Impressions of Local Religious Centers

The first place we visited on our field trip was the Al Huda Islamic Center. As you can see in the picture we all removed our shoes before entering to show respect. The Mosque was very simple, a basic and open room void of furnishings so that the congregants could gather and pray, which involves kneeling on the floor. There was a small semi-ornate platform that the Imam stands and sits on when leading prayer services. The Mosque's Imam, Hisham Ahmed, greeted us at the door and showed us around the building, he was very nice and helpful. Hisham Ahmed seemed to be very laid back and not put out by our visit, rather he seemed glad to answer our questions and share his faith. I got to ask quite a few questions, but I thought the most interesting answers were when the Imam told us that gender and race had nothing to do with how close you were to God, that he hoped any number of the women in the Mosque would be closer to God than himself. The second thing the Imam talked of that I found interesting was that there was a specific point on the compass that Muslims use to figure out which direction faces Mecca, so they can do the five ritual prayers no matter where they are. Overall I thought The Mosque was a a very peaceful and welcoming place and I found it very interesting.


The second place of worship we visited was The Congregation of the Children of Israel. The Synagogue was very beautiful and, in contrast to The Mosque, was very ornate and was pretty heavily decorated. Rabbi Gerson was kind enough to show us around, tell us about Judaism and their traditions, and also let us have a look at one of The Synagogue's Torah scrolls. Rabbi Gerson was very nice and I enjoyed listening to him speak. He answered my question about yarmulkes being for men only, and some other questions too. I thought it was interesting that the congregation was so big, all the things he told us about the many holidays they celebrate, and the symbolism of having the small hut outside to celebrate Yom Kippur and as a way of remembering the 40 years that Moses and the Jews spent in the desert Sinai. My impression of The Synagogue was that it was a place of worship, fellowship, and peace, but also a place celebration and family. The Synagogue seemed very vibrant and full of life to me, I enjoyed our visit very much.

Our final visit was to St. Joseph's Catholic Church. We were greeted by the Pastor, Father David McGuinness, and Benedict who were both very informative and welcoming. The building was not as ornate as The Synagogue but was more decorative than The Mosque. There were lovely stained glass windows depicting scenes from The Bible and statues of The Virgin Mary and other saints, along with many crucifixes that were placed throughout the church. Benedict gave us a tour of the sanctuary and talked at length about Catholicism and their traditions and masses. I thought it was interesting that they out the leftover communion crackers, or, after Transubstantiation, the remnants of Christ's broken body, into a special container called a Tabernacle. There wasn't a chance to ask any of the questions I had prepared for the field trip but Benedict gave us plenty of information and things to think about. The church was very large and I absolutely loved the extremely high ceilings, although I thought the pews at The Synagogue were more comfortable. I like Catholic churches because they always seem like such sacred, holy, places and I feel like I'm in the presence of God when I'm there.