Morgan Hill Times, Friday March 22, 2002 p. D3
Watch what you pray for, said Rose Marie Peoples, pastoral associate at St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church.
She was addressing An Interfaith Gathering Breakfast hosted last Saturday in the church's Parish Center. When she attended a community prayer breakfast last Saturday, she asked' herself, Where are the. Mormons? Where are the Muslims? Where are the Buddhists?
In he aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack, people of faith have become more tolerant and welcoming of other beliefs. Saturday's breakfast was a, testimony to this fact as nearly 100 local residents who belong to various religious congregations shared a meal and discussed their prayer lives.
Another speaker, Hisham Abdallah, referred to this phenomenon when he said, “The terrorists with their evil intentions never imagined what god could come from their attack on the World Trade Center.”
The morning began with volunteers reading prayers for peace from several religions: Jewish, Native American, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim. Each was followed by a sung response composed by the Taize community in France.
As they ate, participants discussed questions from the perspective of their own religious backgrounds:
Then three representatives addressed the audience as a whole.
Hisham Abdallah talked about the five daily prayer times, the second most important practice in Islam. yes" Peace is a consistent theme of Islam, with many prayers directed specifically to that end. One of the terms Muslims use for God is “The Peace.” He also clarified that the name “Allah” is the Arabic word for “The God”; thus it is used by many Arabs, Muslims, Jewish, Christian) in their own worship setting.
The Reverend Ted Pecot, pastor of Morgan Hill United Methodist Church, told the four types of Protestant prayer. He discussed how the early Christians felt they had to form a separate identity from the Jews and how the early Protestants had to react against the practices of Catholicism in the same way (like rebellious teenagers) resulting in an absence of forms, structure and hierarchy and emphasizing an immediate, unmediated access to God through prayer.
Father Gil Abesamis is parochial vicar of St. Catherine, talked about prayer in the Roman Catholic tradition and how it reflects the different cultures of its members around the world. The Sunday Liturgy (Mass) is a prayer of remembrance, which through Scripture readings and symbolic recreation of the Last Supper brings the worshipers closer to Christ. The Church’s sacraments celebrate stages of life, and prayer formulas, symbols, and, gestures help in relationship with God.
Father Phil Cooke of St. John's Episcopal Church, mentioned the p concept of “oblationary prayer”, praying without words, but through deeds. "All religions agree: Kindness needs to be done.”
The event ended with, entertainment: The Kavanaugh Sisters, dressed in traditional Irish costumes, sang two songs. (one a lullaby in Gaelic) in honor :of St. Patrick's Day. Then everyone present was invited to attend . A Walk for Tolerance scheduled for April 13 in Gilroy marking the dedication of a new Holocaust memorial.
Chuck Flagg
The Times, 30 E Third St. Morgan Hill, 95037