October 21, 2025

Dear Friends,

We began a one-year observance of our twenty-fifth anniversary on September 8, 2025. It will conclude on September 8, 2026. 

As part of our observance, we began, on September 21, 2025, a year of reflections on the heart of the Interfaith Peace Project – the Interpath Principles. The reflections are being sent to you on the eighth and twenty-first of each month. If you would like to view the previous reflections, you can find them on our blog at: interfaithpeaceproject.org.

If you have anything that you would like to share, please contact:

Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P.
[email protected]
925-787-9279

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THE INTERFAITH PEACE PROJECT
A Legacy of Peace-Making for Twenty-Five Years
September 8, 2001 – September 8, 2026
COMPASSIONATE CARE

The First Interpath Principle:

We humbly commit ourselves to be people of 
compassionate love and care.

The issues of the day are complex and often very divisive. People on all sides of the divide can find themselves not only at odds with one another, but angry, hostile, and even mean. Misinformation and deep-felt biases can blind people to the truth or the necessary perspectives to seek and see the facts necessary to see the truth of any given issue. There is a strong temptation to think the truth must only be beneficial to one’s own personal opinion.

The First Interpath Principle of the Interfaith Peace Project invites us to walk humbly with one another. Our desire for compassionate care realizes itself by being present to everyone we meet regardless of their beliefs or persuasions. We strive to see all other people as precious, noble, and worthy of great and profound respect. Everyone we meet is a gift to discover and cherish. 

The indigenous traditions invite us to never judge another person without “walking a mile in their moccasins.”

The attitudes, opinions, and convictions of each and every person is based on their experience of life. It is that story we seek to hear, savor, and be the wiser.

Compassion is never condescending or judgmental. As we listen deeply to the life stories of one another, we grow in the wisdom of what it means to be a human person with all the vulnerabilities, hopes, and desires we might have.

Every person is a story to behold. As we share our life stories, we better understand one another. A wonderful minister of interfaith love and respect helped formulate the First Interfaith Principle when she said, “Tell me more!” This was her constant response whenever she heard something that touched her or profoundly disturbed her. This approach invites a person to probe their soul, consider their passions, and perhaps find their soul.   

As we strive to walk with one another with minds and hearts wide open, we grow in compassion, love, and respect for all people. We never agree to disagree but to meet again. We engage one another not to change minds but that hearts may touch and no one will need to be alone.

Blessings to you Beloved Community for teaching us to walk on the highways of compassion and self-giving respect. May you be blessed with the blessings you so generously bestow on everyone you encounter.