We were treated to an exciting presentation at our Oct. 25th AGM — one that was very appropriate at this time of multiple elections and turbulent times. Gita Badiyan spoke of “turning down the heat” on social discord not only through personal behavior but through implementing innovations in democracy itself. This makes sense. No matter how tolerant and patient we may be as individuals, if we’re surrounded by toxic systems, how can we create a more peaceful society?

Turning Down the Heat on Social Discord asked what practical changes could be made us to transform polarization and heated rhetoric into cooperative and creative engagement in the life of society. How can the values and principles that govern our private lives be reflected in the systems and institutions of the public sphere? 

It turns out that, almost buried in the “bad news” stories we receive on a daily basis, a revolution is afoot in deliberative democracy. We learned of the wave of innovation in Europe and across the world, giving citizens an active part in the decision-making processes that govern their lives. Gita spoke of consensus-style governance inspired by Inuit teachings, citizens assemblies that have been made permanent features of governance in Belgium, and virtual consensus-mapping tools such as Pol.is that allowed Taiwan to mount one of the most effective anti-Covid strategies in the world. Here the links to:

• the Turning Down the Heat website with information on these important innovations
• the Turning Down the Heat AGM presentation

We gathered for a 20th Anniversary Retrospective and cake on October 25th in the lovely Chapter Room of Christ Church Cathedral, saying good-bye to our two outgoing board members May Shihadeh and Shrikant Shenwai, and welcoming two new board members, Grace Khalifa and Arpita Sahasrabudhe. May and Shrikant are warmly thanked for their 4 years of service to the Board. Here are the links for:

• our AGM report for 2026 
• a 3-min. Retrospective video of VMS 2006 to 2026

Our board members for 2027 are:

• Arpita Sahasrabudhe (Hindu Seat)
• Claire Grant  (Buddhist Seat)
• Fletcher Bennett (Bahá’í Seat)
• Grace Khalifa (Muslim Seat)
• John Carter (Indigenous Spirituality Seat)
• Rabbi Harry Brechner (Jewish Seat)
• Rev. Jeannine Friesen (Christian Seat)
• Rev. Lesia Kohut (New Thought Seat)
• Sheila Flood (Executive Director)
• Taranjeet Singh Makker (Sikh Seat)

A beautiful intercommunity event was held last night in the friendly atmosphere of a church gymnasium in Sidney. Roughly 75 people attended the Gathering of Nations, including many from the VMS Listening Circles and about 35 Indigenous youth who demonstrated the traditional dances, songs and drumming that they have been learning on a weekly basis from knowledge keeper Patrick Leon. 

It was a unique experience and an honour to share a meal together and witness the healing power that learning these traditions has for the youth, who put their whole hearts into beating the drums, singing the songs and moving in a circular dance around the gymnasium. One young man read a moving testimonial on the impact this has had on his life.

Here are some photos.

Many thanks to Patrick Leon who invited VMS to participate, to Sheila Horne of the Tsawout reserve who provided a spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and dessert, and to VMS Chair May Shihadeh who provided a vegetarian meal of rice, vegetables, dahl and hummus. A veritable feast! We’re very grateful to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for hosting and providing servers from among the youth, and to the VMS Listening Circles volunteers who helped with cleanup. Special thanks, too, to RJC Engineering for co-sponsoring the event along with VMS.

Patrick expressed the hope that this would be the first of other such events in the future.

Patrick Leon of Tsawout First Nation has invited VMS to a Gathering of Nations with a group of over 50 Indigenous youth who have been learning traditional songs, dance and drumming from him. Patrick has long had this dream of inviting diverse people to join him, to share a meal, form friendships and witness the traditional dances. VMS has also shared that dream, which is now becoming reality. 

We’ll be starting with a spaghetti and salad meal provided by the Tsawout First Nation as well as a vegetarian gluten-free meal provided by VMS. The event is sponsored by RJC Engineering and the Victoria Multifaith Society. 

Time: 5 to 8 PM, Thursday Oct. 15 (Dinner at 5:30)
Location: Gymnasium of the Sidney LDS church, 2210 Eastleigh Way, Sidney

All are warmly invited to celebrate our 20^th Anniversary AGM, to take place from 2:30 to 4:30 on Sunday, Oct. 25 in the Chapter Room of Christ Church Cathedral.

