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Reflections on 2020

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Reflections on 2020…
From the Auckland Inter-Faith Council
There are already too many clichés about this year but it is definitely one to remember or forget depending on how you look at it! For the Auckland Inter-Faith Council, in spite of all the uncertainties we were still able to have significant events throughout the year.

On 15 March 2020 before NZ found itself totally shut down we held a moving Interfaith Prayer Service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, remembering the Christchurch tragedy and praying for peace and understanding among all peoples. Over 200 people attended, and we enjoyed choral and musical offerings, prayers from many faith traditions, and a reflective atmosphere. All participants were invited to light a candle during the service, and it felt significant to be together as an interfaith community on that day.

In late July, in collaboration with the Mercy Spirituality Centre, we were able to hold a beautiful evening programme on the theme of the Presence of the Divine, in which members of different faiths shared their experiences.

In August we had our AGM with a special international guest speaker, Dr Maureen Sier, Director of Interfaith Scotland joining us via ZOOM. A long-time friend of AIFC, she shared about the inspiring work of faith communities during lockdown in Scotland. We were honoured to have among our attendees the British Consul General Mr Robin Shackell, who has been quietly supporting the work of AIFC throughout his posting in NZ.

In late Sept./early October for the third year in a row we participated in the Auckland Heritage Festival, offering 4 successful visits to local Sacred Spaces- a mosque, 2 churches (Catholic and Anglican) and a Hindu Temple.  The size of the groups (around 30 people per visit) allowed for good engagement between the audience and the presenters, with many questions asked.

In November as President of AIFC I was invited by the Prime Minister to attend a Reception following the opening of the 53rd Parliament in Wellington. It was heartening to see a good number of interfaith colleagues from all over NZ at that event.

Photos of all these events can be found on our Facebook page .

All in all, there is so much to be grateful for, especially as we enjoy our freedom to gather and socialise this holiday season. The work of AIFC in bringing people together, which you so graciously support, is as important as ever as we all reflect on what is most important in life – our families, our communities, and a safe, sustainable and peaceful environment.

Wishing you and your family all the best for 2021!

Ruth Cleaver, President,
Auckland Inter-Faith Council

Sacred Spaces 2020 – Report

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   Visit in the Ponsonby Mosque

The AIFC had planned 5 visits but due to lockdown restrictions, the first event had to be cancelled.
With the theme “Uncovering the Secrets and stories of Tamaki Makaurau”, the places of worship chosen for the event were some of the most historic places of worship for the respective religions.
The uncertainties regarding lockdown levels made the planning of events difficult. Whereas the visits in the past concluded with a cuppa and an occasion for socialising, this part of the hospitality couldn’t be offered this year.

Bharatiya Mandir in Mt Albert (3 October)
The first sacred space we visited this year was to the Bharatiya Mandir, the Hindu Temple in Balmoral Road, Mt Albert. When the first Hindu temple was built in 1993 it was considered a “home away from home” for the Hindus in the wider area of Auckland.
It was not the first time that we visited this place of worship during the event “Exploring Sacred Spaces”. However, the decoration changes regularly – every year, during Diwali, the deities are adorned with new beautiful clothes.

Masjid in Ponsonby (4 October)
Social distancing, masks as well as contact tracing were compulsory during the visit to the oldest mosque in Auckland. Muslims have been in New Zealand for more than 100 years, and the first Islamic Centre was established in Ponsonby in 1959. The current building was purpose-built in 1979. After adding further extensions, it was completed in 1986.

St Patrick & St Joseph Catholic Cathedral in the CBD (7 October)
The evening before relaxed restrictions would come into force, social distancing was still mandatory.
The three doors to the Catholic Cathedral had to stay open for emergencies and at the same time the maximum number of people permitted in one room was not to be exceeded. Representatives of three faiths were watching the doors.
It was 180 years earlier, on 18 September 1840 that Apihai Te Kawau of Ngati Whatua gifted 3000 acres of land to Governor Hobson.

Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell (11 October)
Back in Level 1 and under relaxed conditions, we visited the Anglican Cathedral. The land on which the Anglican Cathedral was built was purchased in 1843. However, the foundation stone for the Cathedral was laid over 100 years later in 1957.
It was interesting to see that the Cathedral consisted of a neo-Gothic style chancel, a historic wooden church, a contemporary part from the 1990s and an annexed chapel from 2016.
The visit to the Cathedral was a cooperation between the Anglican and the Buddhist representatives on the Auckland Interfaith Council. Together, they invited all visitors to walk the labyrinth on the Cathedral grounds.

