The Center for Interfaith Relations will present the 20th Annual Festival of Faiths from Tuesday, May 12, through Sunday, May 17. This year’s program, Sacred Journeys and the Legacy of Thomas Merton, will be a five-day celebration of music, spoken word poetry, film, theatre, photography and dialogue with internationally renowned spiritual leaders, practitioners and teachers.
The Festival is a celebration inspired by the life and legacy of Thomas Merton (1915-1968) – poet, hermit, author, activist, artist and interfaith pioneer – whose life continues to inspire millions.
It is also an opportunity to engage with global thought leaders and spiritual travelers from the great faith traditions of the world on a journey devoted to spiritual practice and human transformation.
Each day will begin with guided spiritual practice led by practitioners of diverse faith traditions.
The mornings will be filled with seven-minute sacred stories and 25-minute sacred journeys presentations based on this quote from Thomas Merton: “If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I am living for, in detail ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.”
Its themes include Merton and His Legacy, East and West, Abrahamic Faiths and Engaging the World with Compassion.
Afternoon programs will explore how we bring our ‘True Self’ into the world, and speakers will share diverse spiritual perspectives on The True Self, Contemplation and Action, Secular and Sacred and Discovering the Self in Sacred Journey with the Other.
Evening programs will offer opportunities to experience the sacred through music and poetry. They include Sacred Journeys through Music, curated by Teddy Abrams, music director for the Louisville Orchestra; Merton and Songs of a Century with Dick Sisto and Ensemble; Sacred Journeys through Spoken Word, poetry from diverse voices, including Roots & Wings, a unique local theatre project featuring emerging artists.
With the exception of the Interfaith Prayer Service on Tuesday, May 12, at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Assumption, each Festival of Faiths event requires a ticket, available through Actors Theatre of Louisville’s box office. Tickets for individual programs are $25. Passes for the entire Festival are $247.50. In addition, fees will apply to ticket sales. Individual session, day, and week passes are available.
To order Festival of Faiths tickets, call 502-584-1205 or 800-428-5849 or log onto www.FestivalofFaiths.org. Discounts are available for students, educators, and clergy.
