Interfaith Prayer Service for Peace
St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, Portland, Oregon
June 30, 2004

"Praying for peace is what Christian people do. Jesus spoke to his apostles about being people of peace, and we are their successors in the Christian faith. We must work and pray for peace because it is the mandate of our faith. To not pray for peace is not an option for us." - Fr. Steve Bossi, CSP

"Let us tonight - in honor of all named and yet to be named - recommit ourselves to the way of peace in the spirit of those who have come before, for those with us today, and for all of God's children who will grace this world in the days ahead." - David A. Leslie, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon

On the evening of June 30, 2004 we gathered at St. Philip Neri with 100 of our neighbors from varying faith traditions to name our fears, name our hopes, and name the dead.

We were challenged by readings and prayers from the Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian traditions. We heard the prophetic voice of Martin Luther King, Jr. calling us to move from chaos to community.

David A. Leslie, Executive Director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, shared his thoughts "On the Occasion of Transfer of Power in Iraq."

We reflected on our hopes and fears about the situation in Iraq, the Middle East and the world.

And we heard the names of the dead, scattered throughout the evening, like a drumbeat demanding us to move from despair to hope. To prayer. As we processed our fears and hopes to the front of the church, we each took a prayer card (PDF document, 40kb) with the name of a victim of the Iraq war. We now carry those cards, committing each day to pray for the family who has lost their loved one and to honor that person by working for peace and justice in our world.

"Parishioners Pray for Peace" - Catholic Sentinel, July 7, 2004