INTERFAITH AWARENESS WEEK - 2006 EVENTS

9th Annual

INTERFAITH AWARENESS WEEK

DECEMBER 10 - 16, 2006

 

For Wisconsin, Dane County & the cities of  Madison, Middleton & Monona

 

“encouraging citizens to learn more about each others' beliefs in the spirit of community.”

 

 

GOOD NEIGHBOR

INTERFAITH CELEBRATION
MIDDLETON PUBLIC LIBRARY
7425 HUBBARD AVENUE, MIDDLETON
SUNDAY, DEC. 10 – 2PM

 

DANE COUNTY

INTERFAITH CELEBRATION
& UNIVERSAL WORSHIP SERVICE
MERITER RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
HEALTH CENTER AUDITORIUM
334 W. DOTY STREET, MADISON
MONDAY, DEC. 11 – 7PM

 

5th Annual

WISCONSIN CAPITOL 

INTERFAITH AWARENESS CELEBRATION
Capital Building Rotunda
TUESDAY, December 12 - 12 noon

 

MADISON INTERFAITH CELEBRATION
LAKEVIEW PUBLIC LIBRARY
2845 N. SHERMAN AVE., MADISON
THURSDAY, DEC. 14 – 6PM

 

MONONA INTERFAITH CELEBRATION
MONONA PUBLIC LIBRARY
1000 NICHOLS ROAD, MONONA
SATURDAY, DEC. 16 – 10AM

Displays of World Religions

Monday thru Friday on The Capitol Rotunda

Monona Library - Display through Dec. 18

Madison Public Library - Main Branch, Lakeview Branch

Middleton Library - Display entire month of December

 

 Interfaith Awareness Week is co-sponsored by Inroads Interfaith Ministry and the Greater Madison Inter-religious Association

 

The Proclamation of Interfaith Awareness Week has been made by Wisconsin’s Governor and the Dane County Executive every year SINCE 1998  

 

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
FOR MORE INFORMATION
 (608) 236-9622 ~ inroads@minister.com
www.interfaithsociety.blogspot.com

 

Governor's Proclamation of Interfaith Awareness Week 2006

[note: similar proclamations from the Dane County Executive and Mayors of
Madison, Middleton and Monona]

THE STATE of WISCONSIN
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
A Proclamation

WHEREAS, Wisconsin has a long history of celebrating the diversity of
belief; and
WHEREAS, Wisconsin has been a leader in human rights throughout 158 years of
statehood; and
WHEREAS, December 10, 2006 is Human Rights Day designated by the United
Nations and the 59th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, which states in Article 18 that "Everyone has the right to freedom
of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change
his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with
others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in
teaching, practice, worship and observance;" and
WHEREAS, the State has developed great spiritual and religious diversity and
diverse beliefs have played an important role in the development of our
State; and
WHEREAS, the celebration of diversity diminishes no one, but enriches
everyone; and
WHEREAS, we affirm the right of every person to believe and act according to
their beliefs as long as it does not infringe upon the rights of others; and
WHEREAS, interfaith and multifaith efforts of different churches and faith
groups have a rich history in the State; and
WHEREAS, interfaith and multifaith coalitions, dialogues and activities
continue to grow in importance locally, regionally, nationally and
internationally; and
WHEREAS, the Capitol of the State of Wisconsin is located on an isthmus,
which is considered a place of peace and reconciliation; and
WHEREAS, December 2006 holds holy days of many religious and faith groups;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, James Doyle, Governor, do hereby proclaim December 10-16,
2006 as INTERFAITH AWARENESS WEEK
in the State of Wisconsin and encourage citizens to learn more about each
others' beliefs in the spirit of community.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal
of the State of Wisconsin to be affixed. Done at the Capitol in the City of
Madison this eighteenth day of October in the year two thousand six.
[SIGNATURE]
JIM DOYLE

[SEAL WITH RED RIBBON]
By the Governor:
[signature]
DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE
Secretary of State

IAW At The Capital 2005 - An American Baptist Perspective

In recognition of this Eighth Annual Interfaith Awareness Week I am pleased
to gather in this the great state of Wisconsin's capital rotunda with
leaders and representatives of many diverse religious traditions.

