THE TORCH: News and Updates

Dear Readers,

Jumma Mubarak, Shabbat Shalom, Happy Sabbath, and Friday Blessings...the goal of getting this done by last Tuesday came and went faster than (insert your clever analogy here ______; your editor's cleverness level is at lower ebb than usual this Friday).

Members of the URC board, driven by the hope to build on intra-board relationships that will help provide strong bonds for talking about hard topics in 2024, have been meeting monthly in the early mornings for fellowship (and coffee, for at least this writer). They are wonderfully enjoyable events. This week's breakfast touched on how technology, broadly speaking, may challenge our observances and faith traditions, ranging from the Alabama Supreme Court ruling on frozen embryos to artificial intelligence. No great recommendations were derived, but we did ask a Chatbot to write a few poems--odes in observance of our meetings--and to try to answer, 'is there a God?' The poems were...OK...but the answer to the question was lengthy but indefinitive. We were likely not the first to test the developers with that one.

Facts matter though; as of the end of this week, the URC, through a great network of co-sponsor volunteers, has received and started the process of resettlement for 33 individuals from 14 family cases. Our arrivals have been from seven countries of origin after close scrutiny and screening that has taken several years. All school-aged kids have jumped aboard SB Community School buses while their parents feel that mix of joy and sadness that comes with seeing their kids growing up. There is so much more to their stories than this simple, human-written version, but know of our gratitude and continued thanks for the support of the communities of faith and individuals in the area. شكرًا Дякую ¡gracias! Thanks!

(shkran) (Dyakuyu)

URC Staff, Volunteers and Board

TWO YEARS INTO THE WAR IN UKRAINE: MASS SATURDAY

Today, Feb 22, marks the 2nd anniversary of the second recent invasion of Ukraine (Feb 10, 2014, was when the Crimea was invaded and illegally annexed).

The Nanovic Institute at Notre Dame and the Byzantine Catholic Community at Notre Dame will hold a Liturgy in observance at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on Saturday, Feb. 24 (tomorrow), 9:30 a.m. All are invited.

BYZANTINE CATHOLIC MASS FOR UKRAINE

Bahá’í Holy Days Approach

Members of Bahá’í congregations in the St. Joseph County area and around the world will begin their annual Holy Days starting Monday, Feb 26; the Bahai Center of South Bend invites all to attend the Ayyam-i-Ha this Sunday, February 25, 3 pm at the Baha’i Center, 1608 Mishawaka Ave, South Bend (click on link for more info).

With thanks to URC Board member Mana Derakshani and the Bahá’í US website, here are some dates to know:

February 26 – 29, 2024: Ayyám-i-Há (also known as the Intercalary Days), a period of celebration devoted to charity, gift-giving and festivities prior to the annual period of fasting.

March 1 – 19, 2024: The month of fasting, during which adult Bahá’í members abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset.

Other Religious Holidays on the Horizon

In addition to the annual Bahá’í Holy Days, please note the following (chronologically):

The Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan will begin (for most observers) on Sunday, March 10, and ends with Eid on April 9.

Holy Week for Christians will take place from March 24-30, with Easter on Sunday, March 31; many Orthodox traditions are also observing that same week.

Passover, or Pesach, will be celebrated on the Hebrew calendar from April 22 to 29.

The URC attempts to provide notice of religious holidays, and invites your suggestions and scrutiny; please reach out to urc@urcsjc.org if you have addtional information.

PARTNER EVENT

The Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion will host an event, co-sponsored by URC, called "Blacks, Jews and Palestinians: A Forged Alliance," on Thursday, Feb. 29, at Jenkins-Nanovic Hall and via Zoom. The rountable talks will take place at 5:00 PM ET, and feature Notre Dame Professors Atalia Omer and Dr. Darryl Heller of Indiana University South Bend.

The event is free, but registration required for participation online or in person.

REGISTRATION LINK

Support the United Religious Community!

With help provided by the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, the URC is piloting a new fundraising 'platform' by clicking below.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We are prepping acknowledgment letters for the 2023 year to all donors. These will go out soon via what we believe to be your preferred method (email, USPS, carrier pigeon, flyover, etc.). Thanks for patience and generosity!

Click Here to Donate!