Presentation to CU meeting on 9 December 2004 by Matthew Hayes, Ed.D, Executive Director of the
Cathedral Heritage Foundation
Fun fact: Does dialogue mean that two people speak at a time?
The Cathedral Heritage Foundation (CHF), though housed in Louisville, Kentucky's Roman Catholic cathedral, has worked to foster inter-religious communication and understanding across faith boundaries since 1984.
Two levels of inter-religious understanding
The two levels of inter-faith understanding are 1. Personal, and 2. Organizational. The heart of personal understanding is dialogue. Using the guidelines for dialogue from K. Lindahl's Practicing The Sacred Art of Listening, (Skylight Paths Publishing: Woodstock, Vermont, 2003), you learn that it takes practice to become aware of and suspend your assumptions about the other person's faith. You need to stay curious and listen, accepting that each faith tradition is a source of the truth. This ability to dialogue is applicable within faith communities (e.g. between Christians) as well as between faith communities (e.g. between Christians and Muslims.)
On the organizational level, CHF has a board representing many different faiths, working with one heart on common action to impact the community. This is accomplished through dialogue and sharing, through cooperation and action on social services; and through common action on civic issues. All faith communities have teachings relevant to social and civic issues; sharing these often leads people to act their way into new understanding and thinking.
What CHF programs could be expanded locally?
Fun fact answer: No. In real dialogue, both people speak but only one person speaks at a time, while the other person listens. Sometimes there is silence as each person thinks about what the other person has said.
Fun fact: Does dialogue mean that two people speak at a time?
The Cathedral Heritage Foundation (CHF), though housed in Louisville, Kentucky's Roman Catholic cathedral, has worked to foster inter-religious communication and understanding across faith boundaries since 1984.
Two levels of inter-religious understanding
The two levels of inter-faith understanding are 1. Personal, and 2. Organizational. The heart of personal understanding is dialogue. Using the guidelines for dialogue from K. Lindahl's Practicing The Sacred Art of Listening, (Skylight Paths Publishing: Woodstock, Vermont, 2003), you learn that it takes practice to become aware of and suspend your assumptions about the other person's faith. You need to stay curious and listen, accepting that each faith tradition is a source of the truth. This ability to dialogue is applicable within faith communities (e.g. between Christians) as well as between faith communities (e.g. between Christians and Muslims.)
On the organizational level, CHF has a board representing many different faiths, working with one heart on common action to impact the community. This is accomplished through dialogue and sharing, through cooperation and action on social services; and through common action on civic issues. All faith communities have teachings relevant to social and civic issues; sharing these often leads people to act their way into new understanding and thinking.
What CHF programs could be expanded locally?
- Each autumn the week-long Festival of Faiths brings together 5,000 people in Louisville for interfaith understanding in many events, including lectures, films and an interfaith breakfast.
- A "Passport" program has been developed where host houses of worship welcome "pilgrim" individuals and families to visit and learn about another faith tradition.
- "Star of Understanding" begins taking application January 22, 2005, for matching grants to houses of worship that will start new projects that will encourage understanding with another house of worship.
Fun fact answer: No. In real dialogue, both people speak but only one person speaks at a time, while the other person listens. Sometimes there is silence as each person thinks about what the other person has said.