Plainview — A dozen clergy gathered 100 people from their congregations recently for an interfaith dinner at the Mormon Church here, but the clergy barely said a word to them.
“There will be no speeches,” said Msgr. Domenick Graziadio, pastor of St. Pius X Church here, who chairs the Plainview-Old Bethpage Interfaith Clergy Council. “We are here to listen.”
So Catholics, other Christians, Jewish, and Mormon clergy listened to the members of their various faith communities over a buffet dinner of linguini and meatballs at the interfaith council’s first dinner Sept. 21 at the Plainview Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints here.
“We’re really happy with the turnout,” Msgr. Graziadio noted. Participants hoped the event would lead to opportunities to learn about the teaching and practices of different faith traditions and joint service projects.
“Our goal is for our congregations to get to know each other,” said Rabbi Josh Lobel, assistant rabbi of Temple Chaverim here. “We’ll do this step by step, congregation by congregation, dinner by dinner, meatball by meatball,” the rabbi said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
The clergy members have worked together for the past three years, said Mormon Bishop William Whitney, and wanted to extend the neighborly relationship to their congregations.
“We started with two Thanks-giving services,” which drew people from the various congregations, commented Rabbi Morris Bernstein of the Manetto Hill Jewish Center. In addition to coming together in prayer, “people who just met started to get to know each other.”
At the dinner that night, participants sat at individual tables intentionally set up to include a mixture of people with different faith backgrounds.
“Talking to people over dinner like this reduces the fear of the unknown,” said Episcopal Father Peter Lai of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church.
“It puts a face on our different religious identities,” Rabbi Lobel said. “We don’t know enough about each other’s faith .”
“The people wanted more,” Bishop Whitney said. The reports coming from the tables about where participants wanted to go next included classes where children could learn about the different faith groups’ beliefs, another dinner, “and service projects where we could come together and help.”
“I thought it was great,” said Derek Higgins, a physician from the Mormon Church here. “We had a chance to learn about people’s beliefs and other people’s approach to life. You don’t get many opportunities to do that.”
“I’m normally not that good about talking with people I don’t know, but it was so easy with this group,” said his wife, Amy.
“This is one way to build better understanding among the people in the different Churches and faith communities,” said Stephen Hammel of Plainview Reformed Church. “It’s good for the house of worship, and it’s good for the community.”