Faith blossoms on Katrina's anniversary

As yet another storm — this time Gustav – threatens New Orleans, the Louisiana city is commemorating the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina today.

An interfaith service is set there for tonight and representatives of New Orleans’ major faith communities, plus some from the smaller faith groups, will gather for prayer and music.

The interfaith tone of the service will be reflected in many ways, according to the Religion News Service.

The host site is a Jewish temple, Temple Sinai. The keynote speaker is Roman Catholic Archbishop Arnold Hughes. It will be open with Islam’s traditional call to worship, invoked by Rafeeq Nu’man, the imam of Masjidur-Rahim.

Deacon Ron Guidry of the Archdiocese of New Orleans Office of Worship told the RNS that while the third anniversary observance will incorporate a commemoration of what was lost during Katrina, the liturgy will also demonstrate that “we want to move toward renewal.”

The service sounds like it will be a time to focus on peace, even in the midst of negative circumstances that threaten to destroy it.

(Pictured above: AP PHOTO Reginald Lee cuts grass around white flags that represent people who died during Hurricane Katrina at Metairie Cemetary in New Orleans.) 

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor