Annual Interfaith Walk in Leicester
The 2009 walk will take place on Saturday 11th July.
The 2008 walk around faith centres in Clarendon Park took place on Sunday June 29th. This is a report from Carol, one of the participants:
We gathered outside Christchurch in Leicester on a summer Sunday afternoon, some 17 of us. A prayer set us on our way as we walked to meet people of faith around the Clarendon Park area.
We were first warmly welcomed at the Guru Amar Das Gurdwara where they spoke of Sikhism’s complete equality and the Langor where each and everyone who visits is given food. We listened as the priest chanted the Holy Scriptures and then we enjoyed refreshments including a lovely spiced tea.
It was raining as we made our way to the Friends Meeting House for silent meditation. We learned that Quakers, along with others had, in the past, been persecuted for not practising the state religion. Always they have gone the way of peace even if it meant going to prison for not participating in war.
At the Church of St John the Baptist we were told how different parts of this huge church are used for the different services. There is an “express service” intended for young families but open to anyone. They aim to make services suited to all groups of people so all feel comfortable and welcome there. Before leaving we prayed the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus gave us, the root of which is in the Hebrew Bible so this led us into our next visit – the Progressive Synagogue.
The Synagogue is named Neve Shalom (Oasis of Peace) and the community there is very inclusive. Whilst supportive of Israel as a necessary haven for Jews from persecution they also pray for a separate Palestinian state and for peace. Before we left we were privileged to be shown the scrolls one of which came from Eastern Europe, It was hidden to prevent destruction by the Nazis and later brought to London. It is now on permanent loan to Neve Shalom as the community it came from is no more.
Our final (and longest) visit was to the Geeta Bhavan Hindu Temple where we enjoyed being present for the evening prayers – beautiful and spirited music and singing in Sanskrit. Offerings were made at various intervals to the idols and happy birthday was sung to several people. The service concluded with Aarti, a flaming dish taken first to the idols and then round the congregation. A small coin can be placed in the dish and hands are warmed from the flame and then moved towards the face, symbolising a purifying blessing. At the end of every Sunday evening service a full meal is provided for everyone present and this was most delicious.
All the places of worship we visited differed in various ways but the common thread was devotion to God and respect for creation. The Jewish word Shalom encompasses peace in all its completeness. It is wholeness in every aspect of life and we had found that on our journey. It is to be found in the welcome for the stranger, excluding no one, in not seeking revenge, in the silence of meditation and in prayer, shanti, shanti, shanti – peace.