As part of the Brother Martin Senior Retreat experience, seniors recently had the opportunity to visit various places of worship. Among those places visited were Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Congregation Beth Israel Jewish Synagogue, and the Islamic Message Foundation. Seniors were addressed by priests, rabbis and/or members of the different congregations. Rev. George Wilson of Holy Trinity, Rabbi Gabriel Greenberg of Congregation Beth Israel, and Mr. Mahood Mohammed of the Islamic Message Foundation all generously donated their time and knowledge to address the students. They covered topics ranging from the history and traditions of their religion to interfaith comparisons to our Catholic faith.
At Holy Trinity, Father Wilson covered the history of the Greek Orthodox faith here in New Orleans, while pointing out various religious objects around the cathedral, and compared and contrasted the Greek Orthodox faith with our own Roman Catholic faith. Rabbi Gabe Greenberg kept the attention of the students as he sung from the Torah in Hebrew, recalling how his congregation moved from the flood- ravaged synagogue in Lakeview after Hurricane Katrina to their current location in Metairie, and engaged the students with a “question and answer” session.
Finally, a variety of speakers stepped forward at the Islamic Message Foundation. Explanations of the history of Islam, personal experiences in their faith, comparisons and contrasts of Islam and Catholicism, and talks from converts to Islam were presented over the four visits to the mosque. Seniors were grateful for the opportunity to gain an insight into other religions. In addition, they were impressed by the decor of the cathedral, the welcoming feeling of the mosque, and the opportunity to experience different religions in their own setting.
Thank you to the various speakers for welcoming Crusaders into their place of worship.
