Blog

At our upcoming 2024 Dare to Understand ® Awards Ceremony , we're celebrating the nearly 1000 past participants of our Walking the Walk Youth Initiative . As we reach out to these alumni, many are sharing how their experiences in the program have helped them as adults living and working in an interfaith society. In this article, we hear from an alumna, Katie Rockford, and a mentor, Maha Attia. I am a Walking the Walk alumna who participated for four years, two of which I was a student group leader. Growing up in an interfaith family inspired me to take part in Walking the Walk . I always wanted to learn more about people from various religions and backgrounds and find commonalities, while simultaneously embracing differences. Some of my favorite memories were when we came together as a group to volunteer at Inglis House, a long-term care community for individuals with disabilities. Not only were we able to have conversations about how volunteering and charity are important to our...

  The Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia   (RLC) hosted an interfaith prayer service for Philadelphia’s newly elected mayor, Cherelle Parker, on February 20, 2024 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Center City. With more than 300 people in attendance, the service included scripture readings from the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faith traditions. “We are here to pray for Mayor Parker and City Council, to build bridges of peace, and to support one another,” said Rev. Edward Livingston , Interfaith Philadelphia’s Director of Religious Community Initiatives. The service was led by the RLC Co-Conveners:  Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez; The Rt. Rev. Daniel Gutiérrez, Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania; Imam Anwar Muhaimin, Quba Masjid; and Rabbi David Straus of the Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. Attendees recited a pledge written by the RLC entitled "A Call from People of Faith to Stop Violence," and ...

By Marilyn Berberich For over fifteen years, the Quest Discussion Group  has gathered monthly to explore faith traditions and topics of spirituality. As a first-generation Quest participant, I began this interfaith journey at a Borders Bookstore in Chestnut Hill. Our kickoff selection was Karen Armstrong’s book The Spiral Staircase. It was a fascinating read and an even more fascinating conversation. I left with new and unexpected perspectives. My interest was piqued; I was eager to see where our next book would take us! As the calendar flipped from one year to the next, the Quest readings included fiction and nonfiction as well as time-honored and recently published books. The books informed, inspired, and often surprised us. They also sparked questions and comments that participants were eager to bring to monthly discussions. Although many of the books we read would have been wonderful to read independently, the text was even more engaging through the interfaith dialogue.   ...