Perhaps you have noticed the wonderful polished stones that make this state
Capital one of the most beautiful state capitals in all of America. As we
look around this rotunda we can see all variety of stones quarried and
brought to this country to build this Capital. The sixteen black Labradorite
columns supporting the circular gallery upon which we are standing is from
Norway. The decorative horizontal pink Numidian Marble band encircling this
gallery is from Algeria. These large green columns of marble are from
Greece. The Levanto Marble balusters that make up the railing encircling
this gallery are from Italy. It is the diversity of stones contained within
this Capital which makes it beautiful, strong, and capable of withstanding
the tests of time.

As young children, we are taught that America is a country where a diversity
of cultures and multiplicity of religions is esteemed and cherished. We
learn that being an American means valuing the separation of church and
state, so that no one particular religious voice is given priority in civil
discourse and all voices are protected. We are taught to value and respect
dissenting views, and to support vehemently the right and responsibility of
those with whom we disagree to voice their views. As Americans, we cherish a
rich and thoughtful debate and understand the necessity of that debate in
our decision-making process.

As Americans, we aspire toward the common good, work for the creation of a
just society, and seek prosperity for all rather than wealth for a few. We
treasure the beauty and richness of our natural environments, from mountain
to sea, from desert to plain, and we resolve to protect these treasures for
generations to come.

Today these historic American values stand at risk. Openly contemptuous of
religious diversity and freedom of expression, the rigid religious values of
certain Christians exercise undue sway over public and social policies. A
growing lack of tolerance for religious and cultural diversity jeopardizes
the basic prerequisite for a functioning democracy-the social space for free
and civil debate. We have become intolerant and inhospitable to one another.
Civil debate no longer has a place in our political process, some who
question have been labeled unpatriotic, having become fearful of those with
whom we do not agree.

Christian faith calls every believer to love God, love neighbor, and seek to
heal a broken world. In honoring that call, we honor the inviolable dignity
of every human being and we treasure the natural environment as God's good
creation. As Christ bears witness to God's love for the world, faithful
Christians bear witness to the love that lies at the heart of all that is.
We believe that reconciliation and forgiveness are always possible and
always necessary. We know that God still speaks, yet we acknowledge that it
is through a multiplicity of diverse voices that God's voice for justice
can, will, and must emerge. These manifold voices for justice require that
we heal the sick, release the prisoner, bind up the wounded, and care for
the orphan. "As you do unto the least of these, you do unto me."

We must recommit ourselves to the care of the most vulnerable among us, to
hospitality toward immigrants and other strangers, to multilateral
international institutions that promote peaceful resolutions of conflicts,
and to responsible stewardship of the earth's resources. We will hold onto
hope, stay strong in our faith, and trust in a common vision for the future
based upon the best in our past. We will remember what we struggle against,
and for whom we struggle - for the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned, and the
marginalized, but not only for them.

As Martin Luther King said: "We must all learn to live together as brothers
and sisters or we will all perish together as fools. We are tied together in
the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of
mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For
some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you
ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I
ought to be. This is the way God's universe is made; this is the way it is
structured."

Today we stand as religious leaders and we speak because we are fighting for
our future, for the future of our children, and for the soul of a great
country, which we will continue to hold in our prayers and whose spirit we
will honor through our continued struggle for liberty, equality, and justice
for all.

Thank You.
The Rev. Jeff Billerbeck
Director/ACPE Supervisor
Meriter Health Services
Department of Pastoral Services
202 South Park St.
Madison, WI 53715
608-267-6480 fax 608-267-6419
jbillerbeck@meriter.com

IAW At The Capital 2005 - Hindu Presentation

INTERFAITH AWARENESS WEEK

DECEMBER 7, 2005

 

Good Afternoon Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Krishna Sijapati and I am representing Hindu Dharma Circle.  First of all I would like to start with a prayer in Sanskrit, which expresses peace and happiness in all living beings regardless of faith or belief.

 

 

Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha, Sarve santu Niramaya

Sarve Bhadrani Pasyantu, Ma Kaschid-Dukha-Bhag Bhavet

 

May everyone be joyful; may everyone be without disease; may everyone be happy, no one be subject to sorrow.

