10/20/2000

Interfaith Education

Nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires, Wisdom House invites you to an experience of peace and tranquility. This interfaith center welcomes those who value seeking and learning in a contemplative environment. Programs are focused on meeting the artistic, spiritual, cultural and education needs of diverse people.

Wisdom House, 229 E. Litchfield Road, Litchfield, will present "The Casagrande Interfaith Institute: Spirituality in the World" on Oct. 27-29, 2000.

The program opens on Friday evening with a talk "Why Interfaith Dialogue?" with Ewert Cousins, Ph.D. Dr. Cousins is Professor of Theology and Director of the Center for Contemporary Spirituality at Fordham University and author of several books on spirituality.

Saturday morning will feature "The Wisdom and Heart of Buddhism" by the Rev. Sally Sonen Kealy and Rev. Franciso "Paco" Genkoji Lugovina. Rev. Kealy is an ordained Soto Zen Priest and co-leader of the Hudson River Peacemaker Center. Rev. Lugovina is a Soto Zen Priest and Dharma holder in the Zen Peacemaker Village and United Bronx Parents Peacemaker Village. Also on Saturday morning will be a talk on Christianity presented by Donald P. Gray, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies, Manhattan College, NY and noted author. Each separate talk will focus on the "Wisdom and Heart" of a particular faith.

The Saturday afternoon program will focus on Islam by Ingrid Mattson, Ph.D. and Judaism by Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Keiner. Dr. Mattson is Professor of Islamic Studies at the Macdonald Center of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, Hartford Seminary, CT. Rabbi Cohen-Keiner is the Spiritual Leader of Pnai Or of Central Connecticut, co-director of The Compassionate Listening Project and an instructor at Boston Hebrew College.

The program continues on Saturday evening with a panel discussion, "How my faith tradition influences my involvement in the world." All of the weekend presenters will be joined by Arthur Schwartz, cookbook author, cooking teacher and host of "Arthur Schwartz with Food Talk," a daily program on WOR Radio, New York and Matthew Cowles, a playwright and actor who specializes in character work on television and stage. Panel moderator will be Lonnie Black, Master Teaching artist with the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, a widely published poet and educator.

Dr. Cousins will give closing comments on Sunday morning, followed by an Interfaith Prayer Celebration.

For more information about the Casagrande Interfaith Institute, please call Wisdom House at 860-567-3163 or visit the Web site at: http://www.wisdomhouse.org.

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.