USD Set to Host 30th Annual All-Faith Service
‘Channeling Peace’ ceremony set for Thursday in the KIPJ Theatre
On Fri., Jan. 28, 1994, the USD community gathered inside The Immaculata to usher in a new tradition intended to celebrate diversity — the All Faith Service. Under the guidance of then-Reverend Msgr. Brent Eagen, vice president for Mission and Ministry, the service was designed to kick off the spring semester similar to how the Mass of the Holy Spirit begins the fall semester.
The three-decade-long tradition continues Thursday when USD hosts the 30th Annual All-Faith Service, “Channeling Peace,” at 12:15pm in the KIPJ Theatre.
“The All-Faith Service is a most beautiful and incredibly meaningful USD tradition,” says Vice President for Mission Integration Michael Lovette-Colyer, PhD. “It is a celebration of the religious diversity present in our community and an embodiment of our profound respect for diversity of all kinds.”
The annual service has endured because of how unique, powerful and beautiful it is, Lovette-Colyer says.
“Those who attend learn about the world's various faith traditions while also being invited to participate in their various ways of encountering the Divine,” he explains. “The service recognizes the differences that exist among religions but also calls attention to the commonalities and opportunities for harmony. It is always hopeful and uplifting, a wonderful way to begin the new semester.”
Channeling Peace was a perfect theme for the 30th installment of the annual service – Eagen had drawn inspiration for the first All-Faith Service from St. Pope John Paul II’s convening of the first ever World Day of Prayer for Peace in 1986.
“That gathering in Assisi, Italy, motivated Eagen to imagine a similar interreligious gathering for our community,” Lovette-Colyer says. “This year’s theme takes us back to where we started — coming together to, in John Paul's words, ‘discover anew’ that when it comes to peace, ‘there is something which binds us together’.”
Additionally, the theme was chosen to express the urgent need for peace in our world, Lovette-Colyer adds.
From the war in Ukraine to what scholars suggest are as many as 27 ongoing, armed conflicts worldwide, the theme also expresses the urgent need for peace in our world, Lovette-Colyer says.
“In the face of such immense tragedy, we can feel helpless and yet, each one of us has the potential to actively channel peace in our relationships, on our campus, in our country and around the world.”
For more information on this year’s All Faith Service, and to view services from past years, visit the Office for Mission.
— Story by Matthew Piechalak