wfn.org | Third US Sikh-Catholic Dialogue Retreat

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[http://www.worldsikhcouncil.org/] World Sikh Council - America Region
(WSC-AR)

>P.O. Box 3635, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA

>Phone: 972.985.9591

>Fax: 925.299.9018

E-mail: [mailto:sewadhar@hotmail.com] sewadhar@hotmail.com

Web: [http://www.worldsikhcouncil.org] www.worldsikhcouncil.org

>[http://www.worldsikhcouncil.org/]

>Third US Sikh-Catholic Dialogue Retreat

Representatives of the [http://www.worldsikhcouncil.org/] World Sikh
Council ? America Region (WSC-AR) and the [http://www.usccb.org/] US
Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) met May 29-31, 2009 at St.
Therese?s Retreat Center in Columbus, Ohio for a three-day Sikh-Catholi c
bilateral national interreligious retreat.

The objective of the retreat was for the Sikh and Catholic communities to
further deepen dialogue and trust among the two communities. The theme wa s
?The Nature of God: Convergences, Divergences, and Our Spiritual
Paths.?

The Sikh and Catholic delegations were comprised of about 8
representatives from each community with about one third of the
participants being young adults (age 35 and younger).

Sikh and Catholic participants gather at St. Therese?s Retreat Center i n
Columbus, Ohio for a Sikh-Catholic National Retreat

The Catholic delegation was headed by Rev. Canon Francis Tiso, Associate
Director of USCCB?s Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious
Affairs. The Sikh delegation was led by Dr. Tarunjit Singh, Chair of the
Interfaith Committee of WSC-AR.

The retreat began on Friday, May 29, with a presentation on the Catholic
belief in God by Rev. Francis Tiso and Father Philip Simo. The next day,
Mr. Kuldeep Singh, founding former Chairperson of WSC-AR, shared an
overview of the concept of God in the Sikh faith. This was followed by
presentation by young adults Mr. Neil Sloan (Catholic) and Mr. Savraj Sin gh
(Sikh) on how each faith honors God in everyday life. Sikhs and Catholics
prayed together from their faiths during the retreat. The
[http://www.iaco.org/] Interfaith Association of Central Ohio hosted a
mutifaith dinner on Saturday evening in honor of the Sikh-Catholic
bilateral dialogue. On Sunday morning, the Sikh and Catholic young adults
led in a shared worship service.

Sikh young adults sing during a Sikh worship service at the retreat (Left
to right: Simran Singh, Savraj Singh, Suneet Kaur)

?Sikhs believe that God cannot be divided into more than one,? he
said. ?But as Catholics do, we too believe God is everywhere, in
everything, without beginning or end, is merciful and forgiving, so we ha ve
all this in common? said Mr. Kuldeep Singh.

?We found that both of our faith traditions have a similar sort of
caution talking about God ? the idea that words can?t fully express h is
nature, that ?God is greater than ? .? This is one thing the
discussion brought out in a number of insightful moments. ?We are both
monotheistic religions, sharing that in common with the Muslim and Jewish
traditions, Sikhs and Catholics both believe in the transcendence and the
eternal nature of God,? said Rev. Francis Tiso.

?We have formed bonds of friendship and of respect for each other and
for the words and traditions that have great meaning to both of our faith s,
and this is at the beating heart of this dialogue,? said Dr. Tarunjit
Singh.

An article on the US Sikh-Catholic dialogue retreat published by the
Catholic Times can be accessed by
[http://www.colsdioc.org/Offices/TheCatholicTimes/sikhs/tabid/1475/Defaul t.aspx]
clicking here.

Catholic evening prayer and mass at the retreat

The Sikh-Catholic interreligious dialogue began in May 2006 with a meetin g
hosted by [http://www.rfpusa.org/] Religions for Peace ? USA at the
Church Center for the UN in New York city. This was followed by a retreat
in October 2006 in Huntington, NY on the theme ?Divinity, Humanity, and
Creation.? The second retreat was held in September 2007 on the theme o f
?Honoring Holiness In and Out of Our Faiths.?  In April of 2008, WSC- AR
representatives declined to attend an interreligious meeting with Pope
Benedict XVI in Washington, DC because the US Secret Service refused to
accommodate the Sikh religious requirement of wearing the Kirpaan.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is an assembly of the
Catholic Church hierarchy of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Island s
who jointly exercise certain pastoral functions on behalf of the Christia n
faithful of the United States. The purpose of the Conference is to promot e
the greater good which the Church offers humankind, especially through
forms and programs of the apostolate fittingly adapted to the circumstanc es
of time and place. This purpose is drawn from the universal law of the
Church and applies to the episcopal conferences which are established all
over the world for the same purpose.

The World Sikh Council ? America Region (WSC-AR) is a representative an d
elected body of Sikh Gurdwaras and institutions in the United States. Its
members include 45 Gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship) and other Sikh
institutions across the nation. WSC-AR works to promote Sikh interests at
the national and international level focusing on issues of advocacy,
education, and well-being of humankind.

Sikh and Catholic attendees at a multi-faith dinner hosted by Interfaith
Association of Central Ohio

(Above photos in jpeg format, suitable for publication, can be obtained b y
e-mailing [mailto:sewadhar@hotmail.com] sewadhar@hotmail.com)

This message was sent by: World Sikh Council - America Region, POB 3635,  Columbus, OH 43210

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