Reflections
DCIC in the Poughkeepsie Journal
Mosque's open house is a start
They came together Sunday afternoon — Muslims,
Jews, Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Hindus and people of other faiths —
ready to confront an enormous challenge, but one this country can, and must,
overcome. They sought a better understanding about their
respective religions, yes, but also to speak out about the pervasive
anti-Muslim sentiment that has swept the country. And they did that, and much more, at the
Mid-Hudson Islamic Association's open house, at a mosque in the Town of
Wappinger. For those who have never been in a mosque, it
had to be educational. For anyone hoping to see the level of civility and
public discourse raised in this country, it had to be uplifting. There they were, this panel of mostly
religious leaders and a crowd of approximately 200, searching for ways to go
forward. Members of the Islamic Association were clearly appreciative: They had
to unfold dozens more chairs at the last minute, overwhelmed by the large
turnout. Those in attendance heard from representatives
of the Dutchess Interfaith Council and religious leaders of various faiths.
Their messages carried universal themes of tolerance — and of the undeniable
belief that people of different faiths must learn to coexist. They debunked myths and misconceptions. Yes,
tensions have risen over the question of whether a mosque should be built near
Ground Zero, and all sides should be heard. But, surely, stereotypes shouldn't
be perpetuated in the process. In the war on terrorism, the battle isn't
between Muslims and non-Muslims. It's between radical forces of Islam that have
corrupted aspects of their religion, as other religions have witnessed their
religions corrupted from time to time over the centuries. The media, too, took their share of criticism
for giving too much exposure to extremists, such as the Rev. Terry Jones, who
was threatening to burn copies of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, on the
anniversary of 9/11. Yet it also is true that, in a free society,
all groups have a right to be heard, and moderate Muslims must speak up as
well. It's imperative they find a receptive audience
when they do. It has been said that if radical Islam is the problem, moderate
Islam is the solution. Reprehensibly, though, segments of our society
don't recognize the difference, don't see the distinction and, thus, are making
it harder for Muslims to say anything that would call attention to themselves.
Many are new, legal immigrants from a variety of countries still trying to
establish roots here, amid the backdrop of the war on terrorism and in the
aftermath of 9/11. Yet, ironically, Muslims have been in the United States for
more than 200 years — millions live here today, thousands serve loyally in the
U.S. armed forces. Members of the Mid-Hudson Islamic Association
include people we know and see every day: health-care practitioners and
administrators, educators, financial planners, laborers, mothers and fathers,
sons and daughters. On Sunday, at their mosque, they welcomed and
embraced a community wishing to show their support — and to learn more about
the Muslim faith. It was a poignant way forward, for certain. |
Interfaith gatherings allow us to see our
similarities
It's rare that an imam, a rabbi and Christian
priests of various denominations are in the same room together. But last
Sunday, they and other religious leaders gathered at Masjid Al-Noor mosque in
Wappingers Falls for an open house and interfaith meeting. Attending the event
made me realize that however these groups differ, they also have a lot in
common — and how critical the dialogue between them is. I had never been to a mosque before and wasn't
sure what to expect. I knew I would have to take off my shoes before entering —
so it was no surprise to see they had shelves for the shoes outside the main
entrance. Though it felt a little strange walking around in stocking feet, it
seemed to bring the diverse group together in some way. After a question-and-answer session for the
nearly 200 visitors with the imam in the mosque's main prayer room, the women
left the men and went upstairs for a prayer — inviting female visitors to come
with them. I followed them to an area situated like a balcony above the main
prayer room where the men remained below. Standing with the other visitors, I
watched as the women stood side-by-side and knelt in response to words called
out by the imam. Then the panel of speakers and visitors
gathered in the mosque's basement. Crayon-colored pictures of religious lessons
taped on some of the walls made it clear it was an area used to educate
children. In that respect, it reminded me of the basement in the church where I
had attended Sunday school. The speakers included a young Muslim woman who
described growing up in the Midwest, where there were very few people of her
background, but she had nevertheless felt accepted by the community — as she
also had at the Catholic high school and college she attended. Yet since Sept.
11, she said the shift in sentiments made her concerned about the future of
Muslim integration in America. Speakers from the Christian and Jewish
religions said they could relate to the difficulties faced by the Muslim
community because their people had faced similar opposition at various points,
whether it was prejudice against Catholic immigrants or anti-Semitism. Eventually, the visitors were invited to
partake of an impressive spread of Middle Eastern snacks. One thing that
quickly bridges the gap between diverse groups is sharing good food, and it was
inspiring to watch everyone mingling. Aside from open-house events like this one,
which will be repeated at other houses of worship in the months ahead, the
Dutchess County Interfaith Council also holds story circles to bring people
together. Hopefully, more activities like these will continue helping to
overcome prejudice and misunderstanding in our nation and community. |
Reflection on a Busy Weekend-News & Events September 2010
 Thursday
evening my wife, MaryLou and I were privileged
to attend the 17th Annual Evening by the Hudson to benefit Hudson
River Housing. This event is always an enjoyable way to spend an evening with
good food, drink, friends and fellowship. And this year was no exception. During the evening we were treated to several
beautiful music selections performed by the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Youth
Choir, directed by Mrs Nina Ricci. The featured speaker was Francis Adams, a
young man who came to America from his home in Africa when he was a boy.
