Dear Friends,

As you have probably heard in the News, Pope Francis has invited Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to a day of prayer for peace in the Middle East. This meeting will take place on Sunday, June 8, 2014. All of us at The Interfaith Peace Project are deeply moved by this gathering in prayer and hope it will become a model for confronting the issues of our day. In prayer we elevate our thoughts and minds to a higher consciousness as we become aware that we are all children of the Divine Presence.

I join with the Board of Directors of The Interfaith Peace Project inviting you to spend some time on June 8, 2014 praying for peace in the Middle East and the World. Perhaps you can arrange some flowers as a centerpiece of peace in your home. Such a lovely display will bless all who visit and remind you and your visitors to strive for peace in all the affairs of life.

You may decide to bless and light candles asking visitors to do the same. Lighted candles are powerful symbols of our prayers and good intentions. Consider placing a candle for peace in a prominent place in your home. It will bless you, your family, and all you welcome into your home.

As Pope Francis said in his invitation, “I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer. … All of us want peace. Many people build it day by day through small gestures and acts; many of them are suffering, yet patiently persevere in their efforts to be peacemakers … Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment. The men and women of these lands, and of the entire world, all of them, ask us to bring before God their fervent hopes for peace.”

The Interfaith Peace Project encourages everyone to make their homes sanctuaries of peace and Interfaith respect, love, and peace. We are more than willing to assist you with a few simple ideas and hints as our homes become Temples and Dwelling Places of Peace.

The Interfaith Peace Center will be open on Sunday, June 8, 2014 from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm for prayer and reflection. You are welcome to visit and light a candle as we implore the Divine Presence to give us the courage to be a peaceful World.

If you cannot visit the Center, please realize you are always welcome to do so and offer a prayer with us wherever you are sometime in the hours between six and nine on Sunday, June 8th.

Peacefully,

Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P. and
The Board of Directors
The Interfaith Peace Project