25 Years of
Festival of Faiths

In 2010, we continued down the path of looking at our spiritual relationships with the primal elements, focusing on Sacred Soil: Foundations of Life.  

Wendell Berry joined students from the Kentucky School Garden Network to showcase why gardens matter to our future. Will Allen, food activist and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant,” shared the spirit of Terra Madre, his foundation developing sustainable urban farming practices. Young farmers took the stage in a session with Slow Food USA to discuss fresh ideas along with experienced farmers, in addition to highlighting the experiences of African-American and migrant farmers.  

Martin Palmer of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation encouraged us to “shift toward a proper relationship between our food and the land,” while Harvard neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor recounted her comeback from a brain hemorrhage and the faith she relied upon to recover.

Bruggers, James. “Faithful to Help Improve Food.” The Courier-Journal, 6 Nov. 2010, p. B1.

Smith, Peter. “Festival of Faiths Gets Down to Earth.” The Courier-Journal, 30 Oct. 2010, p. B3.

Smith, Peter. “Faiths Consider ‘Sacred Soil’.” The Courier-Journal, 4 Nov. 2010, p. B1.

The Festival of Faiths began a series embracing the primal elements with “Sacred Water: Sustaining Life” in 2009. Along with viewing the ways water factors into many faith traditions as a sacramental tool, we looked at our relationship with water in our daily lives.  

Tori Murden McClure, president of Spalding University, recounted her journey as the first woman and first American to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and six of the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers discussed their documentary film “For the Next Seven Generations.” We also hosted an exhibition hall at the Henry Clay, where houses of worship shared their own relationships with water in sacred practices.  

A recurring theme throughout the festival was our environmental impact on waterways. The festival also served as an opportunity for the nonprofit WaterStep (formerly EDGE Outreach) to showcase the lifesaving water treatment and pump repair programs they administer throughout the world. Since its debut at the 2009 Festival of Faiths, WaterStep has grown into an internationally renowned organization that provides safe water to communities in developing countries across the globe.

Riley, Jason. “Paying Honor to Water.” The Courier-Journal, 9 Nov. 2009, p. B1.

Smith, Peter. “Festival of Faiths Focuses on Water.” The Courier-Journal, 7 Nov. 2009, p. B3.

Our four-year series looking at the stages of life continued in 2008 with the theme Coming of Age. This 13th annual Festival of Faiths featured discussions that touched on the individual experiences of growing up, our evolving national identity and narrative, and the power of forgiveness.  

Winona LaDuke, an Ojibwe community organizer, discussed how the founding and growth of our nation was at the expense of indigenous populations. Solange Maniraguha of Rwanda’s Quaker community visited Louisville to demonstrate how her country’s chapter of the Center for Interfaith Relations was working toward peace and reconciliation. We joined the Muhammad Ali Center for a high school workshop where we heard the perspective of people growing up in the digital 21st Century. And we visited the Home of the Innocents campus to wander the labyrinth and reflect on the journey of life.  

Smith, Peter. “Louisville’s Interfaith Model Aids Rwanda.” The Courier-Journal, 4 Aug. 2008, p. A1.

Smith, Peter. “Author Seeks to Improve Religious Literacy.” The Courier-Journal, 13 Nov. 2008, p. B1.

Opinion. “Lunch With… Dr. William F Vendley, Secretary General, Religions for Peace.” The Courier-Journal, 19 Dec. 2008, p. A12.

Arnow, Jan. “Join in the 2008 Festival of Faiths.” The Courier-Journal, 10 Nov. 2008, p. A6.

In 2007, we continued our series based on the life cycle. Whereas the previous year’s Festival of Faiths focused on the end of life, this 12th annual installment went back to the beginning with Birth and Creation through the eyes of faith.  

We explored birth as an event and sacred process, artistic expression as a birthing of ideas, and the continued rebirths we experience throughout our lives. Local filmmakers Robin Burke and Kay Millam shared with us the deeply spiritual encounters they had with birthing two films, and storyteller Mary Ellen Hill led our youth programming with creation stories from the oral traditions of various indigenous cultures. Workshops also included spirituality in birthing, how we come into the world and our connection to it; as well as how social artistry can bring new life and transformation to our communities.

Smith, Peter. “Organization Build Community Through Action.” The Courier-Journal, 4 Nov. 2007, p. B6.

Smith, Peter. “Writers Find Faith in Wrestling with Religions.” The Courier-Journal, 10 Nov. 2007, p. B4.

Smith, Peter. “Minister Binds Bible, Evolution.” The Courier-Journal, 7 Nov. 2007, p. B3.

Smith, Peter. “’Children of Abraham’ Gather for an Interfaith Thanksgiving.” The Courier-Journal, 8 Nov. 2007, p. B1.

In 2006 our eleventh Festival of Faiths examined the final stages of life with “Death and Dying.” We investigated the approaches various traditions take to the end–of–life stages and how they shape our experiences during the rest of our years.  

Poet Coleman Barks shared with us his translations of the poetry of Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet; youth programming explored Mexican Day of the Dead activities; and Chief Jake Swamp represented the local Cherokee and Iroquois community in a tree planting ceremony. Our focus on the environment continued to play a prominent role, with a day-long ecological symposium on the many ways faith traditions can respond to the climate crises. 

Gagliardi, Melissa. “600 Show Their Faith in Hunger Programs.” The Courier-Journal, 6 Nov. 2006, p. B1.

Cengal, Katya. “On the Sacred Path.” The Courier-Journal, 10 Nov. 2006, p. B1.