Interfaith Gathering Prays to Heal the Earth

From The Republican The sun shone beautifully Tuesday evening on the interfaith service, “Oil in the Gulf: A Service for Healing Our Earth.” The service was organized by Rabbi Mark Shapiro of Sinai Temple in Springfield along with members of the Interfaith Council of Western Massachusetts, which included the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, the Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield, the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, the Council of Churches of Greater Springfield, Al Baqi Mosque and New England Peace Pagoda of Leverett. Judy Ruland of Holy Cross Church on Plumtree Road said she came to the service which was conducted on the lawn in front of Trinity United Methodist Church on Sumner Avenue because she cares about “stewardship of the earth.” “I thought this was a positive thing to do,” she said. Juscrea Giammarino came to the service with her 4-month-old son, Kinabe Dana, and her mother, Barbara Giammarino. “The oil in the Gulf of Mexico is devastating,” she said. Barbara Giammarino said she and her family are American Indian and members of the Penobscot nation. “Our tradition says we need to care for the Earth for the seventh generation,” she said. Click here to read the entire article.