United Nations

The U.N. Interfaith Harmony Week 2026: “Stirring of Life Beneath Winter’s Frost”

Contributed by Chiaki Yasue, the Shinnyo-en USA, New York Temple On February 1st, 2026, despite bitter cold and heavy snow, we gathered—some in person and others by Zoom—for the 22nd Annual World Interfaith Harmony Prayer Service for Peace and Justice. In that modest circle of faith leaders, I was struck by how small we are …

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Finding Interfaith Harmony through “Mercy”

Contributed by Qalvy Grainzvolt, the Shinnyo-en USA, New York Temple The 21st Interreligious Prayer Service, hosted by Dr. Chuck Chesnavage in observance of U.N. Interfaith Harmony Week, was held at Mercy University in New York City (Bronx) on February 3rd, 2025. In fact, the venue for this year’s service was the location where Dr. Chesnavage …

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Centering World Interfaith Harmony at The Center

Contributed by Qalvy Grainzvolt, the Shinnyo-en USA New York Temple The Center at Mariandale, a Catholic sacred space, in Ossining, New York, became the center of this year’s United Nations (U.N.) World Interfaith Harmony Interreligious Prayer Service gathering for the region of Westchester County on February 4th. For the Shinnyo-en community, I felt deep gratitude …

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The U.N. Interfaith Harmony Week in New York City: Unification, at last…

Contributed by Qalvy Grainzvolt, the Shinnyo-en USA New York Temple On February 5th, 2023, I represented Shinnyo-en USA Buddhist Order once again at the U.N. Interfaith Harmony week. This time it was for the 19th Annual Interreligious Prayer Service for Peace and Justice held at a venue that has been a long awaited host site …

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The U.N. Interfaith Harmony Week 2022: “Striking the Anvil”

By Qalvy Grainzvolt The sound of an anvil strike is not normally heard during any interfaith services that I have ever attended thus far in my 20 years of service as a Shinnyo-en Buddhist priest in the United States. However, on February 6, 2022, I heard its sound loud and clear. It was inspiring. On …

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Addressing the Climate Crisis through the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Contributed by Sydney Cheung, Shinnyo Fellow, Chapman University In May 2020, I graduated from Chapman University with a major in Environmental Science and Policy, and was awarded the Shinnyo Fellowship. Although I was unsure what career I wanted to pursue then, I knew that the mission of Shinnyo-en Foundation aligned well with my values. I …

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The United Nations’ Interfaith Harmony Week 2021: The 17th Annual Inter-Religious Prayer Service in Westchester County, New York

By Qalvy Grainzvolt This year’s observance of the U.N. Interfaith Harmony Week on February 7, 2021 was the first-time in 17 years that we, the Westchester County, NY cohort, gathered in a virtual space. Normally, every year, a different sacred space or house of worship is selected to host this interreligious prayer service in-person. In …

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The U.N. International Day of Peace 2020 – a “Zoomed-in” view of peace

By Qalvy Grainzvolt With the backdrop of a world pandemic, the International Day of Peace and Day of Disarmament observances held at the U.N. chapel on September 21 took the form of pixels and digital presence this year. Due to the need for social distancing, my annual representation of Shinnyo-en at this event, which is …

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The U.N. observances of the World Interfaith Harmony week

Contributed by Qalvy Grainzvolt For the last several years, I have had the privilege of representing Shinnyo-en at two distinct observances of the United Nations’ World Interfaith Harmony week, held annually in February. These two iterations of the intention behind interfaith harmony week have traditionally taken form as an inter-religious prayer service and a dialogue. …

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Celebrating the U.N. International Day of Peace 2018 at Tillman Chapel

Contributed by Qalvy Grainzvolt The 21st of September is a bustling time at the United Nations. There are various observances and ceremonies that commemorate the International Day of Peace (IDP) which was established in 1981 as a day of non-violence and cease-fire by the U.N. General Assembly. From that grand scale of vision and hope …

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