REV. ANDREA J. GOODMAN
In Memoriam
August 30, 1950 – December 31, 2021
Cofounder and President of the Board of Directors
The Interfaith Peace Project

January 1, 2022

Dear Friends,     
         
With a broken-heart I share with you the death of our beloved friend, Rev. Andrea J. Goodman. Andrea and I co-founded The Interfaith Peace Project twenty-years ago. She also established The Sacred Visits Program described on our website. Her passing was sudden, leaving us in great shock.              

Below you will find a personal letter I sent to Andrea on the Twentieth Anniversary of The Interfaith Peace Project. I share it with you as a humble tribute to her. She and I have been personal friends for over thirty years. I will have more to share with you in the future.              

I join with the Board of Directors in offering our sympathy and love to her family, friends, and all of you who have been blessed by her love and dedication.  We are grateful for the gift of Andrea in our lives. She will live forever in our hearts. 

Peace,
Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P.
Executive Director

September 8, 2021 

Dear Andrea,              

I am sitting here at my desk at sunset. It is a very calm evening after a relatively peaceful day. While the news rages on with heart-breaking stories, it is comforting to know such days are not only possible but actually happen.             

As we observe the twentieth anniversary of The Interfaith Peace Project, I cannot help but think of how grateful I am to you for all your work and dedication over the years. I genuinely believe you are singularly responsible for bringing peaceful times to others. I can personally testify to this truth with my own personal experience.             

In particular, I think of our deep sharing on Church Street twenty years ago. Someday I hope we can commemorate that precious moment at another Crepevine.  I cannot pass Church Street without remembering your courage and encouragement.  I will be forever grateful. You were the light in one of the darkest moments of my life.             

When I survey the Interpath Principles, I am humbled to be part of our Project. I already have Interfaith leaders contacting me to explore these Principles in depth. Thank you for guiding us over the years. So little would have been accomplished without your guidance, commitment, and dedication.             

Thank you for inviting me to walk with you over these years. I have learned much as we cried and laughed together.             

In a powerful way, the Hung Liu book summarizes how I understand the present moment of our work. The artist is an Asian woman claiming the beauty of her soul. The title, Portraits of Promised Lands, invites us to explore the dreams and hopes of the oppressed. Her work is intersectional. The feminine, the personal, the collective, the Asian Pacific, and the quest for the human heart all converge in her work. She expresses in her portraits what The Interfaith Peace Project has attempted to practice in its outreach to others. The book is a humble expression of my gratitude. A tribute, if you will, to you and The Board of Directors.   

I think of all those conversations and meetings we had and have. I think of the great Sacred Visits outreach and the people we encountered. I think of all the times we were uncertain and, maybe, afraid. I remember all the times I thought I was alone, and then there was you and the Board.             

Thank you again for being you. Imagine our three-year program is twenty years old. I only hope the peace you have brought to others will bless you a hundredfold.   

Peacefully,
Tom