Central New Yorkers of many faiths and cultures will gather Monday evening to celebrate their diversity as part of a single community.
The Syracuse gathering will be one of many across the globe marking the ninth annual World Interfaith Harmony week.
“You’ll find the Congolese Catholic group showcasing their cultural heritage from Congo. You’ll find people of the Hindu, Indian descents, people who are coming from Turkey as Muslim faith, Islamic society, so this is really a melting pot,” Gracious Moyo said.
Gracious Moyo is the director of interfaith initiatives at Interfaith Works. He says Syracuse’s diverse community makes it a challenge to include everyone.
“That’s really tough because it’s just a two hour program, and we’ve got a huge community with so many faiths and traditions,” he said.
He says they try to rotate groups every year to be as inclusive as possible, just like they do for the location of the celebration. Moyo says they have 14 groups showcasing their talents at Monday’s program.
“There’ll be poetry, there’ll be drama, there’ll be music and dance. We’ve got drums, we’ve got the reading and recital of the Qur’an and the way the Hindu reads their text,” Moyo said.
Moyo says the assembly is a chance to set aside political and religious differences, and be one family.
“Come on Monday and come and experience the beauty of being different," he said. "But, when we come together let's come and see the beauty of the garden with different flowers. When you look at the garden, those different colors, it becomes beautiful.”
He says people of any faith or no faith are welcome. The Syracuse World Interfaith Harmony Assembly celebration takes place Monday from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Southern Missionary Baptist Church on 3143 Midland Avenue.