 

A time has come that all faiths should get together and reconcile the differences and follow the principle of mutual respect and dignity following the path of our choice to reach the Divine world.  The paths we all are following may be different, but our goal of peace and happiness in this life and divine life thereafter is the same.  People of all faiths believe that there is Only one God and he is Omnipresent and He is invisible to our physical eyes.  People worship Krishna, Jensus, Mohomod, Abrahim, Buddha and many more and all they are the manifestations of Supreme Divine, which they address with different names like Paramatma, Father, Allha, Johova, Buddha, and so on.   

 

Therefore, we need to open our divine eyes and fill our heart with the message:

 

There is only one religion, the religion of Love;

there is only one language, the language of the Heart;

there is only one caste, the caste of Humanity;

there is only one law, the law of Action (Karma);

there is only one God, He is Omnipresent

 

I just want to share my personal experience. When I was growing up I was a very conservative Hindu. I used to believe that Hinduism was the only religion that could lead us to the eternal life. As I began to study other religions, I realized that no matter what religion people follow they are trying to achieve three things 1 understanding unknown God 2  Achieve peace and happiness in this life  and finally 3. Achieve eternal life thereafter death. 

Gita is considered as the nucleus of Hindu religion and it mentions that in this world there is nothing so superior to divine knowledge.  Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism.  Divine knowledge is the part of God, and it is God.  Those who have achieved such knowledge are considered as the manifestation of the supreme Divine.  Buddha achieved enlightenment through the divine knowledge and Hindus consider Him as the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. 

 

 Hindus believe that divine knowledge can be achieved pursuing one of the several paths mentioned in Gita. The great spiritual leaders such as Ramkrishna, Vivekananda, and Satya Sai Baba, who is still alive, support the concept that no matter what our faiths are, we have only one goal to achieve that is eternal life.  In essence if we all have the same goal and we can achieve this goal by pursuing the path of our choice, there is no reason for us to fight each other in the name of religion.

 

The principle of non-violence as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King can be achieved only through the means of understanding, mutual respect and cooperation among us.  We all are God’s children and I am sure God wants His children to live together in a peaceful manner with mutual understanding and respect. 

 

Lastly, I would like to thank Rev. John-Brian Paprock for organizing this awareness week.  He has been doing this for several years.  We need this kind of program not only in the local and state level, but also national and international levels to create awareness that only through the means of mutual understanding respect we all can live in peace and harmony in this world.  Thank you.

 

God Bless you All

 

Dr. Krishna Sijapati

HINDU DHARMA CIRCLE

408 Midland Lane

Monona,  WI  53716

Ph. 222-0646

9th Annual Interfaith Awareness Week - more events!

MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT
November 14, 2006

The Ninth Annual Interfaith Awareness Week in Wisconsin (December 10-16,
2006) is less than one month away. Since 1998, the Governor and the Dane
County Executive have proclaimed the week inclusive of Human Rights Day as
Interfaith Awareness Week. In 1999, the Mayor of Madison joined the annual
proclamation. This year, the Mayors of Middleton and Monona will be
proclaiming this special week as well.

It is very exciting to report events throughout the week in the Greater
Madison area. The humble beginnings included an Interfaith Awareness Day at
the Main Branch of the Madison Public Library in 1998. In 2002, the first
annual Interfaith Awareness Celebration was held in the Capitol Rotunda.
That year was also the first for public displays of world faith traditions
in Wisconsin in the capitol for the entire week.

This year, a multifaith committee has worked on coordinating a variety of
locations and times for Interfaith Awareness Week events. Although details
of presenters at each event are still being worked on, each event already
has more than 4 different faith traditions represented in the programs.
There are commitments for more than 14 displays of different faith
traditions at the capitol. Some of these displays will be previewed at the
Middleton kick-off event Sunday afternoon.

Some of the faith traditions already involved include: Baha'i, Buddhist,
Christian (several denominations), Eckankar, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Sufi Order
of the West, Unity, Wiccan

There is still room for more to be involved. If a group or individual is
interested, please contact the coordinator information below.

