Hightstown parish invites all faiths to pray for peace
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By David Kilby | Correspondent
St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown invites all to pray at its Inter-Faith Peace Vigil Sept. 23 from 7-8 p.m.
People of all faiths are invited to join friends and neighbors to pray for peace around the world, especially in Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Ukraine, Nigeria, the U.S. Border, Syria and Furguson, Mo.
In August, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., echoed Pope Francis’ call for prayer and special Masses for an end to the conflicts in the Middle East.
In that spirit, Bishop O’Connell also celebrated a Mass for Peace Aug. 16 in St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck.
Also, dioceses across the nation joined in a prayer for peace Aug. 6, after an appeal from Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, chairman of the bishops’ Committee of International Justice and Peace, who made the prayer request.
Prior to that, on July 29 Bishop O’ Connell called upon the faithful of the Diocese, and all people of good will, to pray daily for a return to peace.
For the St. Anthony of Padua, InterFaith Peace Vigil, there will be readings from Scripture and other sacred texts in Hebrew, Spanish and English.
Rev. Calvin Powell, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Trenton, will proclaim a reading from Matthew and sing “Amazing Grace.”
A Muslim couple will give a reading from the Koran, and a translation into English, and a reading of Blessed Mother Teresa’s poem “Joy” or “Felicidad” will be read in Spanish and English. There will also be a lyrical dance and the playing of a Native American flute.
“This is really a people of the pews program,” said Lenore Isleib, who co-leads the St. Anthony of Padua Social Justice Committee with her husband, Leigh. “It came from the community.”
The committee is coordinating the vigil with the help of the Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice, a grassroots organization founded some years ago to find the common threads among different faiths and cultures.
Isleib said the coalition was established around the time when there was talk of a mosque being built by the World Trade Center site in New York. “We thought it was time for Christians and Muslims to talk to one another and understand one another.”
The coalition also hosts movie nights and potluck dinners.
A third group helping with coordinating the vigil is Community Unity of Hightstown, East Windsor and Roosevelt. It began several years ago to promote intentional integration, Isleib shared.
She said of the vigil, “There are no politics, no demonstrating, just a group of people getting together. I would believe that people who come to this would believe that peace is possible. At the core of Christianity, Judaism and Islam is love and peace.”
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By David Kilby | Correspondent
St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown invites all to pray at its Inter-Faith Peace Vigil Sept. 23 from 7-8 p.m.
People of all faiths are invited to join friends and neighbors to pray for peace around the world, especially in Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Ukraine, Nigeria, the U.S. Border, Syria and Furguson, Mo.
In August, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., echoed Pope Francis’ call for prayer and special Masses for an end to the conflicts in the Middle East.
In that spirit, Bishop O’Connell also celebrated a Mass for Peace Aug. 16 in St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck.
Also, dioceses across the nation joined in a prayer for peace Aug. 6, after an appeal from Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, chairman of the bishops’ Committee of International Justice and Peace, who made the prayer request.
Prior to that, on July 29 Bishop O’ Connell called upon the faithful of the Diocese, and all people of good will, to pray daily for a return to peace.
For the St. Anthony of Padua, InterFaith Peace Vigil, there will be readings from Scripture and other sacred texts in Hebrew, Spanish and English.
Rev. Calvin Powell, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Trenton, will proclaim a reading from Matthew and sing “Amazing Grace.”
A Muslim couple will give a reading from the Koran, and a translation into English, and a reading of Blessed Mother Teresa’s poem “Joy” or “Felicidad” will be read in Spanish and English. There will also be a lyrical dance and the playing of a Native American flute.
“This is really a people of the pews program,” said Lenore Isleib, who co-leads the St. Anthony of Padua Social Justice Committee with her husband, Leigh. “It came from the community.”
The committee is coordinating the vigil with the help of the Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice, a grassroots organization founded some years ago to find the common threads among different faiths and cultures.
Isleib said the coalition was established around the time when there was talk of a mosque being built by the World Trade Center site in New York. “We thought it was time for Christians and Muslims to talk to one another and understand one another.”
The coalition also hosts movie nights and potluck dinners.
A third group helping with coordinating the vigil is Community Unity of Hightstown, East Windsor and Roosevelt. It began several years ago to promote intentional integration, Isleib shared.
She said of the vigil, “There are no politics, no demonstrating, just a group of people getting together. I would believe that people who come to this would believe that peace is possible. At the core of Christianity, Judaism and Islam is love and peace.”
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