On Tuesday 16th September, we gathered in person at the Windsor Hub to take part in the fourth annual online All-Island Interfaith Gathering for Peace. Although we were just a small group in the room, we felt deeply connected with the nearly 200 participants who joined us online from across the island of Ireland and beyond.
The words of Mary Robinson resonated with everyone. Speaking as an elder and global leader, she offered encouragement that felt both personal and urgent.
Mary reminded us of something often overlooked, Article 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It begins with the sentence: “Everyone has duties to the community in which alone they reach the free and full expression of their personality.” She invited us to take this to heart, to see that our deepest fulfilment does not come in isolation but in community. It is only by recognising our responsibilities to one another that we truly become who we are meant to be.
In this light, she affirmed the essential role of faith groups. Far from being marginal, faith communities are central to nurturing hope, building resilience, and sustaining people in difficult times. She shared her own involvement with Project Dandelion and the Women Climate Faith Network, emphasising that faith-inspired action is already shaping responses to the climate and nature crises. Looking ahead, she told us she will also be present at the international Laudato Sì conference in Rome, marking its 10th anniversary, a reminder of how the call to care for creation resonates far beyond any one tradition.
Mary drew too on the wisdom of her beloved friend, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, recalling how he described himself not as an optimist, but as a “prisoner of hope.” Hope, she underlined, is not naïve cheerfulness but action. Even when the glass is nearly empty, we are called to work with what is there, to collaborate, to build, and to keep going together.
Her words were both a challenge and a gift for all of us, in person at Windsor Hub and online across the island and beyond. They called us to see the power of community, to live our duties to one another and to let our faith and goodwill be sources of hope and action for the world.
From the start of the zoom, the spirit of kinship was palpable. The warmth of welcome and the diversity of contributions created a strong sense of belonging. As in previous years, the gathering brought together people of many faiths, spiritual paths, and humanist or secular backgrounds, united by a shared commitment to peace and to the care of our one human family and our mother earth.
As well as Mary Robinson’s contribution, we were especially heartened by the messages of support received from the President of Ireland and from the Taoiseach, both recognising the importance of interfaith solidarity in today’s world. Lynda Morrissey, who first initiated these gatherings in 2021, has shared a short video clip on Facebook that captures some of the atmosphere of this special occasion.
The programme unfolded in a moving sequence: representatives from many traditions offered prayers, readings, songs, or poems for peace, weaving together a rich tapestry of faith and spirit. Each voice added its own beauty, yet together they expressed something greater—a harmony that comes only when hearts are open and united. The evening left us renewed in our determination to continue nurturing peace, solidarity, and care for the earth across this island and far beyond.
Faith-based groups represented included: Amma Ireland, Bahá?í, Catholic, Centring Prayer Groups, Church of Ireland, Contemplative Outreach Ireland, Corrymeela Community, Dublin City Interfaith Forum, Dromalis, EcoSikh, Eco-Congregation, Éire Vedanta Society, Focolare, Humanitarian, Indian Orthodox, Indigenous, Interfaith Ministry, Irish Celtic Spirituality, Irish Muslim Council, Jewish, Knock Shrine, Methodist, Mid-West Interfaith Network, Muslim, Northern Ireland Interfaith Forum, Orthodox Christian, Quaker, Shaolin Buddhism, Sikh, Spiritual But Not Religious, Sufi, Thich Nhat Hanh Plum Village Buddhist Tradition, The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Zen Buddhism.