Francis lived with his adopted father in Hyde Park and attended Roosevelt High
School until his father tragically passed away. Francis was left homeless with
no one to turn to until he found River Haven shelter. They provided him with a
new home and encouraged him to further his education. He attended Dutchess
Community College and went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in biology. At present, Francis is preparing to enter
premed school. He is truly a testimony to the fine work of everyone at Hudson
River Housing Friday evening, Vassar College was the setting for a
wonderful night of music sponsored by the Vassar Haiti Project and presented by
Les Petits Chanteurs, a 30 voice boy’s choir from the Holy Trinity Music School
in Port au Prince, Haiti. The school, which provides music training to over
1000 Haitian children, was totally destroyed by the earthquake. We were
uplifted by the outstanding music performed by these young men and inspired by
the courage and human spirit to rise above the tragedy in their homeland. Thank
you to Andrew and Lila Meade the co founders of the VHP for arranging this
beautiful event. Saturday morning, up bright and early and on my way to the
World Peace Sanctuary in Wassaic, NY for the annual
Peace Prayer Day dedicated to offering prayers for peace among all peoples. The event begins with prayers for the tribes
of Native Americans, followed by the 50 states and ending with all the other
nations of the world. Our own Board
President, Theresa Giovanniello carried the flag of Pakistan during the Flag
ceremony. In addition we were treated to music from many countries as well as
traditional Japanese, Nepalese and Hawaiian dancers. The finale of the
afternoon, which truly touched everyone, was the release of hundreds of Monarch
butterflies; American Indians believe if you make a wish and then release a
butterfly it will take your wish to God. Many thanks to Theresa for joining me
at the DCIC table from 11 AM until 4 PM. In reflecting back over these days, I give thanks to God
for the many blessings he has provided and for allowing me the opportunities to
be at this place in my life. It is only through His goodness that I am able to
enjoy these wonderful experiences. |
On "A Potpourri of Stories"-June 2010
 Linwood Spiritual Center Potluck Story Circle June 8, 2010 Rev. Gail A. Burger Lorraine made the connection - we’ve always called this last Interfaith Story Circle of the Season, “A Potpourri of Stories,” but I’ve never connected the “Pot Luck” supper which precedes it with the “Pot Luck” collection of stories. Last evening both the Supper and the Stories were various and delicious. Two of the twenty-five attendees who made their way to the beautiful Linwood Spiritual Center on Mill Road in Rhinebeck were Great-Grandmothers - that is, another two decades older and wiser than this Grandmother happens to be. One was Mabel, an Indian woman who is a member of the Good Shepherd Roman Catholic Church in Rhinebeck and the other was Marguerite, a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Poughkeepsie. The other twenty-three of us were: two Baha’i’s, two Lutherans, two Episcopalians, two Presbyterians, one Conservative Jew, three Hindus, one Unitarian Universalist, seven Roman Catholics and three guests from the Albany Area Story Circle. What a great group. The tri-folds the women from Albany brought are excellent - one is about their Story Circles and the other is about their Youth Program, “Children at the Well.” Paula, the woman who started the youth program will talk with Gwen Higgins, our current Board Member who is interested in and well equipped to organize a Youth Event. Neerjah declared that it was love that had gathered us together. That was the by-line of the Interfaith Council in past years - “Love Has Gathered Us Together.” She told a story about an Indian Guru, his student and a scorpion. The teacher, seeing the scorpion in the river, reached down and scooped him out onto dry land. In the process, the scorpion stung him. This scene was repeated at least two more times before the student, overcome with frustration, tried to slam a rock onto the scorpion to kill it. The teacher rebuked him saying that it was the scorpion’s work to sting as it was the student’s work to remain peaceful. Once again, the teacher reached into the water to rescue the insect. This time, the insect allowed him to scoop it out onto the land; the example of the consistent behavior of the teacher was not lost on the beast. There were so many other wonderful stories: Lorraine’s about the king’s choice of his youngest daughter to succeed him in power because of her compassion for all of the people; Muriel’s tale about King Solomon’s learning a lesson in humility from an ant; Mary’s wedding story about the two very different trees who managed a long time fast friendship; a guest’s Rabbi Hillel story about telling the whole of the Torah while standing on one foot; Teresa’s personal account of an encounter with a little bird in the Holy Land recently; Gert, the founder of the Albany Area Story Circle’s recounting of her favorite story- the one about life’s delivering to us blessings which sometimes have misfortune as their unintended consequence and misfortunes which sometimes have blessings as their unintended consequence. All these and more were topped off by a musical story performance by Muriel and Ed - the one they did at the Interfaith Music Festival this past Sunday at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. A warm experience was had by all on a lovely, though chilly, June evening looking out over the Hudson. |
