On the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of the International Bill of Rights, we gathered in Grand Rapids, Michigan for an Interfaith Peace Service. The September 23, 2018 event was hosted by the Institute for Global Education (IGE), Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids, and Instruments of Hope. The Grand Rapids Threshold Choir sang during the program which included meditation, prayer, and reflections – as the group progressed from the St. Francis Sculpture Garden for Prayer and Meditation, across the grounds of Dominican Center at Marywood to Dominican Chapel. Representatives of seven different faiths shared how their traditions celebrate peace, demonstrating the transcendence of this phenomenon.
The video can be seen at igetalks.org or on YouTube.
Program & Speaker Overview
Welcome by Janet Brown, OP, Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids, Catholic tradition; Mary Patricia Beatty, OP, Catholic tradition; Representatives of seven different faith traditions shared peace reflections. Reflections from: Reverend William Edens, CSP, Associate Pastor, St. Andrew Cathedral, Roman Catholic tradition; Au Su Kimberly Hillebrand, Grand Rapids Buddhist Temple and Zen Center, Buddhist tradition; Diane Baum, Congregation Ahavas Israel, Jewish tradition; Fred Stella Pracharak, West Michigan Hindu Temple and Co-founder of Interfaith Dialogue Association, Hindu tradition. Mary Beth Mead, Sufi Muslim Inayti Order, Reverend Doctor Willie A. Gholston II, First Community A.M.E. Church, Protestant tradition; Aslam Modak, Burton Street Islamic Center and Interfaith Dialogue Association Board.
