Naperville religious groups coming together for peace

Naperville-area religious congregations are among those hoping more people will make peace part of their New Year's resolutions.

The fifth annual World Peace Day Interfaith Prayer Service begins at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, at First Congregational Church, 25 E. Benton, Naperville.

"We hope and believe that this interfaith prayer service will help remind us of what it means to build a world of peace, but even more than that, remind us we live in a community that is very diverse in religious faiths," said Tom Cordaro, justice and outreach minister at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Naperville. "Diverse religious faiths can and do come together to work for peace."

Pax Christi Illinois and more than 20 religious congregations are sponsoring the event, spanning the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Baha'i, Unitarian, Sikh and Hindu communities.

This year's theme is "Creating Peace in a Diverse World: Getting Beyond Fear Toward Unity."

Cordaro said the groups are concerned about the fear and distrust between people of different faiths.

"What we're trying to do in the service is talk about the importance of moving beyond our fears in order to really connect with people who are different from us, outside our comfort zones," Cordaro said. "It is such a crucial and important step to creating peace whether peace in our community, in our nation and in our world."

Sunday's service will last about 90 minutes and include reflections from each of the faith communities. Toward the end there also will be an exercise in which boxes, each bearing a different principle for building peace, will be stacked to form a wall or pyramid.

Participants also will receive a candle with a card listing the 10 principles of building peace.

This year's keynote speaker will be Franklin Lewis, associate professor of Persian in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. He is also the president of the American Institute of Iranian Studies and a member of the Baha'i Community of Naperville.

For more information call Tom Cordaro, (630) 369-0777.