Members of the three Abrahamic faiths in Verona, New Jersey, will come together on Sunday, November 29, to pray and recount the blessings in their lives.
The New Jersey interfaith Thanksgiving is a long tradition in Verona. This year, however, the gathering would not take place at a worshipping house due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Because of Covid restrictions, the service will be held outdoors on the steps of Verona Town Hall. In the event the service needs to be held indoors, it will be relocated indoors or to Zoom,” a statement on Holy Spirit Verona read.
📚 Read Also: Surah Quraish: What True Thanksgiving Entails
This year’s event will see participants from the Islamic Center of Verona, First Presbyterian Church of Verona, the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, Our Lady of the Lake and B’nai Shalom of West Orange.
The service will include reflections from Jewish, Islamic & Christian traditions, as well as accapella music related to Thanksgiving.
The Thanksgiving interfaith service is an annual tradition that started shortly after 9/11.
Last year’s event included participants from Lutheran, Presbyterian, Korean, Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches as well as Muslims and Jews.
Thanksgiving is a celebration observed on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. The celebration is about giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.
Though it started as a Christian tradition, the current form of celebration is a cultural holiday observed by different people.