The Muslim-Catholic Alliance will celebrate the fifth anniversary of Rochester’s Muslim-Catholic Agreement of Understanding and Mutual Cooperation at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, at the Turkish Society of Rochester, 677 Beahan Road, which is formerly the Beahan Road Party House.
Believed to be the first agreement of its kind in the world, it was signed May 5, 2003, in ceremonies at the Islamic Center of Rochester. The agreement between the diocese and the Council of Masajid (Mosques) of Rochester affirms rights of free speech, thought, conscience and religion; rejects religious and ethnic intolerance; promotes and encourages a deeper knowledge of and respect for the history, traditions and sensitivities of the two faiths; and promotes collaboration to serve the needy in the Rochester community.
Speakers on the topic of “Muslim Catholic Dialogue: Opportunities and Challenges” will include Imam Hassan Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Mich., and the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Auxiliary Bishop Francis Reiss. Members of the Midwest Regional Muslim-Catholic Dialogue also will speak. The event is sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Islamic Society of North America.
Tickets are $12 per person and include a traditional Turkish dinner. Register by April 5 and make payment to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. Send payment and names of those attending to Deacon John Brasley, 1150 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY 14624. Payment also may be made to the Islamic Center of Rochester and may be sent along with names to Dr. Muhammad Shafiq, 727 Westfall Road, PO Box 23266, Rochester, NY 14692.
For details, call Deacon Brasley at 585-328-3228, ext. 1318, or Dr. Shafiq at 585-442-0117.
