Date: June 2nd 2010

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June 2010

You may have come across a picture somewhere depicting what seems to be a grim scene- a bearded man in robes with the representation of a brightly shining heart on his chest outside his body, wrapped in thorns, and topped by fire and a cross, and wondered what it was all about. This startling image is the Sacred Heart of Jesus— a symbolic rendering connected to a particular devotion observed primarily in the Roman Catholic church. The heart is representative of Jesus' love for humanity; the thorns and cross refer to his crucifixion, and the fire to the transformative power of love. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is a particular prayer practice which became popular after St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) had a series of visions of Jesus and the Sacred Heart. It has been celebrated on June 11th as a Solemn ity (a major holy day) since 1856. Many Catholic churches take their name from this devotion, including two in Santa Clara County- Sacred Heart of Jesus in San Jose, and Sacred Heart in Saratoga.

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Creating a New Multifaith Organization: On May 12, over 40 people from the diverse religious communities of the South Bay met to continue the conversation about the future shape of interreligious organization and cooperation in the South Bay. At that meeting, a Planning Group of twelve people was appointed to develop a proposal for forming such a group. The Planning Group has met several times and will report to the next meeting of religious leaders, scheduled for Thursday, June 17, 2010, 11:45 am - 1:30 pm at the Jewish Community Center, 14855 Oka Rd., Los Gatos. We will also hear from the directors of the Interfaith Councils of Marin, San Francisco, and Contra Costa County about their organizations, experiences, and advice as we proceed. Any interested religious leaders are welcome. Please RSVP to southbayinterfaith@yahoo.com.

Documents and reports from the discussions can be found on the SouthBay Interfaith website, www.southbayinterfaith.org, under Links > Discussion Documents.

Watch these monthly notes and the Interfaith Space website for updates and announcements as our work takes shape.

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News & Notes, the occasional blog from Interfaith Space with information about events and commentary on interfaith/ multifaith/ interreligious issues, has received a face lift. Check out our new look at the Interfaith Space website: go to www.interfaithspace.org and click on "News & Notes." We invite your comments or responses.

Send your news! Let the community know about events that are open to the public and are either interfaith or offer an opportunity for others to learn about your faith community. Send information to calendar@interfaithspace.org.

 

 

 

 

June Religious and Cultural Observances

• 3 Corpus Christi  (Roman Catholic)
• 6 Anniversary of Attack on Akal Takhat  (Sikh)
• 11 Sacred Heart of Jesus   (Roman Catholic)
• 16 Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji (Sikh)
• 19 Juneteenth (African-American cultural)
• 21 First Nations Day (Native American)
• 21 Litha, Alban Heruin, Midsumarsblot  (Summer Solstice)
  (Wiccan, Pagan)
• 21 New Church Day (Swedenborgian)
• 24 Nativity of St. John the Baptist  (Christian)
• 29 Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz (Jewish)
• 29 Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul 
  (Christian)
• 29 Ghambar Maidyoshem (through July 3) (Zoroastrian)

[Interreligious Calendar events are taken from the Silicon Valley FACES Interfaith Calendar and the Multifaith Action Society Multifath Calendar 2010. See also the Online Interfaith Calendar and the BBC Interfaith Calendar] NOTE: Jewish Holidays begin at sundown the day before. Buddhist holidays are observed on many different days, according to local tradition.

Upcoming Interfaith Opportunities

"Interfaith Opportunities" focuses on specifically interfaith events; "Take Action" offers opportunities to take action on issues of concern with people from other religious traditions, and "Meet Your Neighbors" includes events that are sponsored by a specific religious group but which are open to the wider community. Items for the calendar can be sent to calendar@interfaithspace.org

Click on highlighted links below for more information-

Saturday, June 12th. 6:30 pm, Campbell

Confronting Civil and Political Danger:
The Role of the Faith Community

Featured speaker for the Annual Meeting of the Council of Churches of Santa Clara County is Rev. Dr. Frank Schaeffer, author of How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of it Back.

Saturday, June 19, 2010, 6:00 pm

Interfaith Conversations: Marilyn Lacey

Speaker: Marilyn Lacey, director of Mercy Beyond Borders will talk about her book, This Flowing Toward Me: A Story of God Arriving in Strangers.

Saturday, October 2, 2010, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Santa Clara

SAVE THE DATE!
Carry the Vision: Community Nonviolence Conference

Keynote Speaker Fr. John Dear, Peace Activist, Organizer, Lecturer, Retreat leader, and author/editor of 20 books on peace and nonviolence.

Meet Your Neighbors

Public events sponsored by specific religious groups that may help others understand their tradition and concerns more fully.

Saturday, June 5, 2010, ,10:30 am, Los Gatos

South Bay Pride Shabbat

Congregation Shir Hadash, Temple Emanu-El, and Congregation Emeth invite you to join us for the 4th Annual South Bay Pride Shabbat.

Sunday, June 6, 2010, 2:00 pm, Palo Alto

A Conversation with Dr. Chintamani Yogi

Dr. Chintamani Yogi is Founding Chairperson, Shanti Sewa Ashram, Founding Principal, Hindu Vidyapeeth School in Nepal, and Country Coordinator, Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC).

Take Action

Events that address issues of public concern with an alliance of people from different religious traditions.

September 3-5, 2010, South Bay

Labor in the Pulpits/on the Bimah/
in the Minbar

This annual program by the Interfaith Council on Economics and Justice arranges for speakers or preachers who represent Labor to come to your place of worship.

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And more...

Help us share your good news! If you know of interfaith opportunities that are coming up- please let us know so they can be included on the Interfaith Space Calendar. Send information to calendar@interfaithspace.org.

I have begun writing an occasional blog for Examiner.com, as their San Jose Interfaith Examiner. I'll be posting more extended articles there, and welcome your suggestions for events to publicize, interviews with interfaith leaders, and news about interfaith relationships.