World Interfaith Harmony Week Celebration - February 3-9, 2013
The following reflections of sisters and associates were shared on Sinsinop each day of the week in honor of the celebration.
1) What priorities do we want to name as we envision realization of our intention to “collaborate intentionally”?
2) Should we, as sisters and associates, suggest a slight addition to the proposed mission statement of the Dominican Sisters’ Conference, “…standing with others as a clear voice for truth, justice and peace.”
"God speaks to the great reality of love many times in the Holy Qur'an. ... However, God's love is not merely one of God's acts or actions, but one of God's very Own Divine Qualities or Names. This can be seen by the many Divine Names in the Holy Qur'an which denote God's loving quallities such as: the Gentle... the Kind... the Generous ...the Forbearing... the Absolutley Reliable... the Friend ...
Paula Winker for the South Palm Beach County, Florida Associates
To
this end, Dominican University has incorporated interfaith dialogue in several
courses in the curriculum and in many co-curricular activities. For example,
last week, Muslim students and teachers presented a panel “Islam in America:
Dominican Student and Faculty Perspectives,” just one of several activities
planned this semester.
Friday
2/8/2013
The following reflections of sisters and associates were shared on Sinsinop each day of the week in honor of the celebration.
Monday,
2/4/2013
Dear Sisters and
Associates,
Eugene McCarraher, in an article, entitled, "Morbid
Symptoms - The Catholic Right's False Nostalgia" pinpoints the role greed
plays in the ills of our society and allocates responsibility for such greed to
all of us. "No one thinks of himself as greedy; after all, greed is
Goldman Sachs and Bernie Madoff, not me and my family's McMansion. Enveloped in
righteousness and domesticity, the American Dream has always been the dream of
avarice in softer focus." McCarraher continues on with assessments of
recent statements of our hierarchy. (Commonweal Magazine, 11/23/212)
Critiques by Kenneth Woodward and Reverend Owen J.Loftus,
Jr, of McCarraher’s article were published in the 1/25/13 issue of Commonweal,
along with McCarraher’s response to the critiques. One line of his response
seems appropriate for our thought and prayer during World Interfaith Harmony Week. “… I have no idea what Catholics
should do. … As I implied in the essay, we can’t look to the ‘princes of the
church’ (if we look anywhere, it should be to the nuns, who have supplanted the
decrepit ancient regime as the true
aristocracy of the church.)"
I am not sure how to
interpret the meaning of “aristocracy” but the question that comes to me during
this United Nations sponsored “World Interfaith Harmony Week” is two-fold:
1) What priorities do we want to name as we envision realization of our intention to “collaborate intentionally”?
2) Should we, as sisters and associates, suggest a slight addition to the proposed mission statement of the Dominican Sisters’ Conference, “…standing with others as a clear voice for truth, justice and peace.”
Have a very good week.
Pat Mulcahey, OP
Tuesday,
2/5/2013
In celebrating World Interfaith Harmony Week, Paula Winker lent me a
wonderful book:
“Toward A True Kinship of Faiths” How The World’s Religions Can Come
Together- His Holiness The Dalai Lama
The peacefulness of reading this book is a pure gift. The challenge of
living this message demands a full respect to all other faiths. An openness and
love that was modeled in our Founder Samuel.
The Dalai Lama asks: “The line between exclusivist-which takes one’s own
religion to be the only legitimate faith-and fundamentalism is a dangerously
narrow one; the line between fundamentalism and extremism is even narrower. The
time has come for every individual adherent of a major world religion to ask:
“What, in my heart of hearts, is my attitude to the followers of other faiths?”
As a Sinsinawa Dominican Associate living and traveling through a
multi-faith world I am eased into the answer by the generous engagement of
people with different worldviews. The most difficult are those family members
who don’t recognize the kinship of faiths and require me to become even more
open.
Barbara J. Roth
Wednesday,
2/6/2013
Love in the Holy Qur'an was the topic of the
South Palm Beach County, Florida Associates' meeting on Sunday, February 2, the
first day of World Interfaith Harmony Week. Participants want to share the
following excerpt with all on Sinsinop.
From Love in the Holy
Quran byb H.R.H. Prince of Ghazi of Jordan, Professor of Islamic Philosophy
who also founded the National Park of the Site of the Baptism of Jesus Christ.
