On Saturday, December 2, at 1:00 pm the 9/11 Tribute Museum will present a holiday program for families, Create a Peace Lantern.
At this time of year when people from many different traditions celebrate with candles, lamps and lights, the event will help children create their own personal messages of warmth and festivity.
To add to the richness of the program, leaders from the interfaith community, including representatives of Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Native American communities, will each offer a short prayer to celebrate the universal wish for peace, health and happiness for all human beings. Families will then have a chance to work together to create paper peace lanterns.
“The 9/11 Tribute Museum tells the stories of Compassion, Resilience and Service. The idea of bringing people together during the holiday season to celebrate our common humanity reflects the ideas we share in our gallery exhibits all year round,” noted curator Meriam Lobel.
The program is being organized in cooperation with Reverend TK Nakagaki, former Vice Chair of the Interfaith Center of New York, who also served as the president of the Buddhist Council of New York for 8 years and as a Community Liaison for the New York City Police Department since 2008. “My work has always given life to the wish for peace. I am happy to introduce New Yorkers to the richness of many holiday expressions of kindness and love.”
The tradition of interfaith prayer services was greatly expanded in the days, weeks and months after September 11, 2001. On the day of the attacks, interfaith chaplains at Columbia University organized a campus-wide gathering for the members of the community. On September 20, President George Bush invited religious leaders from all around the country to a conversation about the sanctity of human life. Around New York City, clergy members from many denominations began ministering to the 9/11 family members and the people working on the recovery.
This program is free and children ages 4 and up are welcome to attend with an adult.
