World Religion Day 2009
"Religion Must be the Cause of Unity".
Highlights of World Religion Day 2009
28 January 2009 by WRD Committee
Faiths Gather in Halifax for the Sixth Annual
World Religion Day Celebration
Halifax Regional Municipality celebrated its sixth annual World Religion Day in the Cathedral of All Saints. In spite of snowy weather, approximately 300 audience members and participants of diverse faiths gathered together for an afternoon of warmth, unity and harmony.
The sounds of a harp, an acoustic bass and a djembe drum greeted people as they arrived in the church.
The program opened with the Baha’i Army of Light Dance Troupe who combined dance and rhythm with readings from the Words of Baha’u’llah.
Kitpu Mi'kmaq Youth Drummers and Dancers then held a Smudge ceremony with an elder, followed by drumming.
The Beechville Babes, a dance troupe of children and youth from Beechville Baptist Church, performed an interpretive dance, accompanied by the Church's choir, Beechville Worship Warriors.
They were followed by readings from the Bible by a minister of The Cathedral of All Saints Anglican Church and readings from Hindu Scriptures by a member of the Vedanta Ashram Society.
The rousing gospel songs of the special musical guest, the Nova Gospel Ensemble, had the audience clapping, singing and dancing.
A Bible story was dramatized by members of Saint Matthew’s United Church and there were songs by choirs from the Halifax Shambhala Centre and the Universalist Unitarian Church. A drama perfomed by Brahma Kumaris members depicted the soul returning to its true nature.
The Leblanc family of the Baha’i community sang a prayer by the Bab, "Say God Sufficeth". The traditional finalé garnered singers from the Baha’i, Shambhala, Unitarian and Saint Matthew’s communities performing a song selected especially for World Religion Day called "Can You Hear" by composer Jim Papoulis.
The Mayor and Councilors of the Halifax Regional Municipality issued a proclamation that January 18th was World Religion Day in HRM and they sent a representative, Councilor Jennifer Watts, who spoke to the audience and participants at the start of the program.
The visual arts were also incorporated into the program. During the Celebration, artist Sharon Hodgson created a painting of the event and sculptor Rhiannon Wyatt created a sculpture in clay that was based on the event. The art was displayed at the Reception that followed the Celebration.
Free will donations were given to Feed Nova Scotia
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