25 Years of
Festival of Faiths

Discussions including Attention Deficit Disorder, the healing power of laughter, and alternative healing practices such as Reiki have all taken place at our Festival. Deeper causes of illness and the effectiveness of therapies were addressed along with a family health fair and our first Blood Drive. Journeys through hardship and healing were shared as we investigated the body as a sacred space.  

In 2000 we celebrated the fifth Festival of Faiths, taking a deep look Healing Mind, Body and Soul. We discussed the rise of Attention Deficit Disorder, the healing power of laughter, and encountered alternative healing methods such as Reiki. Guests including Diane Aprile, representatives from Hospice, Huston Smith and Dr. Clifford Kuhn joined us at our Family Health Fair and our first Interfaith Blood Drive.  

From the 2000 Festival of Faiths Program

Smith, Peter. “Festival to Focus on Body & Spirit.” The Courier-Journal, 13 Nov. 2000, p. 1.

Chaplin, Steve. “Artwork Reflects Nun’s Hope for Troubled Girls.” The Courier-Journal, 27 Dec. 2000, p. 20.

Identifying, investigating, and preserving sacred spaces was the goal of our fourth Festival of Faiths. Tours of local houses of worship and assemblies of artifacts allowed observers to experience places and tools outside their own community. 

We were led in a procession through Louisville by Muhammad Ali and former Mayor Dave Armstrong at the fourth Festival of Faiths in 1999. We identified sacred spaces and investigated how we can preserve and honor them. We led attendees on curated tours through local houses of worship, and viewed assemblies of artifacts that are used in various worship services.  

Scanlon, Leslie. “Festival of Faiths Honors Ali.” The Courier-Journal, 18 Nov. 1999, p. 1.

Scanlon, Leslie. “Art, Environment, Architecture Play Roles in Festival of Faiths.” The Courier-Journal, 17 Nov. 1999, p. 12.

Songs and Celebration were the focus of the third Festival of Faiths in 1998, exploring the role of music in religious heritage and worship styles. The River City Drum Corps led us in chanting and making sacred sound in harmony. We were joined by Lord Robert Runcie, former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Tom Hartman of “the God Squad,” and Gregorian chanters from St. Meinrad Archabbey in finding common ground through making music.

Exploring the role of music in religious heritage and worship styles, local denominations sang, chanted, and drummed in harmony. Guests including the River City Drum Corps and the Archbishop of Canterbury addressed topics of tolerance, humility, and understanding.

From the Cathedral Heritage Foundation 1998 Newsletter.

Festival of Faiths Advertisement in The Courier-Journal, 23 Oct. 1998, p. 8.

Fields, Greg. “Workers Remove Familiar Steeple.” The Courier-Journal, 14 Jun. 1998, p. 17.

Festival of Faiths Advertisement in The Courier-Journal, 28 Oct. 1998, p. 10.

Like the first Festival of Faiths in 1996, the 1997 Festival featured exhibitors and local hosts who told the story of the many houses of worship and people of faith in the Louisville area. Artists, singers, and architects celebrated the diversity and vibrancy of the region and celebrated pluralism. 

Our Interfaith Prayer Breakfast brought awareness to the issue of gun violence, recovery from tragedy, and supporting youth in Louisville. Rev. Kevin Cosby and Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson called for people of faith to reach out to young people instead of turning their backs out of “fear, ignorance, or inertia.” Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, also issued a called to faithful people to care deeply for children and to be led by love and light. 

Festival of Faiths Advertisement in The Courier-Journal, 13 Nov. 1997, p. 16.

Scanlon, Leslie. “The Faithful Can Help Fight Gangs – And Save Teens” The Courier-Journal, 14 Nov. 1997, p. 16.

Scanlon, Leslie. “A Cry Goes Out to Light a Child’s Path.” The Courier-Journal, 15 Nov. 1997, p. 8.

Louisville’s first Festival of Faiths celebrates the rich spiritual heritage of our city. The westward expansion of our early years made the city a hub of many denominations. Foundations laid during the Colonial and Federal periods include the Cathedral of the Assumption, settling of New Harmony, Indiana, and many other currently active communities of faith. 

The first Festival of Faiths showcased this religious diversity of the city by inviting houses of worship from all over Louisville to share their history. The festival was comprised of over 45 tents resembling an “tent-revival meeting” of the 1800s. Within each tent, houses of worship told stories, shared pictures, and met with festival goers. Kenneth Smith, Sr., president of the Chicago Theological Seminary, gave the keynote address, and a city-wide interfaith Thanksgiving prayer service was held at the newly renovated Cathedral of the Assumption. 

Hershberg, Ben Z. “Religious Gathering Hailed as Model.” The Courier-Journal, 18 Nov. 1996, p. 9.

Scanlon, Leslie. “Festival to Showcase Religious Diversity.” The Courier-Journal, 14 Nov. 1996, p. 1.

Scanlon, Leslie. “Black Churches Offered Refuge and Dignity during Slave Era.” The Courier-Journal, 20 Nov. 1996, p. 12.

Scanlon, Leslie. “Bishop Calls for Cooperation among Faiths.” The Courier-Journal, 6 Dec. 1996, p. 18.