DCIC President Back From Israel - News & Events May 2010
Last month I had the opportunity to
travel to Israel with my mother. While there I often
meditated on the
words of our Spiritual Director, Fr. Peter Gillen who shared these
thoughts
with us prior to our journey:"The people of the Holy Land, all of them, are the 'living stones' through which we come in contact with the Gospel today. People of different origins, languages, religions, all are used by God in His self revelation. Through them, we come to know our history and origins and also experience the struggles of living according to the 'Word' today." For the group which was predominantly Christian it opened our eyes to the diversity we would have before us in the beautiful country that is Israel. From having a meal at a Druze family restaurant, to visiting Masada, The Church of All Nations, Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee, The Western Wall, the beautiful Baha'i Gardens, the Dome of the Rock and the many minarets which rose up before us, we were in constant awe of the wondrous ways God reveals himself through his people. Throughout the experience I was reminded of how blessed I am to be a part of the work of Dutchess County Interfaith Council and to continuously have the opportunity to meet all of you who take part in our faith-filled events. Your involvement and dedication to DCIC efforts help to reveal God in our lives. Together we share blessings and bring blessings to others. As we begin planning our Fall CROP Walk to fight hunger locally and around the world I hope you will consider volunteering. For now, I look forward to seeing you at our Interfaith Music Festival.
Thank you for being a valuable part
of DCIC. |
On "Breaking Bread" Story Circle - October 2009
Our former Executive Director, Rev. Gail Burger has given us her reflection on the October 2009 Story Circle held at Pine Plains First Presbyterian Church.
| October 8th 2009 at Pine Plains First
Presbyterian Church, Pine Plains by Gail Burger, attendee This program year’s first Story Circle truly turned out to be a Dialogue. We always say that a good Story Circle can serve as an up close and personal form of dialogue between people of different religious backgrounds; this October meeting in Pine Plains proved the truth of that. It was an “ecumenical “group last night rather than an “interfaith” group. All twelve of us were either Catholic or Protestant Christians - evenly divided, in fact. Most often, because we are a program of the D.C. Interfaith Council, we treasure as wide a diversity of religious representation as possible. Well, Pine Plains is perceived to be a long way from the rest of Dutchess County by most people who don’t live there, and so, we felt fortunate to reach a dozen participants. Our contingent of story tellers from the Hindu Samaj in Wappingers Falls were busy preparing for this year’s quite early and very important holiday of Divali ; Muriel Horowitz, the Jewish member of the Story Circle Committee, was on a plane last evening headed to visit family in Utah; no Unitarian Universalists....no Baha’is...no Muslims....no Buddhists.....were there - just Catholics and Protestants. The theme was “Breaking Bread.” One focus of the conversation was on spiritual discoveries made at table. We talked about table prayers - “Graces,” and about melded Protestant/Catholic families, none of whom would dream of attending church together, but all of whom shared meals time and again. Lorraine told about a favorite aunt and uncle - Protestants, the depth of whose spirituality was deeply doubted by the Catholic side of the family and vice versa. Lorraine herself experienced a major attitude shift when, as a young adult, she witnessed a table prayer time at their home on a holiday and, for the first time in her life understood that a table prayer could be other than fast and formulaic. The judgmental attitude she had developed melted away that day and has never returned. Others remembered how deep the divisions had been between Catholics and Protestants, and between different sorts of Protestants in the past. Many had stories of breakthroughs they had experienced in their own attitudes toward those “other” Christians. One woman told about growing up in the South Bronx in a fifth floor walk-up. As a Catholic child, she was forbidden to “play” with anyone who didn’t attend Catholic school, but, somehow, the children of her many Jewish neighbors were not “off limits”. She grew up experiencing the Jewish holidays time and again in her friends apartments and they, in turn, were welcome on her home ground. She has always treasured the root connections between Judaism and Christianity as a result. Gwen Higgins, a member of the Story Circle Committee, whose husband, Greg, is the Pastor of the Pine Plains United Methodist Church and who arranged this Northern Dutchess event for the Council, told an old, familiar story more beautifully than I have ever heard it told - the one about the key difference between Heaven and Hell. I won’t spoil it for you in case you haven’t heard it yet. This story also focuses on table fellowship and is told in one version or another in many different parts of the world. We talked a lot about differences in the practice of the Christian Sacrament of Holy Communion and we all learned something new about the ways in which that ceremonial sharing of the bread of the earth and the fruit of the vine moves our spirits deeply. It seemed clear to us at the end of the evening (when we shared some delicious home made sweet dinner breads) that, over the course of our lifetimes at least, many dividing lines have been diminished in their power to separate us spiritually. Our story telling dialogue in Pine Plains most certainly furthered this sense of unity. Great appreciation to Rev. Carol Miller, Pastor of the Pine Plains Presbyterian Church and to the Pine Plains Council of Churches. |
