Interfaith Council brings people of varying religious, political backgrounds together on eve of Election Day

Attendees hold candles during a pre-election prayer gathering organized by the Interfaith Council of Franklin County at the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew in Greenfield on Monday. STAFF PHOTO/ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN, Staff Writer

GREENFIELD — On the eve of Election Day, the Interfaith Council of Franklin County welcomed people of all faiths and political backgrounds to the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew for an evening of prayers, songs and conversations about the nation’s future.
More than 25 people gathered in the church’s Whiteman Room. Leaders from multiple faiths, including the Rev. Heather Blais of the Episcopal Church, David Arfa of Temple Israel and Sister Clare Carter from the New England Peace Pagoda, provided guided prayers for attendees to participate in.
In one ritual, participants lit candles. Each person, gathered in a circle, said, “I light this flame for ...” before finishing the sentence with a single word or phrase. Hope, compassion, peace, decency, tolerance and neighborliness were just a few of the words people chose. Additionally, musician Annie Hassett performed a Pete Seeger song and Interfaith Council of Franklin County Vice President Leslie Fraser, a multi-faith chaplain, used a singing bowl.

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