The 21st Annual Interreligious Prayer Service for Peace and Justice hosted by Pro. Charles Chesnavage welcomed all world religions for a special day of prayer in early February to celebrate World Interfaith Harmony Week.
Chesnavage and his Mercy students shared poems related to mental health, death, and how God and prayer help people with life obstacles. The digital stories were based upon the religions of Christianity and Taoism.
The event took place at Mercy University French Auditorium in the Bronx at a small capacity of people limited due to invitations and room space. Audience members who could not attend the service in person or did not receive an invitation were welcomed to join on Zoom to listen to the service.
Performing was the Cecila Cruz High School of Music students from the Bronx. This was the first time that Cecila Cruz High School performed at the event for Mercy. The high school made the event special with its music performance, which got the audience to sing and worship.
Chesnavage highlights the Cecila Cruz High School choir for providing the music and setting the tone for a perspective of the event coming together.
“They were amazing and brought the crowd to their feet while the students were singing the songs,” Chesnavage said.
After the performance, the students from the choir were offered to stay for the service to listen to the different poems and observe the prayers from the world religions. The students and the choir leader thanked Chesnavage for inviting them to perform at the service, which they appreciated.
The service included universal prayers from all world religions like Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Society of Friends/Quaker, and the Church of Jesus Christ with Mormon tradition. All the religions shared beliefs and traditions with the audience and its spiritual practices. The religion of Zoroastrian made its first appearance in the prayer service where the faith was given the opportunity to share their practice with the crowd.
The Muslim religion was welcomed by a Rabbi and Sheik to teach the beliefs for the first time at the event, which was a first. The message from the Rabbi was expressive to the crowd and made them feel like they left learning something from the teaching.
A Native American religion, unfortunately could not get a representative in person or on Zoom to share their teachings and beliefs at the service. Some of the audience members were disappointed that the religion could not present since they were looking forward to that one the most, said Chesnavage. The Native American religion delivers a graceful message at every annual prayer service and has the best stories to provide the people, he added.
The service was enlightened by a street artist named Todd Drake, known as Quaker Pirate, of the Quaker Society of Friends and shared some of the paintings viewed to the crowd. Every painting that he showed had a different meaning to his life, expressed his culture and personality when he made them.
Chesnavage references one of the art pieces that got his attention at the service and had a relation to his belief in religion which is the reason he follows.
“One of the art pieces by Todd Drake embraces peace that explained my relationship with God and how using peace in prayer gives me grace in my life.”
The prayer service seeked to promote the understanding and tolerance of all religious traditions and beliefs through universal prayers for peace and justice. The celebration resolute to the UN General Assembly proclaiming the first week of February World Interfaith Harmony Week to all religions, faith, and beliefs.
The diversity of the celebration is to be immoral among all world religions given attack and removal from any Federal DEI programs set up by the government. World Interfaith Week is an important event to celebrate in February to bring world religions together for worship.
Chesnavage discussed how World Interfaith Week is impactful not just for the religion but can help save someone’s life to better the environment and culture.
“You know what you know and don’t know what you don’t know – all World Interfaith Harmony events are meant to educate and persuade people to live better lives in order to make the world better,” he said.
To learn more information about world religion and research about World Interfaith Harmony Week, visit www.un.org/en/observances/interfaith-harmony-week.
