Roughly 30 people attended this year’s AGM, held on 24 November at the Lutheran Church of the Cross, where the VMS Annual Report was presented.

The AGM theme of Faith & Activism was addressed by keynote speaker Hanan Abousaleh. Hanan spoke of her journey this year as a young Muslim woman who became a community organizer of the Palestine solidarity rallies when the October 2023 massacre led a brutal occupation to become an even more brutal war on Gaza.

As the emcee of the rallies for several months, her approach was simple: welcome people to the rally; give an overview of the past week; introduce presenters; lead a march. This has happened every weekend for the past 59 weeks and counting. Hanan is driven by the struggle for human rights. She mentioned some of the abuse and intimidation she and fellow activists have faced, but she remains steadfast in her commitment to the liberation and equality of all people as one family. 

Hanan credits her faith for giving her hope and courage through this very long and intense ordeal of reporting each weekend on massacre after massacre. As an example, she cited the teachings inscribed on the sword of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): “Maintain relations with those who cut you off, speak the truth even if it is against yourself, and be good to one who is evil to you.” The teaching to speak the truth even if it would be to your own detriment moved her to action. She also spoke of the good that has come from several unexpected places on this journey. It was through the welcoming community at various Palestine-related activities that she learned about other important local causes that sparked her compassion and admiration. This diverse community comprising people of all faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds only strengthened her belief in the importance of building connections and finding common ground.

Activism, she now believes, should be treated as a way of life, not just a series of temporary campaigns. She encourages everyone to be curious about the causes of their neighbours, since curiosity is the first step to solidarity.

VMS would like to thank Hanan for her thought-provoking and inspiring presentation. We’re also grateful for the event volunteers, participants, presenters and all those who supported not just the AGM but the many VMS initiatives during the year.

Assisting as presenters of the 2024 Annual Report were Rukhshan Butt (Ahmadiyya community) on the World Religions Conference; Dale Ruttan (LDS Church) on the Interfaith Liaison Network; and Cat Vallance (Bahá’í community of Esquimalt) on the Hiroshima-Nagasaki commemoration. Board members reported on a wide range of activities: see photos and highlights of the year here.

Outgoing board members John Borrows and Henri Lock were warmly thanked for their terms of service to the board since 2019. John Carter and Jeannine Friesen were welcomed as board members in the Indigenous Spirituality and Christian seats respectively.

We’d particularly like to thank Patrick Leon of Tsawout First Nation, a community organizer in his own right who teaches drumming, chanting and dance to young people in his community. Patrick opened the event with a powerful voice and drumming of the “Unity Song”, which set the tone of spiritual strength and solidarity that characterized the event.

Click here to view the report…

Roughly 75 people of all backgrounds attended the annual One Spirit: Celebrating our Faiths Together event at the Hindu Temple on the 27th of October, 2024. A collaboration between the Hindu Parishad & Cultural Center and the Victoria Multifaith Society, the event began with presentations from a variety of faith groups and ended with a delicious SE Asian meal in the adjoining dining hall.

This year, Sarah Bidanjiri presented two a cappella songs on behalf of the Baha’i community, inviting the audience to join in on the second, “Where there is Love, Nothing is Too Much Trouble…” Shoshana Litman, a Maggidah (ordained Jewish storyteller), taught a devotional chant based on the Golden Rule. Sannie Sala and Friends, a group of all ages from the LDS community, sang the rousing Christian hymn “How Great Thou Art” accompanied by the audience. Zaynab (Jenny) Mazjoub of the Muslim community, taught the greeting Salaam Alaikum, chanted a verse from the Quran about unity and peace, and explained its meaning. On behalf of the Hindu community, Anil Kapur sang a beautiful spiritual devotional song, and Carol Sokoloff finished the formal program with a lively participative dance in three concentric circles, filling the room with music, movement and verses in many languages.

The spirit of the event was one of palpable joy, enthusiasm and good will, as everyone in the audience expressed appreciation for all of the presenters and their diverse communities. VMS would like to express huge thanks to the presenters, audience, volunteers, the Hindu Temple, and especially our cooks for the evening, Shivani and Shushant Soman!

VMS will be celebrating the end of the year at our Annual General Meeting from 2:30 to 4:30 pm on Sunday afternoon, November 24, at the Lutheran Church of the Cross, 3787 Cedar Hill Rd., at the corner of Cedar Hill X Rd. and Cedar Hill Rd.

Free parking is available on Cedar Hill Rd. south of the church. Bike rack at main entrance.

Please join us to celebrate the past year, meet VMS board members, offer any comments or suggestions for the coming year, and take part in group discussions. Light refreshments will be served.

All are welcome! Membership is free with any donation and can be renewed at the AGM or at any time by noting “membership” on the online donation form of the VMS website. Thank you, as always, for your support and encouragement!

VMS is pleased to announce that we will again join the Hindu Parishad and Cultural Centre in co-hosting our annual Multi-faith Arts Devotional. “One Spirit: Celebrating our Faiths Together” will take place at 4:00 pm, Sunday, 27 October, 2024 at 1934 Cultra Ave. in Saanichton. Please register in advance using this registration link or the poster QR code.

One Spirit celebrates all faiths through song, poetry, chanting, drumming and other joyful forms of expression, followed at about 5:30 p.m. by a delicious East Asian vegetarian meal. All are welcome!

There is no charge for the meal or for the event, but cash donations will be accepted at the door or online through the VMS website under Donate. (Please include the message “Hindu Temple event” on all online donations.) We hope to see you there!

VMS again collaborated on the annual commemoration of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki held on Tuesday, 6 August, at the Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion outside the Japanese Gardens.

