April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
INTERFAITH EVENT
Let peace begin - in Athens
When the tree was removed, the Catholic community of St. Patrick's (which includes parishes in Athens and Catskill, both named St. Patrick's) decided to fill the hole with a four-sided peace pole displaying the words, "May peace prevail on Earth," in English, Arabic, Hebrew and Irish Gaelic.
Last month, about 200 people from an array of Christian churches, a Jewish synagogue and a Muslim mosque gathered to bless the peace pole and commit to learning about faiths different from their own.
Sister Mary Mazza, CND, parish life director for St. Patrick's, expected singing and prayers. But "it was so much more," she said. "The spirit of God was so tangible in that assembly."
Participants recited a blessing in each language and prayed for worldwide peace, focusing on tolerance, freedom, education and love. Volunteers - including a young St. Patrick's parishioner from China and the First Reformed Church pastors' adopted son from India - lit candles representing the sun and the east, water and the sea, earth and vegetation.
"The whole time, you could have heard a feather drop," Sister Mary said. "Everybody was so moved. I think it was a real impetus for us [to] work together more closely. I do not want this peace pole to be a decoration. I want it to be a symbol that each one of us is going to strive to be peacemakers."
The St. Patrick's community in Athens and Catskill has long been involved in ecumenical dialogue, but this ceremony was one of its first interfaith ventures. Sister Mary had already helped form the Greene County Interfaith Community; St. Patrick's hosted a Thanksgiving service for the group last fall.
The PLD said events like the peace pole blessing open people's eyes to the diversity around them.
"We can be very insular in upstate New York," she said. "We have to learn our commonalities. We all share this common bond of being part of the human family, and it's in our hands to make it better or to destroy it."
That message struck a chord with Glen Lubera, a St. Patrick's parishioner.
"I think we all pray for peace in the world, but a lot of times we feel like that's all we can do," Mr. Lubera said. "It's just going to start with being more understanding of other faiths."
He enjoyed getting assigned to a prayer partner at the event and listening to Sister Patricia McCarthy, CND, speak on building a peaceful world.
Sister Patricia is a provincial leader for the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame and a retired peace educator for schools, parishes and community groups all over the world.
"There's a universal cry for peace, whatever faith and culture one is in," she told The Evangelist; locally, peace begins by refraining from judgment, advocating non-violence and understanding that God loves everyone.
Rabbi Zoe B. Zak of Temple Israel in Catskill said she was "moved to hear someone put words so clearly and so succinctly to a philosophy and a belief system I believe in. It was profoundly affirming."
Rabbi Zak said the Greene County Interfaith Community is already having joint services and "a lot of wonderful exchange. Hopefully, these events are contagious."
Hasan al Qoutob of the Hudson Islamic Center said the event was "a start. You have to pick it up with deeds and work, and it is not that easy. Peace has to come from trust among people. It's not just talk. It has to come from the heart."
Mr. al Qoutob was born in Palestine and spent time in Egypt and the Sudan - all areas known for religious violence and conflict. He's lived in the U.S. for 45 years.
"I am so blessed that I am American," he said. "We're not perfect, but we're better than many countries."
Still, education about religious diversity is lacking here, Mr. al Qoutob said. He knows the history of the Catholic Church and frequently reads the Torah and the Bible in addition to the Quran - and believes members of other faiths should follow suit.
"I compare it with what I believe in to see if I'm on the right track," he explained. "God gave us two ears and one mouth. We should be fair and listen twice as much as we talk."[[In-content Ad]]
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