President's Report: CRIC November 2018
by Rev. Linda Goonewardene
Interfaith Ottawa began 15 years ago, in 2003, as a partnership between the multi-faith community and the City of Ottawa. There were four objectives: 1) to promote harmony, respect, and acceptance among all people in Ottawa; 2) to recognize, articulate, and enhance the existing good in the community; 3) to provide a unified voice against acts of intolerance or hatred; and 4) to work toward the abolition of prejudice. When one compares this to our present mission and objectives, as listed on our monthly agenda, we can see the wording may have changed yet the desire to expand the profiles of religious communities and their inter-relatedness continues.
Interfaith Ottawa was folded into CRIC in 2010 and Ottawa's "pluralistic spiritual community" has been expressed in many dynamic events:
our monthly meetings are hosted in varied holy spaces [8X15=120 people];
instead of our traditional Joy of Faith interfaith worship, CRIC engaged in its own version of truth, healing, and reconciliation by providing and engaging with KAIROS for the Blanket Exercise [~40 people];
Spring Clean-Up of Ken Steele Park [~100 people];
Mother's Day Food Drive [~200 people];
October's Interfaith Prayer Service: Protecting & Strengthening the Family [~200 people].
When we add up how many people participated in CRIC activities, my sloppy math gives us over 500. Sometimes it is good to be reminded of the impact CRIC has on many.
Part of belonging to CRIC, involves being connected to a multitude of faith communities. This past year many of these religions were violated in brutal, shocking, and destructive ways, in Ottawa, in Canada, and around the world. What has CRIC done? What can CRIC do?
CRIC members have sent messages of sympathy and support; we have shared moments of silence and voiced our concerns with one another at meetings and via emails.
What else can CRIC do? Increase our public presence through our FaceBook page, through news releases to a list of publications both print and on-line, and to our various faith communities.
It has been an honour, a delight, and a challenge to work with everyone and serve as your president this past year. Personally I am passionate about interfaith work; every month I fall short in what I want to contribute; sometimes the details get in the way of the glory. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to fail so publicly and to kindly accept my limited contributions.
Merci a tous! Meegwich! With much gratitude, Linda
“Trust is the spiritual by-product of innocence. My people say that innocence is more than lack of knowledge and experience, it’s learning to look at the world with wonder. When we do that, we live in a learning way. Trust, the ability to open yourself to teachings, is the gateway for each of us to becoming who we were created to be. All things bear teachings. Teachings are hidden in every leaf and rock. But only when we look at the world with wonder do the teachings reveal themselves, and trust is the ability to put those teachings to work in our lives. Trust is, in fact, our first act of faith and our first step towards the principle of courage that will guide us.”