Participants numbered about 150 to 200 people. The weather was beautiful, the lanterns bright and creative, and the presentations and performances absolutely wonderful. Added this year was a magical procession at sunset set to live flute music, with the lit lanterns placed gently in the reflective pools of the Pavilion. A selection of photos is at this link: Hiroshima-Nagasaki Honouring Peace 2024 

It was especially poignant to have Dr Dillon Takata as our MC. Dillon is a descendant of the Takata family who owned the tea garden where the Pavilion is now located, before being taken to internment camps during WWII.

The Esquimalt Bahá’í community coordinated the lantern-making workshop, filling the entire ground floor of the Pavilion with art materials and busy people of all ages from 6 to 7 pm. Special thanks also go to presenters Elder Carolyn Memnook for her greeting and blessing, Mayor Maja Tait who spoke on behalf of MP Randall Garrison, Tsugio Kurushima of the Nikkei Society, reader Samantha Jones and Sharon Welsh of the Greater Victoria Peace School. Our talented musicians and singers were Emilia Vozian on flute, the Gettin’ Higher Choir, and the feistier-than-ever Raging Grannies. And of course at the heart of the event were the Taiko drummers and Furusato dancers!

Organizer Megumi Saunders is already thinking of next year, which will be the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima-Nagasaki, and has already reserved the Pavilion for August 6, 2025.

Register Here for our first in series Spiritual Perspectives on Hot Topics to be held on Sunday, 11 August from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm, at the Victoria Truth Centre, 2815 Cedar Hill Rd. (at Hillside Ave.) Come join us as we explore together the topic of Social Media and its impact on our lives. Please register early since numbers are limited.

Spiritual Perspectives is a new bi-monthly event presented by the Victoria Multifaith Society in conjunction with various communities associated with VMS. 

Each event will be hosted by a different religious/spiritual community and will include:

• Brief keynote on a specific topic by the host community
• Small group discussions
• Light refreshments

Recognizing the hurt and anguish that the conflict in Gaza has caused in individuals and communities, an interfaith committee decided to plan an event to somehow address this. The idea that developed was to have conversations, or “Listening Circles”, among people of the four Abrahamic faiths, all of which have direct ties to the region.

On April 16, 40 people gathered in Christ Church Cathedral, 10 from each community: Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Baha’i. The evening began with a panel composed of members of those faiths (Rev. Jeannine Friesen, Rabbi Harry Brechner, Mustafa Abousaleh, and Adrienne Carter) responding briefly to two questions:

What are your biggest concerns around establishing peace & harmony in the world? And what are your biggest hopes or solutions?

Participants then split into small groups composed of two members from each of the 4 faiths for facilitated discussions on the same questions, gathering refreshments en route. The discussions were heartfelt, honest, sometimes emotional, often personal, always thoughtful. When people gathered again in a large group at the end of the evening, the feeling was that this was so beneficial and healing, we should definitely do it again.

In the words of one participant who sent a message right after the event: This space is a place of learning in many ways. Personally, I entered with greetings and hugs for my friends from [my community], and I left enriched with phone numbers, meaningful connections, profound conversations, and healing embraces from new friends from the other communities. Let’s continue to listen, understand, and bring our hearts… I am in whatever the next step will be.

The Garry Oak gymnasium was full to the brim for the World Religions Conference, with 390 people attending. Ten speakers gave short presentations on the theme of Kindness and Kinship, each introduced by MC Saanich Councillor Karen Harper, following a blessing by First Nations Elder Joan Morris.

Just the few thoughts chosen in the selection below serve to illustrate the beauty and complementarity of the perspectives expressed, although much more was said.

Cat Vallance of the Bahá’í Faith spoke of carrying forward an ever-advancing civilization and the teaching to “let your heart burn with loving-kindness for every soul who crosses your path”. Rev. Allan Doerksen of St Phillips Anglican church told a memorable story of the restoration of a relationship through a thousand small acts of kindness, illustrating its immense power to heal.

Maulana Umran Bhatti of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community spoke of kindness as a universal language embedded in the teachings of Islam. Gurdeep Singh of the Sikh tradition emphasized the power of One in contrast to the suffering of duality caused by spiritual separation from each other.

Richard Rush, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, recalled one of the most profound spiritual teachings, to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbour as yourself. Rabbi Matthew Ponak reminded us of the kindness foundational to Judaism, quoting Hillel: “That which is hateful unto you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole of the Torah; the rest is commentary.”

Rev. Lesia Kohut spoke of the New Thought teaching that we create our own reality and therefore need to love everyone without exception, including our enemies. Dr Anneli Driessen of the Metaphysical Academy remarked on the universality of human emotion and the ability of kindness to make our connection stronger, drawing us together.

Wayne Codling, a Buddhist, offered that kindness is stronger than fear, and meditation a potent tool for creating greater openness and receptivity to that reality. Onkar Hans of the Hindu community explained the symbolism of the great wheel of life with the universal intelligence of God at the hub, and all humanity, all life, as the spokes connected to that centre. He reiterated the common sentiment, repeated by many that day, that we are all one, in kinship with the Creator.

As one participant said, it was like watching the light grow brighter in the room as each speaker added the unique perspective of their own wisdom tradition to all the others.

Thanks go out to all the volunteers, organizers, speakers, MC, and especially to the Ahmadiyya community for their generosity in offering the event and the delicious East Indian meal that followed.

We regret that we’ve been informed of a threat of disruption to our Prayers for Peace sessions (announced below for 28-Jan-24 and 4-Feb-24). Since we do not have the capacity to ensure the safety and comfort of those coming for prayer, we’re forced to postpone them until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope that similar meetings can be held at a later date.