In 1993, Father William Waters decided that there was a need for religious unity in Baltimore.
He wanted to unite people of all faiths under one roof, even if just for a night.
So he created the Baltimore New Year’s Eve Interfaith Prayer Service. Now, this Dec. 31, the 33rd iteration of the service is set to occur. Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and others will meet at St. Ignatius Church in Mount Vernon for a night of togetherness.
Cantor Thom King of Beth El Congregation is slated to be one of the Jewish representatives at the service, although a few days before the event he came down with an illness that may prevent him from singing. This would be his third appearance at the event, and he said it is uplifting in a way that a typical religious service isn’t.
“It’s quite an experience, really. It’s spiritual because there is not one faith that is being singled out. Everybody does a little bit of their thing. It’s really powerful, because you see the differences between the religions but you also see the similarities of them and how God is approached and how God is treated, and how we worship,” he said.
The Interfaith Prayer Service features representatives of numerous faiths, each contributing a few pieces from their own religions, as well as participating in general prayers and good wishes that are nondenominational. The service has been known to fill the pews of the church, drawing crowds of over 100 people.
It’s a great chance for everyday Baltimoreans to grow in faith together, but it’s also a unique chance for the clergy to learn from each other. King said that he enjoys meeting and sharing the stage with officials of other religions.
“We don’t really discuss what’s behind the faith. It’s more like, ‘how do you do it?’ and ‘what do you do?’ or ‘what do you do to bring people into your religion or mosque or church or whatever,’” he said. “And it’s very collegial. It’s not like us-versus-them. It’s like, ‘you have your thing, and I have mine.’ I sat next to an imam last year, and he was very kind. We got along very well.”
At this year’s edition, if he can go, King is slated to sing and blow the shofar, a tradition started by another cantor who attended the service for many years but has since moved away. That cantor also wrote an English call-and-response prayer that interpolates blasts of the shofar, which has become a staple of the event.
While the service may not exactly serve the same purpose as attending shul, King said that it is important for Jewish folks to go for other reasons. He thinks that today, a Jewish presence at events like this shows strength.
“Jews now are a little reluctant to be in a place where there are other people who might not want them there. We aren’t even safe in our own synagogues now, so to go into a Catholic church with all other kinds of faiths can be intimidating,” he said. “You feel a bit out of place, like a fish out of water, just like one of [the other faiths] would feel in a Jewish service. But it turns out very well.”
King usually sings “Sim Shalom,” which is a blessing that asks for peace and kindness, which is apt for the service.
“Everybody comes together and tries to recognize that every faith has its own elements and its own distinctions, but it all comes down to trying to connect something to yourself. It was fascinating to me, really, and it continues to be so,” he said.
While the Interfaith Prayer Service has been a welcomed part of the community for the last three decades, it might be more important now than ever.
“There’s so much going on right now with this idea that Jews have a target on them,” King said. “I know that we feel it. But we’ve sort of come to trust our neighbors to protect us, but at times it feels like maybe that’s not even true anymore. So I think that continuing to participate in an interfaith service is a good move.
“I think it’s something that needs to be done. If you stop doing it, that’s a sign that maybe this togetherness that we’re feeling right now won’t recur again. It’s been a scary time for the Jews, but we can get in there and say, ‘look, we’re all one as separate faith-based communities, but we’re one in the belief of God.’”
