by Gil Ramirez
The 11th annual World Peace Day Interfaith Prayer Service was a wonderful celebration of many faiths’ common interest for peace, harmony and closeness with our Creator. Over 250 people attended the service on a chilly afternoon at Wentz Hall, at the North Central College campus in Naperville on Sunday, January 3. The theme of this years’ service was “Building Community by Embracing Diversity.”
Attendees were able to enjoy traditional dance performances, music and prayer from several faith communities across Chicagoland. The Islamic Center of Naperville, Congregation Beth Shalom, The Sikh Coalition, Swami Temple of Aurora, the International Buddhist Progress Society, and St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Naperville were some of the faith organizations that participated. They all spoke humbly and bravely against the politics of fear that seem to dominate the news media cycles, and provided faith based support for the necessity of solidarity in “Building Community by Embracing Diversity.”
Tom Cordaro, a member of the planning committee stated, “In today’s time, our country’s politicians, pundits and even a few religious leaders are fanning the flames of fear, mistrust and hatred. Mirroring the violent religious extremists around the world, they seek to divide us against each other in the vain attempt to gain power and prestige for themselves. One of the most powerful ways we have to disrupt, degrade and dismantle the networks of hate, the politics of intolerance and the ideologies of superiority is by coming together in public displays of solidarity like this interfaith prayer service.”