Here are the confirmed events of IAW9:

Through December 18, interfaith book display at Monona Public Library
For the month of December, interfaith book display at Middleton Public
Library
Interfaith book displays at Madison Public Library - Main Branch & Lakeview
Branch


DECEMBER 10 - Sunday, 2pm
Good Neighbor Interfaith Celebration
Middleton Public Library, Archer Room
7425 Hubbard Avenue, Middleton
Coordinator, Rev. John-Brian Paprock, 836-6778, inroads@minister.com

DECEMBER 11-15 - Monday thru Friday
Displays of Wisconsin Faiths
Capitol Rotunda
Coordinators, Anne Wynne , 224-1715, eannewynne@yahoo.com
and Rev. John-Brian Paprock, 836-6778, inroads@minister.com

DECEMBER 11 - Monday, 7pm
Dane County Interfaith Awareness Celebration & Universal Worship
Meriter Retirement Community, Health Center Auditorium
334 W. Doty Street, Madison
Coordinator, Anne Wynne, 224-1715, eannewynne@yahoo.com
MRC chaplain, Rev. Guta Cvetkovic, 284-2004, gcvetkovic@meriter.com

DECEMBER 12 - Tuesday, 12noon
5th Annual Wisconsin Interfaith Awareness Celebration in the Capitol
Capitol Rotunda
Coordinators, Anne Wynne, 224-1715, eannewynne@yahoo.com
and Rev. John-Brian Paprock, 836-6778, inroads@minister.com

DECEMBER 14 - Thursday, 6pm
Madison Interfaith Awareness Celebration
Madison Public Library - Lakeview Branch
2845 N. Sherman Avenue, Madison
Coordinator, Amit Mangar,772-0858, amitmangar@yahoo.com

DECEMBER 16 - Saturday, 10am
Monona Interfaith Awareness Celebration
Monona Public Library
1000 Nichols Road, Monona
Coordinator, Dennis Jenkyns, 221-8416, jenkyns@sbcglobal.net


In addition, there are these other events of interest during IAW9:

Sunday, December 10, 10am
Sufi Order of the West
Monthly Universal Worship Service
Gates of Heaven, James Madison Park

Wednesday, December 13, 9:30am
Madison Interfaith Dialogue Group
Monthly Meeting
Holy Wisdom Monastery (St Benedict Center) Highway M

Friday, December 15, Sunset
First Night of Hanukkah Ceremony
in the Capitol Rotunda
Sponsored by Chabad House (Orthodox Jewish) in Madison

For more information, text copies of the proclamations or other contact
reasons:

Rev. John-Brian Paprock
IAW9 Coordinator

Inroads Interfaith Ministry
P.O. Box 5207, Madison, WI 53705
(608) 236-9622 ~ inroads@minister.com
http://interfaithsociety.blogspot.com/

EVENTS FOR INTERFAITH AWARENESS WEEK

9th Annual INTERFAITH AWARENESS WEEK
DECEMBER 10 - 16, 2006

For Wisconsin, Dane County &
Madison, Middleton & Monona

“encouraging citizens to learn more about each others' beliefs in the spirit of community.”
From THE PROCLAMATION of INTERFAITH AWARENESS WEEK

GOOD NEIGHBOR INTERFAITH CELEBRATION
MIDDLETON PUBLIC LIBRARY
7425 HUBBARD AVENUE, MIDDLETON
SUNDAY, DEC. 10 – 2PM

DANE COUNTY INTERFAITH CELEBRATION
& UNIVERSAL WORSHIP SERVICE
MERITER RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
HEALTH CENTER AUDITORIUM
334 W. Doty Street, MADISON
MONDAY, DEC. 11 – 7PM

5th Annual Wisconsin Capitol
Interfaith Awareness Celebration
Capital Building Rotunda
Tuesday, December 12 - 12 noon

MADISON INTERFAITH CELEBRATION
LAKEVIEW PUBLIC LIBRARY
2845 N. SHERMAN AVE., MADISON
THURSDAY, DEC. 14 – 6PM

MONONA INTERFAITH CELEBRATION
Monona PUBLIC LIBRARY
1000 nichols road, monona
SATURDAY, DEC. 16 – 10AM

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
FOR MORE INFORMATION
(608) 236-9622 ~ inroads@minister.com
www.interfaithsociety.blogspot.com