On Thursday, May 10, 2012, The Institute of Interfaith Dialogue (IID) hosted Shastri Linda Mockeridge, Buddhist leader , from the San Antonio Shambhala Meditation Center. We are thankful for the attendance and participation of all of our guests.After the lecture session, all guests joined together to enjoy dinner and have a dialog with each other.
The Reverend Coval Bryant MacDonald, an ordained Presbyterian minister and a longtime supporter of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog, passed away on March 26, 2012 at the age of 82. We are offering our heartfelt condolences to Ellen MacDonald, his wife, and her family. Coval served on the advisory Board of the Institute from 2003 to 2009. His thoughts and vision played an important role in shaping the Institute’s academic activities. With his great and loving spirit, he made every effort to bring people of different faiths together to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding and peace. He will be deeply missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.
The volunteers of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog visited the Art Club of Bremond High School on December 14, 2011. The students of Bremond High School participated the Annual Art of Friendship Contest with over 40 artworks. The Institute of Interfaith Dialog sponsored an Ice Cream Social for the participating students to express its appreciation for the wonderful artworks made by the students. The students enjoyed food and a lucky few brought home door prizes.
On Saturday, October 29th, award winner students of Art of Friendship Contest along with their teachers received their awards and certificates in an Award Ceremony at Raindrop Turkish House. This year, The Institute of Interfaith Dialog organized its 2nd Annual Art of Friendship Contest. The purpose of this contest is to contribute to the understanding and the promoting of friendship and dialogue among the diverse members of our society, from peers, to strangers, to adults, to figures of authority. It allows our young people the chance to deal with real community and world issues and work towards global peace and intercultural understanding.
The Institute Interfaith Dialog hosted Mr. Sait Yavuz for a Lunctime Lecture at Texas A&M University on September 26, 2011. Sait Yavuz is an Adjunct Professor at University of Houston and Director of Research at Gulen Institute at University of Houston. His talk is titled " A lesson learnt from post 9/11 era: The necessity for dialogue!". In his speech, Mr. Yavuz said "Sometimes dialogue proponents are accused to be romantic lovers" and asked if the global peace is an Utopia. Then, he answered the question: "Yes, it is. But, it should not stop us for working towards a peaceful community."
The Institute of Interfaith Dialog and Intercultural and Interfaith Dialog Student Association co-organized an evening with Dr. Akbar Ahmed at Dole Institute of Politics. He is considered “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam” by the BBC. Dr. Ahmed was interviewed by Bill Lacy, the director of Dole Institute of Politics.
