Festival of Faith Returns to Louisville

A five-day festival of music, poetry, film, art and dialogue with internationally renowned spiritual leaders, thinkers and practitioners returns to Louisville May 17 - 21.

The theme of the 2016 event is Sacred Wisdom: Pathways to Nonviolence and will explore how different spiritual traditions, teachers and practitioners address violence, heal our wounds and teach active commitment to nurturing peace in ourselves and in the world.

“The Sundance of the Sacred.” That’s what famed theologian Richard Rohr has called Louisville’s Festival of Faiths. When the Huffington Post published a list of America’s eight top spiritual sites for travel, the Festival of Faiths ranked No. 6. The faithful, the curious, the concerned and the skeptical come together each spring in Louisville to share with and take guidance from some of the world’s most compelling thought leaders and spiritual thinkers – and people of action.

The latest incarnation of the Festival, which is celebrating its 21^st anniversary this year, will focus on one of the most provocative, and necessary topics in our modern world. “Sacred Wisdom: Pathways to Nonviolence” comes as Europe, the Middle East and the Western Hemisphere are all torn by violence, racism, religious intolerance and indifference. We would like to invite you, or a representative from your news organization, to join us for what we believe will be a highly provocative and engaging discourse on the most contentious issues of the day, “conversations on meaning” in a time of multiple crises of meaning. Panels will focus on diverse themes including: Black Lives Matter, Islamophobia, Media and the Public Trust and the Environment.

Among the internationally renowned speakers and panelists at this year’s Festival are:

n Karen Armstrong, best-selling author of books on religion and founder of the Charter for Compassion

n Arun Gandhi, non-violence advocate and grandson of the Indian patriot Mohandas K. Gandhi

n bell hooks, acclaimed intellectual, feminist theorist, cultural critic, artist and writer

n Joan Brown Campbell, interfaith and civil rights leader and associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

n Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, one of America’s best-read authors on Judaism & regular commentator on NPR

n Vandana Shiva, recognized as an “Environmental Hero” by Time magazine in 2003 and expert on sustainable agriculture who has become one of the world’s most visible advocates for women

n Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, President of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

n Linda Sarsour, leading advocate for Muslim women and executive director of the Arab-American Association of New York

n Jim Wallis, Founder of Sojourners Christian community and New York Times bestselling author, public theologian and speaker

The Festival begins with an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at the Cathedral of the Assumption on Tuesday, May 17, at 5:30 p.m. This year’s keynote speaker will be lay minister Diane Brown of St. Stephen Church, whose topic will be “How Can We Stop the Violence?”

For more information on the Festival schedule and related events, please go to www.festivaloffaiths.org.

For the public, except for the opening interdenominational service, all events are ticketed. A limited number of week passes remain available, as well as tickets to individual programs. For reservations, please call the Actors Theatre of Louisville box office, (502) 584-1205.