On "Gifts of God " Story Circle - May 2009
Here is a reflection from former DCIC Executive Director Rev. Gail Burger written after the May 2009 Story Circle at Temple Beth-El:
| May 26, 2009 at Temple Beth-El, Poughkeepsie by Gail Burger, attendee Ed Koziol, Interim Executive Director of the Dutchess County Interfaith Council, at the invitation of Muriel Horowitz, host Story Circle Committee member, expressed his happiness that so many had turned out for stories on this rainy and quite cold May evening. We’re hoping for a mild and beautiful evening in June for the Pot Luck Supper and Story Circle on the Hudson River at Linwood Spiritual Center in Rhinebeck on June 11th. There were at least 20 of us last night at the Temple. In order that the Jewish participants among us could count for the Minyan, we all attended the Evening Prayers in a room which houses an Ark with three Torah Scrolls. The leader of the Prayers opened the Ark for us and Muriel explained about the “dressing” of the scrolls - their covers, their beautiful “breastplates” and the lovely “pointers” called “yads” which are used when reading them to avoid soiling the precious parchment upon which the holy words are written (consonants only). Muriel started out the stories with one about the Jewish Holiday, Shavuot, coming up in two days. The midrash addressed the questions of how God decided which mountain to use in delivering the Torah to the Hebrew people and how God decided which of the peoples of the earth to present with the Gift of the Torah. The theme for the evening was, “Gifts of God.” I echoed Muriel’s Shavuot story with a Pentecost story - Shavuot is celebrated 50 days after Passover and Pentecost is celebrated in the Christian Community 50 days after Easter. We discovered that one of the readings for both Shavuot and Pentecost is the same - from the Prophet Ezekiel’s dream of the “dry bones” which God restored to life. The Christian holiday celebrates God’s Gift of the Holy Spirit to the dispirited disciples of Jesus whose teacher/leader had left them and ascended to Heaven. Christians often refer to Pentecost as “the Birthday of the Church.” Rudy, a first time attendee, got the other stories going by telling a “priest, minister, rabbi” story and we were off with a series of gifted personal tales, all of which were wonderfully inspiring: Theresa, a Catholic, shared about the young Jewish couple who had come to the social service agency where she worked to prepare themselves to adopt a baby and who, after endearing themselves to the group and to a pregnant teen mother, received the gift of a bi-racial child soon followed by the gift of siblings for that child who were born to them; Gwen invited us into her lovely, big home which came to her as a gift from God and which has ever since housed her openly and widely extended family; Mr. Schwartz echoed Gwen’s providential gift of a house with two personal stories of encounters with the Law which ended positively due to his family’s caring connections to the children of the officers involved. We all saw that good teachers and parents who share their love and concern beyond their own small families, are sometimes rewarded years later. We considered laughter as a Gift from God. Earlier we had seen the Ark of the Covenant containing three of the temple’s Torah scrolls; Ed shared an experience of very lively laughter among friends while honoring the presence of God before the Ark/Tabernacle which, in the Catholic church holds the reserved Sacrament of the Eucharist or Holy Communion. Before breaking for refreshments and informal conversation, I shared my deep concern about the convoluted recent news story of our government’s undercover operation to aid and abet four Newburgh men’s foray into attempted hateful destruction - a story which cast unnecessary fear among the Jewish community in New York City and undeserved suspicion upon the Muslim community in Newburgh. A paraphrase of the portion of Psalm 104 scheduled for reading on Pentecost Sunday honored our having come together to celebrate God’s Gifts to all of God’s people. |
Reflections on the 2009 Music Festival
A message from DCIC Interim
Executive Director, Ed Koziol written on the occasion of the 2009 Music Festival:
|
Dear Friends & People of Faith, A great man once said, "He who sings, prays twice". Well then, if he's correct there will indeed be a great deal of praying happening today at this wonderful musical event. Of course there may be those who say, "I couldn't carry a note in a bushel basket" and for some that may be true. But then, music is a little like a cool breeze on a summers night. It may not be seen but it can be heard and felt and it refreshes you. So, this afternoon it is my sincere hope that all who have come to share this day, whether singer or musician or simply a listener will experience an afternoon of peace and joy with a generous amount of refreshment for your heart and soul. Thank you for being with us today and may you and yours receive abundant blessings. |