KOTA BHARU (Herald Malaysia): Friday, January 13 will be remembered for the first Interreligious Gathering and Prayer for Peace in Kota Bharu. Over a hundred participants from various religious communities gathered to pray for peace at the new Fatima Hall, Church of Our Lady of Fatima of the Holy Rosary. Organized by the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Fatima, and sponsored by MCCBCHST(Kelantan Branch), the event was the first of its kind to bring together representatives from the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Christian faith together for a common objective.

After the welcoming address by Fr Robert Daniel, parish priest of Fatima Church, the event kicked off with a minute of silent prayer. A procession of 15 children placed various symbols of peace on a long table in the front. The table was covered with white cloth and adorned with the national flag. Ten ‘peace lamps’ were laid on it. In a cage were four doves to be released at the conclusion of the ceremony.

The Fatima Youth Choir then rendered the opening song Make me a channel of your peace (Prayer of St Francis) — calling us all to be instruments of peace in the world. Representatives from each religious community were then invited to lead the gathering in their prayer for peace, praying in their own languages. As participants exchanged the sign of peace with one another, the choir sang the concluding song Heal the World (Michael Jackson).

As a sign of freedom and peace, representatives of each religion were then invited to come forward and release a dove each. Finally the participants were treated to a sumptuous high tea. It was a memorable first-time experience for most of the participants present. --By Joseph Wang