Interfaith Baccalaureate Service at UNR to bring the world religions together

The Second annual Interfaith Baccalaureate Service of University of Nevada, Reno will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday to celebrate academic achievement.

To mirror the world citizenship of the UNR community, the service will include hymns, readings from scriptures, blessings, teachings, music, prayers, etc., from various religious traditions, according to Rajan Zed, director of interfaith relations of Hindu Temple of Northern Nevada and one of the coordinators for this service. Roman Catholic, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist and Bahai traditions will all be represented.

In the atmosphere of growing faith pluralism, the interfaith baccalaureate provides students and others involved with an environment for divine contemplation that meets the requirements of the society.

All 2007 graduates, faculty, staff, and family and friends of the 2007 class are invited to attend. Imam Abdul Barghouthi will be the keynote speaker and Most Reverend Randolph R. Calvo, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Reno, will bless the students.

The service is sponsored by Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Community and Newman Center, Campus Christian Association, and Hindu Temple of Northern Nevada. It will be held in Alumni Room of Jot Travis Student Union. Special interfaith certificates will be presented to the graduates.

The first documented baccalaureate service at UNR was said to be in 1917, with six others organized randomly over the last century. The last chronicled service was in 1960. Last May, the first interfaith baccalaureate service was held.