Last Sunday, 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.
The event took place at Mercy University French Auditorium in Bronx, NY at a small capacity of people limited due to invitations and room space. Audience 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.
Pro. Chesnavage and his Mercy students shared poems related to mental health, death, and how God and prayer helped people with life obstacles. The digital stories were based upon the religion of Christianity and Taoism. No one from Mercy, the Bronx Borough office or Bronx Times was in attendance for the service except his students.
The most important people at the event were 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 their music performance that got the audience to sing and worship.
Pro. Chesnavage highlights the Cecila Cruz High School choir for providing the music and setting the tone for 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 thank Pro. 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, Church of Jesus Christ with Mormon tradition. All the religions shared beliefs and traditions with the audience to try the spiritual practices. The religion of Zoroastrian made its first appearance in the prayer service where the belief was given the opportunity to share their practice with the crowd.
Muslim religion welcomed in a Rabbi and Sheik to teach the beliefs for the first time at the event that is a make up for not being able to attend last years’ service. The message from the Rabbi was expressive to the crowd and made them feel like they left learning something from the teaching.
The 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 be here since they were looking forward to that one the most. The Native American religion delivers the most graceful message at every annual prayer service and have the best stories to provide the people.
The service was enlightened by a street artist named Todd Drake known as Quaker Pirate offered the Quaker Society of Friends with some of the paintings viewed to the crowd. Every painting that he shown 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 embrace peace that explained my relationship with God and how using peace in prayer gives me grace in my life,” he said.
The prayer service seeks 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 the month of February to bring world religions together for a nice worship.
Chesnavage opens how World Interfaith Week is impactful for not just 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.
