The Weekly Shot: Interfaith Candle Lighting Ceremony

19 December 2016
group photo in a circle

One year ago, URI hosted an interfaith celebration at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California, USA, bringing together groups from different religious traditions and cultural performers from around the San Francisco Bay Area. This live event served as the heart of a televised special program that was broadcast on CBS Network stations across America on the night of Christmas Eve 2015. According to Nielsen ratings, the special aired on four million TVs, and thousands more viewers joined internationally through online viewing.

Participants in the interfaith celebration at St. Gregory’s were treated to an evening of prayer, song and dance as representatives of many faith traditions all offered blessings and respect for their Christian friends on the occasion of Christmas Eve. The celebration uplifted and honored not only what made the contributions from each religion unique, but also celebrated the shared values from every tradition: love, hope, friendship, generosity, and light. For a full listing of the performances and prayers shared at the celebration, click here.

See the full CBS URI Interfaith Christmas Special online here.