Devi Mandir in Pickering took the spotlight last Sunday when the Multifaith Community of Durham Region chose that venue to host the World Religion Day celebrations in the Durham Region. The well attended Multi Faith event brought together over 10 different religious faiths under one roof as they prayed together in strong fellowship observing World Religion Day under the theme Global Harmony.
The cross cultural program featured prayers, songs, music and stories of the different religious faiths and over 250 people from all walks of life and cultures, both young and old, braved the inclement weather to join the celebrations.

Among the VIP’s who attended the function were David Ryan, Mayor of Pickering, Mike Ewles, Chief of Police of Durham Region and Steve Ross, Inspector in charge of Division 19.
The opening ceremony included a welcome address by Cecil Ramnauth of Devi Mandir, chanting of mantras from the Rig and Yajur Ved and slokas from the Bhagwad Gita by Pandit Damodar Sharma and singing of the National Anthem of Canada by members of the Devi Mandir kirtan group. Representatives of all the faiths that were present at the function contributed to the program by reading, singing or quoting from their scriptures. It is hoped that bringing so many cultures together in prayer would lead to a more tolerant society which eventually will lead to improved quality of life in multicultural Canada.

The goal of the Multifaith Community of Durham Region is to bring all faiths together not only to raise awareness of the world's religions and to find the similarity between them, but also to work together to increase cross-cultural understanding, strengthen commitments to mutual respect for each other and contribute to the maintenance of harmony and order in Durham.
Donald Igbokwe is the chairperson of the Durham Region Multifaith WRD Committee while Acklema Gocool is the secretary.

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