25 Years of
Festival of Faiths

Faces of Faith and Reconciliation was the theme of our 10th annual Festival of Faiths held in 2005. In partnership with the World Conference of Religions for Peace, we hosted a symposium entitled “One Earth, Many Faiths, Sharing Responsibility,” featuring guest speakers Wendell Berry, Kentucky author and environmental activist; Sister Paula Gonzalez, a biologist known as the “Solar Nun”; and Thomas Graham, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.  

As part of the Shewa Tour of Tibetan Peace and Healing, the Sera Jey Monks visited the festival and constructed a giant sand mandala. To close the festival, the mandala’s consecrated sand was then poured into the Ohio River. Former Mayor of Louisville introduced the community to our design concept for the George Garvin Brown Garden, located on Muhammad Ali Boulevard outside our office.  

Smith, Peter. “Praying for Peace Amid Violence.” The Courier-Journal, 9 Nov. 2005, p. B1.

Smith, Peter. “Unity in Prayer.” The Courier-Journal, 10 Nov. 2005, p. B1.

A choir of Israeli youth were accompanied by Palestinian instrumentalists at the ninth Festival of Faiths in 2004, a performance that beautifully underscored that year’s theme of Faith and Cooperation.  

Reverend Phil Lloyd-Sidle of the James Lees Presbyterian Church hosted the annual Children of Abraham Thanksgiving Dinner preceding the festival, and the evening brought together three major faith traditions to demonstrate the unifying power of voice and song. “It’s a joy to be able to celebrate our spiritual kinship at table and in worship,” the Rev. Lloyd Sidle said at the time. “For me, it becomes a living symbol of the possibility of peace and reconciliation.” 

During the festival, Palestinian teenagers of the National Palestine Center in Nablus joined Israeli singers of the Jezreel Valley Music School for the first time in Louisville, having been brought by local emigrants of the region for the purpose of demonstrating common bonds.  

Hall, Gregory. “Music Bridges Religious Divide.” The Courier-Journal, 6 Nov. 2004, p. B1.

Smith, Peter. “3 Faiths Build Bridges.” The Courier-Journal, 11 Nov. 1999, p. B1.

Hall, Gregory. “Music | Youth Bridge Religious Divide.” The Courier-Journal, 6 Nov. 2004, p. continued from B1.

2003 saw us investigate the connections between Faith and Justice, including the relationships between police and the community. Former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson was accompanied by Police Chief Robert White in a dialogue on how our faith communities can make the city a more just community. Robert F Kennedy, Jr. connected his spirituality to his fight to preserve the environment as a public resource.  

We also held an interfaith prayer breakfast featuring Arun Gandhi (grandson of Mahatma Gandhi), who shared how the principles of nonviolence can benefit the individual and society. Our student programming included programs on the Underground Railroad, economic justice, and a look at bullying and homelessness.  

Adams, Jim. “RFK, Jr. Urges Action to Save Environment.” The Courier-Journal, 10 Nov. 2003, p. 9.

Smith, Peter. “Gandhi’s Grandson Shares Legacy.” The Courier-Journal, 14 Nov. 2003, p. B2.

Hall, Christopher. “Baha’i Prayer, Talk Focus of Session.” The Courier-Journal, 23 Sept. 2003, p. B2.

Along with guests such as Dr. Deepak Chopra, the seventh Festival of Faiths in 2002 took a closer look at the texts held sacred in many faith traditions. This included yoga sessions demonstrating the incorporation of the body in spiritual practices, and demonstrations of the Lectio divina method of meditative prayer used by the Sisters of Saint Benedict. Dr. Martin Marty of the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary guided us in conversing with sacred texts both as friends and challengers, and Dr. Donald Parry of Brigham Young presented us with the relevance of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  

Wolfe, Bill. “Chopra Preaches Understanding of Body and Spirit.” The Courier-Journal, 11 Nov. 2002, p. 9.

Runyon, Keith. “Austria’s Favorite Storyteller Comes to Town.” The Courier-Journal, 10 Nov. 2002, p. 93.

An Interfaith Youth Gathering and genealogy workshops were central to our sixth Festival of Faiths in 2001. Harold Kushner joined us at events including our Children of Abraham dinner, which celebrated the roots of faith shared by Muslims, Christians, and Jews. We looked at how issues affect both children and seniors in multi-generational households, and followed the Fireman’s Bagpipe Brigade through downtown on a Pilgrimage for Peace.

Carter, Darla. “Sixth Festival of Faiths Starts With Unity Trek.” The Courier-Journal, 14 Nov. 2001, p. 17.

Marty, Martin. “Faith and Family in an Insecure Land.” The Courier-Journal, 17 Nov. 2001, p. 13.