25th Anniversary: Festival of Faiths
Festival of Faiths | Center for Interfaith Relations
415 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. Louisville, KY 40202
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festivaloffaiths.org
Festival of Faiths
In 1985, the Cathedral Heritage Foundation set out to renovate Louisville’s historic Cathedral of the Assumption. The restoration spanned a decade, during which time the foundation’s mission broadened to not only revive the Cathedral, but also promote interfaith understanding. The Cathedral Heritage Foundation — which eventually would become the Center for Interfaith Relations — created the Festival of Faiths in 1996 as an expression of this expanded mission, uniting diverse faith traditions in a hospitable and celebratory environment.
In its earliest incarnation, the Festival told the incredible stories of our region’s rich religious history, with an underlying message of cooperation that transcends our city. The Festival of Faiths has since grown in prominence and scope, drawing thousands of attendees and presenting engaging speakers ranging from Robert Kennedy Jr. to the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, from Fr. Richard Rohr to journalist Diane Rehm, from Woman Stands Shining to a Surgeon General of the United States — and many more.
It’s an impressive evolution that began under the leadership of Christina Brown, co-founder of the Cathedral Heritage Foundation.
“We should be exceptionally joyous and proud of our community, for we have conceived and founded our country’s first Festival of Faiths, a model of community at its best, an inspiring celebration of our own rich religious history, and a celebration of our individual and our community’s collective religious goodness,” Brown said at the culmination of the inaugural Festival 25 years ago.
Photos above and below: John Nation
Over the years, the Festival’s mission has expanded, seeking not only to unite and enlighten, but also to effect positive change. With this broadened mission also came a name change for the Cathedral Heritage Foundation, and in 2006, the Center for Interfaith Relations was created.
As the Festival of Faiths approaches its 25th anniversary, Brown continues to play an instrumental role in the annual event. In 2013, however, her son Owsley Brown III took up the mantle as Festival chair. He’s proven to be a visionary leader, cultivating the Festival as a contemplative space in an increasingly complex and divisive world.
The 25th Anniversary Festival of Faiths (April 21-25, 2020), Sacred Stories: Contemplation and Connection, will be a unique expression of the Festival’s history, celebrating the power of narratives to instill meaning and connection in a complex world. Through dialogue, music, poetry, art and film, this interfaith celebration will investigate the space where ancient and modern narratives co-exist in our lives, shaping a sense of belonging and purpose, and providing context for contemporary topics of concern.
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