"God speaks to the great reality of love many times in the Holy Qur'an. ... However, God's love is not merely one of God's acts or actions, but one of God's very Own Divine Qualities or Names. This can be seen by the many Divine Names in the Holy Qur'an which denote God's loving quallities such as: the Gentle... the Kind... the Generous ...the Forbearing... the Absolutley Reliable... the Friend ...
the Good... the
Forgiving ... the Forgiver ... the Granter and Accepter of Repentance ... the
Pardoner ... and in particular by his name, the Loving."
From our sacred Christian Scriptures, which quality of God is especially
meaning to you? As you reflect on your personal relationship with God, can you
imagine persons of the Islamic Faith who may share a similar relationship with
God? Are there other qualities of God described in our Scriptures that you
would add to this list?
Paula Winker for the South Palm Beach County, Florida Associates
Wednesday,
2/6/2013
This past Sunday, Feb.
3rd, I spoke at a Jewish Catholic Dialogue in Naples , Fl regarding the role of
women in ministry in the Church today. I was part of a panel with a Catholic
Lay woman and two Jewish women, one ordained and one lay. Each of us shared how
we came to be involved in Church ministry, what our responsibilities are and
what our ministry means to us. After the panel, questions were addressed to the
various speakers and then small group discussions followed. It was a very
enlightening afternoon and it was a pleasure to see how freely these two groups
mingled and shared ideas and questions. It was a joy to be a part of it.
This coming Sunday we
are having an Open House in our new church. We have invited the Naples
Community, various Churches and faith denominations in town to come for a tour
of our new St. William Church building and sanctuary. All are invited to a
reception with light refreshments after the tour. We look forward to sharing
our new Church home with those of other faith traditions.
--- Christa Cunningham,
OP
Thursday, 2/7/2013
DominicanUniversity has taken to heart the call
to Interfaith Dialogue. In 2010 it took a landmark
step in its commitment to a more just and humane world when it entered into a
multi-year partnership with Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC). This partnership,
known as a Model Campus Engagement, has the goal of advancing a culture of
interfaith cooperation and understanding at Dominican University.
To
this end, Dominican University has incorporated interfaith dialogue in several
courses in the curriculum and in many co-curricular activities. For example,
last week, Muslim students and teachers presented a panel “Islam in America:
Dominican Student and Faculty Perspectives,” just one of several activities
planned this semester.
In addition, next month as a part of its
series,Vatican II: Vision for a Globalized World, the Siena Center of
Dominican University will host Susan Abraham, ThD, associate director of
the Center for the Study of World Religions and associate professor of ministry
studies at Harvard Divinity School, who will speak on the resurgence of
religion in political contexts around the globe, and the role of inter-faith
initiatives in fostering communal harmony.
Marci Hermesdorf, OP
Friday, 2/8/2013
My Personal Reflection
on the Interfaith Harmony Dinner,, February 5, 2013 hosted
by Larry and Paula Winker Boca Raton, Florida
As I was making Lynn Welsh’s famous
chocolate cake and preparing the chicken Kiev while the Super Bowl festivities
played in the background, I commented to my husband, Larry, that “I must be
crazy to think of preparing dinner for 20.” His encouraging response was, “Yes,
delightfully so.” With the help of Dorine Bemmel preparing Gingered Talapia,
Jane Faysash providing roasted vegetables, Larry's fixing the Caprese salad and
Kelly Sinasac’s capable service of the food, the dinner was a delicious
success. As the Rabbi commented, “You can always count on food to create
harmony.”
But the true richness of the evening was
the conversation. Seated around one large table, the introductions revealed the
cultural and religious diversity of our group. From many parts of the US
including the farmlands of Iowa, along with Honduras, Syria, Iran, India and
Suriname, we had all landed in Florida. Each deeply committed to our inherited
or chosen faith community, we represented Catholics, Protestants, Jews,
Muslims, Buddhists and Bahais. Some of us were already active in the Interfaith
Movement. Others were invited to reach out to new people and introduce them to
our efforts.
The Guided Conversation focused on how we,
as part of the Interfaith Movement, can respond to the needs of our community
and world. The commitment and the compassion of these individuals was
beautifully apparent. As issues and needs were addressed, opportunities for
personal and group action were shared. For example:
a.
