May 14, 2010
Day of Prayer—Faith leaders offer their voices in prayer
Shree Martand Sharma, a Hindu priest, poses with his wife, Ratna Kumari, and their son, Vibhas, at the Four Freedoms Monument in Evansville. (Message photo by Paul R. Leingang) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
It was a perfect May morning along the Ohio River last Thursday as people began to gather at the Four Freedoms Monument in Evansville for the 2010 Day of Prayer.
Only the swollen river was a reminder of the recent flooding in Kentucky and Tennessee. Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger was one of the speakers at the Day of Prayer, and he reminded the 120-plus in attendance that “we are citizens of this nation but we must open our eyes to remember that we are also citizens of the world.”
He urged compassion for those who are suffering from disasters, including the recent flooding and tornadoes in nearby states, and he encouraged the prayer day participants to be grateful for the opportunity to pray publicly “in each his or her own faith traditions without comment, without compromise, without fear.”
This year leaders from nine faith traditions gathered at the Four Freedoms Monument for the annual ceremony.
They included Rev. F.P. Miller of First Ebenezer Baptist Church in Evansville, Rabbi Helen Bar-Yaacov from Temple B’nai Adath Israel, Dr. Mohammad Hussain, a member of the Evansville Muslim Society, Rev. Phil Hoy, a minister of the United Church of Christ, Rev. Claudene Oliva, Unitarian Universalist Church of Evansville, Shree Martand Sharma from the Tri-State Hindu Temple, Pastor Joseph Easley of Central United Methodist Church, Mary MacGregor from Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha in Evansville and Bishop Gettelfinger from the Diocese of Evansville.
They were each invited to express hope for wisdom or divine guidance or to request a blessing on our nation, area or community.
Rev. Miller began the ceremony with the words “We would do well to follow the example of the people of the Bible. They prayed to God.”
The rabbi noted that “our sages” taught us that we should be responsible for one another, and to stand up for one another.
Dr. Hussain said, “The Quran recounts the story of Jacob. His children and his family gathered around him at his death bed and he asked them, ‘Who will you worship after my death?’ They said, ‘We shall worship your God and the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Ismail and Isaac, the One True God and we bow to Him in submission.’
“In the same light, the Quran tells its followers to say, ‘We believe in God and the revelations given to us and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Moses and Jesus and to all the Prophets. We make no difference between one or another of them.’
“So, in that belief rooted in the teachings of Quran, that we recognize ourselves as people of different faith traditions, but we are all children of God and as His children we all have the same needs, weaknesses and fragilities.”
The ceremony concluded with an invitation to everyone to add their signatures to the official proclamation issued by the Evansville mayor’s office.
This year’s Day of Prayer celebration was colored by an April 15 ruling in Madison, Wis. According to Catholic News Service, District Judge Barbara B. Crabb said the day of prayer violated the First Amendment, but she postponed enforcement of the decision until all appeals were exhausted.
The Justice Department announced April 26 that it will challenge Crabb’s decision in the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a Madison-based group of atheists and agnostics that filed a 2008 lawsuit against the federal government over the day of prayer.
In Evansville, Bishop Gettelfinger and Rabbi Bar-Yaakov held a news conference on April 28 urging people of all faiths to set aside their differences and focus on what they share in common.
According to Catholic New Service, the bishop and the rabbi agreed that the prayer day does not interfere with the separation of church and state but instead reinforces it.
Elberfeld resident Cindy Howard attended the Day of Prayer with her mother, Caro-lyn Reed. Cindy said, “I thought this year’s National Day of Prayer was the very best yet.
She cited the ruling in favor of the Freedom of Religion Foundation and said she be-lieves it’s important for people of faith to gather publicly.
She added, “At no other time have I been blessed by the presence of so many faiths joining their prayers. When else do we have that opportunity this side of heaven? I could feel God smile.”