This year’s theme focuses on continuing to create a healthier world for us all. Turning Down the Heat of Social Discord, with gifted speaker Gita Badiyan, asks “what practical changes will allow us to transform the heat of social discord to the warmth of cohesion, collaboration and creative engagement in the life of society?”

How better to celebrate our mandate: “to learn together, to celebrate our unity in diversity, and to work together for the well-being of the community and the world”?

This is also the time to renew your membership for the coming year, which requires only a simple donation of any amount, at this link or in person.

About 70 people (a perfect number!) attended a very successful One Spirit event at the Hindu Temple on Sunday, 27 September. The presentations were varied, heartfelt, moving, fascinating…. from singalongs, singing bowls, chanting and exotic instruments, to Hindu and Sufi dance.

Enormous thanks to the Hindu Temple, especially the volunteers and our presenters this year: Patrick Leon (opening and blessing), Janhavi Barve, Nicole Bentham, Maggie Calder, Vinod Bhardwaj, Roya Bennett, Carol Sokoloff, Taranjeet & Gurkeerat Makker, Lesia Kohut, Rahim Shayan… All drew our hearts together through their songs, instruments and dances.

The program ended with Hindu devotions and socializing, especially during the delicious and plentiful meal served at 6PM in the adjoining room. A selection of photos is here.

2027 Multifaith Calendars

A special surprise at the One Spirit event was the arrival of beautiful 2027 Multifaith Calendars from Vancouver ($15 or 2/$25). These will also be brought to our upcoming events: the Gathering of Nations on Oct. 15 in Sidney and our VMS AGM on Oct 25 at Christ Church Cathedral.

Time & venue: 4 to 7 pm, Sunday, 27 September, 2026, at 1934 Cultra Avenue, Saanichton. Street parking is available. Please register soon at this link! We’re now using Zeffy to handle registrations. One Spirit is completely organized and carried out by volunteers, with the meal covered by donations of any amount. You’ll see that an online donation is appreciated but not mandatory, and there’s no need to bring a copy of the ticket. We look forward to seeing you there!

The 4th session of the 2026 Listening Circles was held on 13 August with a wonderful presentation by Imam Ebrahim Ali and participants from the Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Baha’i and Unitarian communities. Thanks to all for this great demonstration of interfaith unity! Special thanks to the Imam, to Gita Badiyan for facilitating, to Christ Church Cathedral for hosting us in this perfect space, to Fig Deli for the fabulous lasagna that we all enjoyed, and to Henri Lock, Frank Hitchmough, Jennie Keeran and Trish Sanders for their much appreciated hands-on support during the evening.

On this 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima-Nagasaki, nearly 200 people gathered at the Japanese-style pavilion to share a heartfelt commitment to peace.

MC Dr. Dillon Takata spoke of his family, who had once owned a tea garden on the site before being taken to Japanese internment camps and eventually resettled elsewhere. Their returned family piano now stands in the lobby of the Pavilion just outside the large light-filled room where lanterns were decorated and assembled on the night of the annual 6 August commemoration Honouring Peace.

At sunset the lit lanterns floated in the reflective ponds of the Pavilion. The program preceding the lantern ceremony alternated spoken presentations with Taiko drumming, singing and dance, reflecting Japanese culture and also emphasizing the need for peace and disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament.

The event was organized by the Greater Victoria Peace School with VMS among its co-sponsors. We would like to thanks all of the presenters and volunteers, including those from the Mormon and Baha’i communities pictured above. Well done, all!

Photos of the event are here.

The Victoria Multifaith Society is again a proud sponsor of Honouring Peace, the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Day event held annually at the Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion on the anniversary of the atomic bombing, dedicated to a celebration of culture and peace. To track numbers for this free event, please register here with Eventbrite, which will also provide you with additional information and important reminders.

All materials for the lantern-making workshop (indoors 6pm), presentations (outdoors 7:30pm), parking and indoor information displays are provided free of charge. In order for this event to be sustainable, we also ask that participants bring whatever cash donations you’d like to contribute. Participants are welcome to bring blankets and food/drinks to the site. The event ends with a ceremonial launching of the decorated lanterns at sunset (9:15pm). We hope to see you there!