Every Tuesday morning, the local Baha’i community hosts a Zoom interfaith devotional via Zoom, but occasionally, the spiritual seekers meet up in person for brunch and camaraderie. Last month, folks gathered in the picnic area of Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Holliston to share psalms, passages, poems, and even just deep thoughts with their neighbors of various faiths.

“We listen to each other, accept each other, and we don’t try to talk anybody into anything or proselytize,” Fran Pollitt, a member of the Baha’i faith, explains, “We just share our spiritual feelings together for an hour every Tuesday.” The concept of unity is central to her faith tradition, she says.

“We open our hearts,” says Siri Karam Singh Khalsa, a practicing Sikh and self-described seeker, with a sense of humor who was “raised Jewish in a Protestant boarding school, went to a Quaker college where a lot of my friends became Baha’i and I became a Sikh.” He adds, “We love people praying in a different way, but it’s really not all that different.”

“Unity in diversity,” chimes in Arthur Burton, a peace activist, originally from Bulgaria, who has traveled and prayed with many different groups.

“I think the most important thing we can do in this day in age is to strive for unity, because there is so much division, to create a community that is loving and honest with each other, not trying to split us apart,” says Paula Haas, also Baha’i, who explains that the Tuesday group draws folks from different faiths, but also has connections to another group, the Metrowest Interfaith Community, also out of the Fatima Shrine.

Father Carl Chudy, a Roman Catholic priest, coordinates that Metrowest Interfaith Community, and he also attends the Baha’i Tuesday group. 

“It’s an extraordinary time to come together, not only to heal the wounds of divisions, but also, I think faith is a bridge, and even though there are very negative experiences of institutional religion, I’m a better Roman Catholic because of my engagement and friendship with Muslims, my Protestant friends, my Baha’i and Jewish friends, and so on. In our encounter with one another, we look to listen to what inspires each other and oftentimes the things that inspire each other inspire all of us,” says Chudy.

“I find the biggest hurdle of accepting other people is the fear of what they don’t even know, and the more you talk to other people you realize we’re more the same than we are different, says Kathy Spinazzola, a Catholic participating for the first time.

Marta Bachman, also Catholic and new to the gathering, was inspired share in faith in by her brother, who is now an Adventist. “He’s always talked about learning about other religions to help him and so he can worship with his fellow man,” she says.

Similarly, newcomer Rebecca Hecht joined in for the first time, because she is “interested in any kind of prayers and deepening, in spiritual connection.”

First time participant Diane Evans offers, “Although I am a committed Catholic, I don’t’ believe that is the only way. I welcome hearing what other people say, what they think. We all want the same thing for our families, for ourselves.”

After sharing inspirations, participants parted in a sense of peace, with hearts a little closer together. “It makes me very optimistic about the future,” says Haas.

To learn more about the Tuesday morning devotions, call Paula at 816-536-6623.

To learn more about the Metrowest Interfaith Community, visit www.hollistoninterfaith.org.