Song and Spirit Institute for Peace cultivates interfaith harmony through music, arts and dialogue

Brother Al and Steve, courtesy of songandspirit.orgOn its website, Song and Spirit describes itself as “a Franciscan minstrel and a Jewish troubadour, working together to bring peace to the world one song at a time.”  While the phrase captures its modest beginnings, Song and Spirit has evolved into the full-fledged Song and Spirit Institute for Peace in Berkley, Michigan that offers programming focused on faith-in-action and adult faith formation.

The Institute hosts seminars, retreats, art workshops, community projects, performances, and worship, all serving its mission to “promote greater understanding among people of diverse religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds through music, art, cultural programs, dialogue and study.”

Those elements will all converge at the Spirit of Assisi 25^th Anniversary Celebration held October 27-29 at various locations throughout Metro Detroit.   The three-day event celebrates the 25^th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s historic 1986 gathering of leaders of all faiths in Assisi, Italy to pray together for peace. 

In cooperation with the Archdiocese of Detroit and area churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and other interfaith organizations, Song and Spirit has coordinated a weekend of peace-filled dialogue and exchange.   

“It is our hope that these exciting, insightful and uplifting activities will build bridges of faith and understanding within our diverse communities," say promotional materials. "On its 25th anniversary, we embrace the Spirit of Assisi as an example to be embodied –– a guiding force to heal a broken world, to complete that which cries for completion, to bring Shalom/Salaam to the world.”

The celebration includes:

1. Pilgrims for Peace: music and peace presentations from religious leaders and schoolchildren of Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox (Christian), Protestant, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and other communities
2. Kabbalat Shabbat: an opening of Jewish Sabbath services in a unique service of song, spirit and community
3. Day of Inter-Connection at the Song and Spirit Institute in Berkley: a day of study sessions, storytelling, classes, and discussions with local Jewish, Muslim and Franciscan teachers
4. An Evening of Song and Spirit: an evening of entertainment and delight with juggler, storyteller, writer, and facilitator Tom Sparough, the Space Painter; a musical and story-telling performance by Song and Spirit performers, and other special guests.

Brother Al Mascia, a Franciscan friar, and Maggid Steve Klaper, a "Jewish troubadour," founded Song and Spirit with the idea that experiencing another’s culture, music, rituals, and beliefs helps people understand “that there are no others—we are all one people seeking the same human relationships, grappling with the same Divine Mysteries.”  They aim to provide “a focus for creating a deep and meaningful connection between peace-making and compassion action,” linking a Christian and Jewish commitments to peace, social justice and serving the poor, marginalized and outcast. 

“In these ways,” note Mascia and Klaper, “we seek to further the quest for true Shalom, from the Hebrew root shaleim – wholeness, completeness. More than just the absence of strife, we seek a Peace that heals a broken world, which completes that which has been left undone.”

Go to http://www.songandspirit.org/SongSpirit/ssinstitute.html for more information on the Song and Spirit Institute for Peace. 

For more details on the Spirit of Assisi Celebration, to go http://www.songandspirit.org/SongSpirit/AssisiCelebration.html

Watch a sampling of Brother Al and Steve's music here: