Organizers of an event that brought the leaders of several faiths together Thursday hope it spurs future efforts to bring the entire community together.
With the National Day of Prayer taking place Thursday, faith leaders across Niagara Falls gathered for an interfaith prayer breakfast at Community Missions. Various Christian denominations, Muslims, Jews, and Sikhs were represented.
“It’s coming together as a bunch of different faith traditions to pray,” said the Rev. Mark Breese, the vice president of faith services for Community Missions.
The annual observance started in 1952 when Congress established an appropriate day for people of all faiths to pray for the welfare of the nation. It was set for the first Thursday of May in 1988, with the president issuing a proclamation each year.
This is the first time Community Missions has brought together other faith leaders for what had been a Christian-specific event.
Besides having breakfast together, the leaders discussed putting on a more visible event for next year’s National Day of Prayer that the general public could attend. Breese hopes this will lead to tangible action in improving the community.
“It can only help when we get together and we talk and we celebrate the diversity of our community,” Breese said.
Pastor Lisa Giacomazza of the Bacon Memorial Presbyterian Church on 59th Street hopes that future gatherings can get people to see the different pathways God lays out for everyone.
“While we may not go down these pathways, understanding them better will lead to more unity within our community,” she said.
Rabbi Ellen Franke of Temple Beth El on Ashland Avenue wants the event to be a safe space where people of different faiths can come together and share God’s glory their own way.