Bishop Wester to speak at Interfaith Prayer Service

Intermountain Catholic

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The Most Rev. John C. Wester, bishop of Salt Lake City, will be a guest speaker at the annual interfaith gathering. He is shown speaking at Kol Ami Synagogue.

SALT LAKE CITY – Thanksgiving is a time of community, which the Most Rev. John C. Wester, bishop of Salt Lake City, will recognize Nov. 21 as he joins other religious leaders at the Interfaith Prayer Service sponsored by the Inclusion Center.

"Beginning the week of the Thanksgiving holiday by participating in the Interfaith Prayer Service has become a nice tradition for this community," said Dee Rowland, the diocese’s government liaison, who has attended the event in years past. "Through the years, as the service has been hosted by various faith communities, it has been interesting and educational to visit other places of worship and enjoy their hospitality. I hope many more Catholics will take this opportunity to pray and socialize together this year, when division and fear have been so prevalent."

Now in its 21st year, the Interfaith Prayer Service typically has a keynote speaker but also invites other spiritual leaders to share a prayer, blessing, reflection from their scripture or other meditation on the ideas of giving thanks and coming together, said Emm Yaxte, youth program director at the Inclusion Center.

Yaxte has attended the Interfaith Prayer Service each year since she was 16, she said. It includes not only speakers but music, and light refreshment. "That for me is the most fun part of the evening, because then everyone gets to talk to each other about something they learned or things they really enjoyed," she said. "It’s definitely a spiritual event for me, where I can identify my own beliefs but also gives a special time to learn more about others and appreciate our differences and appreciate what makes different faiths unique."

This year the keynote speaker is Rabbi Ilana Schwartzman, the new rabbi at Kol Ami Synagogue, which also will host the event.

The Interfaith Prayer Service will be Sunday, Nov. 21. Doors open at 5 p.m., the program starts at 6 p.m. Kol Ami is located at 2425 Heritage Way in Salt Lake City. The event is free but those attending are asked to bring a nonperishable food item to donate to Urban Crossroads Center.