’s highest rank. “The combination of St. Catherine’s and Scouting have done a tremendous job preparing Jeremy for adulthood. His maturity has further grown from working for the Eagle Scout,” said Jeremy’s father, Albert Bermudez.
In August, Jeremy will host his Court of Honor, a celebration of attaining Eagle Scout, at St. Catherine’s. He plans to hold the ceremony in the Academy chapel, followed by a reception in Mother Pia Park where the peace pole is located.
St. Catherine’s Military Academy, founded in 1889 by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, is a Catholic preparatory elementary school for boys in grades Kindergarten to 8th grade. St. Catherine’s challenging and enriching program, which includes small class sizes, spiritual development, military emphasis on leadership and courtesy, athletics, music and advanced technology, prepares students for positive and successful years in high school, college, and adulthood. The school offers both day and boarding opportunities.
###
View pictures of the Peace Pole dedication!