A new series of four Listening Circles will take place in May and June this year: In Search of Common Ground on Palestine-Israel. The series will again be held at Christ Church Cathedral, with speakers, small discussion groups and refreshments. All who participated last year are being invited to return, to deepen our knowledge and the bonds of friendship between our communities.
All are warmly invited to the 2nd in our new series, Spiritual Perspectives on Hot Topics, an opportunity for people of various backgrounds and faiths to come together and discuss complex and/or challenging issues from a faith perspective. “How Will You Measure Your Life?” will take place:
Sunday, Feb. 23rd, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
2990 Quadra St., Victoria
Most of us would say that the most important things in life are our families and relationships. We’d probably also admit that getting it right is more difficult than ever these days. Yet it’s essential to our health and happiness. Clayton Christenson, a professor at Harvard University, regularly spoke to his business students on the importance of relationships, sometimes moving them to tears. Our speaker Richard Rush will share that profoundly helpful philosophy of life with us, followed by discussion in small groups.
The event is free, sponsored by VMS and hosted in the spacious Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Quadra St, with thanks in advance for their kind hospitality. Light refreshments will be provided.
The parking lot can be accessed from both Quadra St. and the Spruce Ave. side street.
Resources:
The 2025 World Religions Conference was held on 2 February with 225 bravely attending in spite of the weather! Speakers from 8 faiths presented their spiritual teachings on the theme of Healing in a Polarized World. MC Karen Harper commented on the harmony among the diverse beliefs, as each added its unique richness and beauty of the others.
One common theme was love. Adrienne Carter spoke of the Bahá’í teaching, “Let your heart burn with loving-kindness for all who may cross your path.” Rev. Alastair McCollum also spoke eloquently of love as the foundation of all that we are, as well as the very definition of God.
Another widely mentioned teaching was the oneness of the human family. Umran Bhatti, of the host Ahmadiyya community, stated we are all part of the family of Allah, with no race or group superior to any other, all worthy of respect, all called upon to excel in goodness. Sikh elder Gurdeep Singh reminded us that human beings cause division, but God is one and “every being is My creation.”
Elaine Hall spoke of some of the core teachings of Christianity: that we are all children of God and should be peacemakers, since charity is the antidote for contention and anger never persuades. Rabbi Louis Sutker added the truth that diversity exists within unity because all our capacities are needed in different forms and circumstances.
Anneli Driessen explained metaphysical philosophy as the complex interactions of science and spirituality, giving the wisdom and knowledge of a compassionate, honest and respectful existence. Onkar Hans spoke of the ancient beliefs of Hinduism, that ignorance causes polarization, that selfless actions are needed and that forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
The evening ended with a delicious and plentiful East Indian meal, and a joyful mingling renewing old and forming new relationships. The Ahmadiyya community is warmly thanked for providing this forum for interfaith understanding during these cold and snowy days! A collection of photos from the event is at this link.
This year’s World Religions Conference will take place at 4:30 pm on Sunday February 2nd, in the Gary Oak Room of Saanich Commonwealth Centre. All are welcome to attend this event which is held each year in honour of World Interfaith Harmony Week, the first week of February. A roster of speakers from 8 faiths will present their perspectives on a theme particularly relevant in these challenging times, “Healing in a Polarized World”, followed by an East Indian meal. Thanks to the event sponsors, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, there is no charge. The program and speakers can be found here.
Please register in advance at this link.
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.
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.