The need to be educated
about other faiths so when religious prejudice or phobias appear in our daily
lives or e-mails, we may offer an informed perspective. Can we mitigate the
violence in the name of religion by focusing on the peaceful religious values
we share in common? Can we encourage people of diverse faiths to take advantage
of the opportunities to come together, to work together, to learn together?
b.
The need to support
efforts by other religious communities to address human trafficking and
other issues such as the Feb. 16 Seminar on trafficking sponsored by a local
church. Related to this need is supporting family life and healthy childhood
environments which counter the underlying societal ills and failings that
contribute to trafficking, crime etc.
c.
The needs of the people
engulfed in the Human Crisis in Syria.
We have an opportunity
to be informed through the Florida Atlantic University Awareness Program on
Feb. 8 about this issue and the options for us as Americans.
d.
The need to address
Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability. Are we doing enough fast
enough? Upcoming opportunities for action include; (i) the Awakening the
Dreamer Symposium facilitated by Dominican Sisters Mary Rathert and Sheila
Fitzgerald at The Hearth on Feb. 16, (ii) Regional Climate Action Plan Forum
sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on March 2 (iii) Interfaith
Earth Day Fair sponsored by the Interfaith Coalition on April 21
We,
as an Interfaith
Coalition, intend to attend the Palm Beach County
Commission meeting in support of the Regional Climate Action Plan and to
request the Commission to re-instate funding for after school care for low
income families. We believe that our statements and positions we present will
be strengthened by the interfaith diversity we represent.
We recognize that we cannot do it all but
what we can do will make a difference in the lives of others.
After our guests left and I was unloading
the dishwaher for the 2nd time, I was energized by the sense of
connectedness I experienced with others in our very diverse community who are
also on a mission to help create a more holy and just society.
Dear Sisters
and Associates,
The new book
by Joan Chittester seems like it was written for World interfaith harmony Week
as well as for a wonderful daily reflections for each day of lent. The name of
the book is (GOD SPEAKS IN MANY TONGUES) The book ask us to meditate with her
on 40 short texts.
The readings
of great people from all faiths and tongues seems to make our God become bigger
–and we as well. We hear other ways of praise, hear the message of God in other
voices and discover the sacred in all things. Hildegard, Muhammad, St Theresa
of Avila, Rumi and many others have a page for us to read, pray and grow with.
One that I
think speaks to us Dominicans is one from Buddha
MY ACTIONS
ARE MY ONLY TRUE BELONGINGS
I CANNOT
ESCAPE THE CONSEQUENCES OF MY ACTIONS.
MY ACTIONS
ARE THE GROUND ON WHICH I STAND
What actions
are we called to do at this time to better the world?
Remember to
be unafraid is to live life
Head back,
arms out, and Running toward the unknown.
Ellie
Hoffmann
Saturday 2/9/2013
Last Saturday members from eight churches and
denominations in the Fort
Myers, FL area joined together for prayer, outreach
and community
service projects.
There were 30 service opportunities ranging from
cleaning houses, yard work, repair and home
improvement, homeless and
shelter projects, food pantries, shut-in and nursing
home visits, and
packaging snack, food and personal items for the
military serving in
far away countries.
Charlotte volunteered with three other women to clean the house of a
blind woman who lived alone. The joy and gratitude of this 84 year old
woman, her appreciation and delight in having
visitors, her positive
attitude, love of life and her vision of a just and
holy society
inspired "the cleaning crew". The woman and the cleaners ate a bag
lunch, ( provided by the Baptist Church members) and
talked about God,
beliefs and the
possibilities of peace and understanding among all
peoples of faith.
Lynn volunteered in a warehouse that housed food,
clothing and items to
be dated, packaged and sent to military
personnel. There were 12 in
the group, Congregational, Baptist, Presbyterian,
Methodist, Mormon,
Quaker and Catholic church goers, most of them had
sons or daughters
serving in other countries. There were different views of our military
policies but all agreed the packages would be enjoyed
and shared with
the people in
those countries.
The hope of the day was that people of many faiths and
beliefs could
and would come together in prayer and service,
understanding and
respect. Not
only did this happen, relationships were formed and many
of the groups promised to continue together in faith
and harmony along
with good
works.
