Monthly Spotlight
PUBLIC TOWN HALL ON MIDDLE EAST PEACE: "The latest love fest between Washington and Jerusalem: Does it have anything to do with settlements?"
Friday, August 13, 6:30pm - 8pm, in the Cathedral
Join us for a special Friday evening "town hall" with The Rev. Canon John L. Peterson and Bishop Samir Kafity, retired Bishop of Jerusalem. Canon Peterson is the Canon for Global Justice and Reconciliation at Washington, D.C.'s National Cathedral, and former Dean of St. George's College in Jerusalem. He has extensive knowledge of the area, issues, and personalities involved, and will be updating us on the latest developments 
in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This is a unique opportunity to learn about what is going on that goes beyond anything you could hear in the mainstream media.
A question and answer period and reception will follow.
The Rev. Canon John L. Peterson is the Cathedral’s first Canon for Global Justice and Reconciliation. In this new position Canon Peterson has been charged with organizing a program of education, alliance building, resource gathering and communication to address the acute global issues of violence, poverty and disease.
Most recently Canon Peterson served as the Secretary General of the Worldwide Anglican Communion headquartered in London. The Anglican Communion Office is organized to provide support and counsel to the Anglican Consultative Council, the Primates Meeting, the Lambeth Conference and the role and person of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Before his appointment as Secretary General, Canon Peterson was the Dean of St. George’s College, Jerusalem, for 12 years. He is also the Anglican Canon at St. George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem and is an Honorary Canon in the Cathedral Church of Christ, Canterbury, St. Michael’s Cathedral, Kaduna Nigeria, All Saints, Mpwapwa, Tanzania, as well as St. Dunstan’s Cathedral, Benoni, South Africa. He is also an Honorary Canon of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Among his numerous academic achievements and honors are degrees from Concordia College, Harvard University, the Chicago Institute for Advanced Theological Studies, Virginia Theological Seminary, the University of the South and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. He has also studied at the American University and the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon.
Canon Peterson serves as Chair of the Spafford Children’s Center in Jerusalem and is a member of the Advisory Council of the Anglican observor at the United Nations. He is a member of the American Friends of the Anglican Center in Rome, and is a member of the American Friends of the Diocese of Jerusalem.
In his role as Cathedral Canon for Global Justice and Reconciliation Canon Peterson works closely with the Diocese of Washington, the Cathedral College and the Cathedral’s Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage as resource centers for education and gathering places for scholars, theologians, world religious leaders, politicians and diplomats who must begin the discussions and actions critical to issues of global justice and reconciliation.
(Bigraphy from http://www.nationalcathedral.org/staff/peterson.shtml)
Bishop Samir H. Kafity was born in Haifa in 1933 and was educated at St. John’s School, Haifa, and at the Friends Boys School, Rammallah. He was accepted by the Council of the EEC as a candidate for ordination in 1952 and he graduated from the Near East School of Theology and the American University of Beirut in 1957. He was ordained deacon in 1957 and priest in 1958 and served first at St. Andrew’s Church Rammallah, then in Beirut at All Saints Church. From 1976-1982 he was Executive Secretary of the Diocesan Council. In 1982 he was elected as coadjutor-Bishop and was consecrated on the 15th of July 1982. He was installed as Bishop in Jerusalem on the 6th of January 1984. Bishop Samir’s gifts, were mainly in public relations, and in pastoral and administrative innovations. He was able during the fifteen years in office to renovate several church buildings, and build new ones. He opened St Margaret’s Hostel in Nazareth and dedicated it as a hostel for pilgrims and the conference center. He also renovated and modernized St. George’s Hostel; but he took special interest in completing a third floor for St. George’s College in 1985. He was able to create much interest for the Jerusalem Diocese and St. George’s College in many countries, especially in the USA, Austria, New Zealand and Britain. He succeeded in renovating and building an extra wing at St. Lukes’ Hospital or the Arab Evangelical Hospital in Nablus and that of the Ahli Hospital in Gaza, both hospitals serving a large Palestinian refugee population. As far as ordination candidates are concerned he believed in taking risks in their choice. He is known for ordaining many more candidates, than any other bishop before him. However, few of those ordination candidates left and now have secular jobs. He linked the diocese in a partnership association with several dioceses specially in the USA, and also with other churches, like the church of Scotland, the Lutheran Church of Finland, the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches in the USA. The Churches of South West Germany are also in partnership with the diocese having a relation and interest in the Schneller Trade School in Amman, Jordan. Samir gained the notice of the Crown Prince of Jordan, Prince Hasan in relation to Christian- Muslim dialogue and attended conferences in Amman, Sudan, and Spain on this important subject. Chairman Arafat made him one of his consultants in August 1988.
(Biography from http://bishopkafity.net/)
Reflections on a visit to the Peace Memorials at Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Presented by Richard and Carolyn Lief
A 5-Part Forum Series, 9am Sundays, July 25 through August 22, Guild Room
This forum--the first of a five-part series--is presented with the Cathedral's art exhibit titled IMAGES OF PEACE ON EARTH remembering next month's 65th anniversary of the bombing of these cities. Richard and Carolyn Lief will share with us their experience of the peace memorials at each site. Their reflections on their experience will include poems by David Krieger of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation along with photographs of the memorials. A panel of 40 photographs by Nihon Hidankyo entitled The A-Bomb and Humanity will also be on display. Open discussion follows the forum.
Carolyn Lief is diocesan coordinator for Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), and Richard serves as Cathedral Canon for the Arts.
- July 25 - Reflections on a visit to the Peace Memorials at Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Presented by Richard and Carolyn Lief
- August 1 - Cathedral Peace Exhibition Artists' Vision of Peace - Presented by artists whose work is displayed in the Cathedral.
- August 8 - SADAKO - Readers Theatre presentation of the experience of a young Japanese girl: The aftermath years of the bombing, by a Hibakusha (survivor).
- August 15 - What good can the Non-Violent Peace Force do? Hope in a war-torn world. - Presentation by members of NVPF describing methods they use to resolve conflict.
- August 22 - Our Moral Legacy: How do we live out peace in our own lives? - Presented by Canon Lief and community peace leaders.
