Faith in the City: Interfaith Introductions

As a joint intern this past year, I had the opportunity to connect congregants of Saint Peter’s Church with some of the houses of worship represented by A Partnership of Faith. I hosted a weekly series titled, “Faith in the City: Stories and Places,” introducing Saint Peter’s members to different Muslim, Jewish, and Christian sacred spaces throughout New York City. I featured guest speakers from these communities to share their experiences, anecdotes, and beliefs. As this took place during Lent, we concluded each service with a compline and traditional prayer from each community.

We began with Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and were joined by Partnership member Reverend Brian McWeeney. Reverend Brian is currently the director of the office of ecumenical affairs for the Archdiocese of NY. He shared with us inside stories about his time as a reverend for “America’s Parish Church.” The Partnership’s treasurer, Reverend Ryan Muldoon, took me on a tour of the cathedral, and I was able to share some pictures from my visit.

We then focused on Temple Emanu-El with the curator of its Herbert and Eileen Bernard Museum, Warren Klein. Warren has been a curator at Temple Emanu-El since 2013, and dived into the history and architecture of this Reform synagogue. He shared with us the previous and upcoming exhibitions at the temple, which houses 1,300 objects in their collection.

Our next session explored the Islamic Circle of North America, known as ICNA, and one of its associated mosques, al-Markaz Masjid, from Jamaica, Queens. Partnership member Dr. Abdus-Salaam Musa joined us to share his experiences as a founder and director of several programs through this organization. We learned about their efforts in dawah, invitations to Islam, as a grassroots organization. Dr. Musa also recited the first chapter of the Quran, al-Faitha, and shared with us its personal significance to him.

Afterwards, we looked at the Episcopal church St. James’ Church. The associate for youth, young adults, and mission, Calvin Bushman, shared with us the current activities that the church has been undergoing. Some highlights include the clothing ministries, where the church raises money through thrift sales and provides a free clothing closet for those in need, and its 40 year old hot meal program.

We concluded with the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and their cantor, Daniel Singer. As another Reform temple, we learned about the history of Free Synagogues as founded by the prominent 20th century rabbi Stephen Wise. Cantor Daniel shared many fun facts about the synagogue, and he sang an interfaith medley he composed.

This was my first program I was put in charge of, and I learned so much about our city through it. I’m grateful for the opportunity to tour all these sacred spaces and interview some of our city’s spiritual leaders. It brought to light our common values and humanity through the power of the stories we share. I’m looking forward to keeping these stories and connections close to heart from this point on.