Pacifica Institute Hosted Catholic Community of Los Angeles
Pacifica Institute was honored to have as guests, the Catholic Community of Los Angeles for a fast breaking dinner on Monday, September 1st 2009. The introduction speech was made by Father Alexei Smith-the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Officer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and then a brief information about the month of fasting and Ramadan was presented before dinner. The month of fasting continues for a month and according to solar calendar, each year the start of the month of fasting shifts back 11 days. People who are able to fast except the pregnant, children and the sick, do so from an hour and a half before sun rises until the sun goes down. Fasting not only involves abstaining from eating and drinking but also consists of behavioral, social and spirtiual dimension where everyone is encouraged to share their meal, increase self control and give oneself to more reading of the book of the universe. After dinner, a person from each dinner table made remarks about the iftar meal and emphasized the importance of dialog in Los Angeles. Finally Father Alexei added his closing remarks and wished Pacifica Institute the very best in its future endeavors. Pacifica Institute thanked the participants for making this iftar meal a very special and complete experience.
Click here to see all the pictures of this event…