World Peace Day prayer service Jan. 2
The sixth annual World Peace Day Prayer Service will be held at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2 at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Naperville. The theme for this year's service is “From Fear to Compassion: Coming Together to Repair a Troubled World.”
This interfaith service includes participation from Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Baha'i, Unitarian and Sikh religious communities in DuPage County as well as religious peace groups, Pax Christi Illinois and the West Suburban Faith-based Peace Coalition.
The speaker will be Rev. Bob Bossie, SCJ, a Roman Catholic priest and staff person at the 8th Day Center for Justice in Chicago. He has worked on issues of peace, human rights, economics and nonviolence for more than 30 years. Rev. Bossie has traveled around the world working for peace; most recently in Iraq and the Middle East.
Speaking about the goal of this year's gathering, Tom Cordaro, the Justice & Outreach Minister at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church stated, “We want to promote mutual respect and tolerance at a time when fear and mistrust of those considered ‘different' is being enflamed for political and/or vested economic interests. The antidote to fear is compassion; the willingness to reach across all social, political, religious and cultural boundaries in order to serve one another.”
The list of co-sponsors includes: Pax Christi Illinois, First Congregational United Church of Christ of Naperville, Buddha's Light International Association, Chicago Chapter , St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, Naperville, Congregation Beth Shalom, Naperville, St. John United Church of Christ, Naperville, Baha'i Community of Naperville, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Naperville, Islamic Center of Naperville, St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, Naperville, DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church, Knox Presbyterian Church (USA), Naperville, St. Raphael Catholic Church, Naperville, Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Naperville, Holy Spirit Catholic Community, Naperville, Illinois Sikh Community Center, St. Michael's United Church of Christ, West Chicago, Diocese of Joliet Peace & Social Justice Ministry Office, West Suburban Faith-based PEACE Coalition, HOPE United Church of Christ, Naperville, Ss Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Naperville, and others.