Exploring Sacred Spaces 2019

Exploring Sacred Spaces 2019

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This is the third year in a row that the Auckland Inter-Faith Council has organised “Exploring Sacred Spaces”, a series of public visits to various places of worship. Since 2018 we have linked the initiative to the Auckland Heritage Festival, and have benefitted from the widespread promotion and advertising. In 2019 we organised five separate visits, as shown in the poster above.

The motto of the 2019 Festival as decided by Auckland Council was: “Journeys – Explore the stories of how our people travelled to Tāmaki Makaurau to create a shared future together”. This theme suited us well, as people who immigrated to New Zealand and settled in Auckland brought with them not only brought their language and culture but also their religious beliefs, and have been building places of worship.

Please click here for the 2019 report.

The Imam & The Pastor

The Imam & The Pastor

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Sharing their powerful story live in Auckland

Imam Dr Muhammed Ashafa, a Muslim cleric and Pastor Dr James Wuye, an Assembly of God Christian pastor, are known to many as “The Imam and the Pastor”. They are Nigerian religious leaders who spent years as the leaders of violent militias fighting each other. Then something changed, inside them, and since 1995 they have learned to trust each other and now work side by side for peace and reconciliation. Come and hear them share their amazing story!

7:30pm – 9:00pm Tuesday 27 August 2019 Hillsborough Room at the Fickling Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland (on-site free parking available).

No admission fee but we will be collecting a Koha to support their NZ visit and their work in Africa.

Exploring Sacred Spaces 2018

Exploring Sacred Spaces 2018

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In 2017 Auckland Interfaith Council (AIFC) initiated “Exploring Sacred Spaces” – a series of public visits to various faith venues over a two week period. The purpose of this initiative is to offer a friendly and non-threatening opportunity to visit faith communities now populating our city. During the visits the guests tour the facility and a representative of the hosts provides some basic information about their beliefs and worship practices. The visitors experience first -hand the atmosphere and hospitality of each sacred place and have a chance to ask questions.

What was new this year is that AIFC arranged to hold the series of Exploring Sacred Spaces visits in conjunction with Auckland Council’s annual Auckland Heritage Festival . This year the Festival’s theme was “The Heritage of our People”, which tied in perfectly with the Sacred Spaces concept. The booklets and online promotion of the Festival allowed a much wider audience to learn about our planned visits. The response exceeded all expectations, and we welcomed close to 600 people over the course of the five visits. The visits were mostly held on weekend afternoons, and were free of charge and open to the public.

Please click here for the 2018 report.

Sounds of the Sacred – Free Interfaith Concert

Sounds of the Sacred – Free Interfaith Concert

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Aucklanders  are in for a memorable and inspiring evening on Monday, May 28th when six local performing groups representing various spiritual traditions are coming together to offer a free concert of peaceful, meditative music. Auckland Inter-Faith Council has collaborated with Sri Chinmoy’s local organiser Jogyata Dallas and others to arrange this concert, which is intended to offer an experience of inner peace through music.

The performers are: local Mt Eden duo Monk Party; an instrumental/vocal women’s group from the Sri Chinmoy Centre; choirs from St Marks and Latter Day Saints church groups; Sikh Youth performers; the Sathya Sai organization; and musicians from the Family Federation for World Peace. The evening highlights both the diversity of Auckland’s cultures and their spirit of co-operation.

Join us to experience ‘Sounds of the Sacred’ in the Hillsborough Room in Three Kings’ Fickling Centre, 546 Mt Albert Road at 7:30pm. Light refreshments will follow. Admission is entirely free and tickets are not required.

Dr Maureen Sier, Interfaith expert from Scotland, to speak in Auckland

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Auckland Inter-Faith Council presents:

An Evening with Dr Maureen Sier

“Finding faith in a secular world: How interfaith engagement is revolutionising religion”

WHAT: Public lecture followed by a Q&A session with light refreshments served. All welcome
WHEN: Tuesday 27 March, 7:30 PM start
WHERE: Quality Hotel Parnell (Endeavour Room), 10 – 20 Gladstone Road, Parnell
PARKING: Free onsite
COST: Free entry; gold coin donations appreciated

Dr Maureen Sier is an inter-faith activist and international speaker who serves as the Director of Interfaith Scotland. Interfaith Scotland is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting good practice in interfaith dialogue, education, engagement and training nationally and internationally. Dr Sier was the keynote speaker at New Zealand’s National Interfaith Forum in 2009.