County Supervisor Dave Cortese and the Silicon Valley Partner City Group have extended an invitation to local religious and community leaders to a reception at the County Government Center on Thursday, November 12th. This gathering is in preparation for the Parliament of the World's Religions that will convene in Melbourne, Australia, December 3-9th.
At that gathering, Santa Clara County and the city of San Jose will be welcomed as the Inaugural member of the Partner Cities Network of the Parliament of the World's Religions. That honor was recently bestowed on the region after the Silicon Valley Partner City Group spent over a year in preparing a study of interreligious organizations and cooperation in the Valley.
Silicon Valley will join the "legacy" Partner Cities of Chicago, Cape Town, Barcelona, and Melbourne, and will be recognized in Melbourne. The goal of the Partner City Network program is to develop connections among cities of the world that share the Parliament's commitment to developing harmony among religions, and to "foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a more just, peaceful and sustainable world."
At the gathering on November 12th, representatives of Supervisor Cortese's office and the Partner City Group will "provide a briefing on how we as a county can position ourselves to participate successfully in this global network and to further achieve the goals of interreligious harmony and cooperation."
Supervisor Cortese plans to attend the Parliament in Melbourne, along with members of the Partner City Team, who will also offer a workshop on what they have learned during the process of applying for Partner City status.
The long-term goal, lasting far beyond the December Parliament, is to discover ways that religious and community leaders might together find ways to enhance and enjoy the diversity of our region, while addressing community needs and strenghthening relationships around the world.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
8 am to 9:30 am
County Government Center, 70 W. Hedding Street, Main Lobby, San Jose, CA
RSVP by 11/09/09 to Rabia Chaudhry at 408-299-5030.
More Info: Silicon Valley joins Parliament of the World's Religions Partner City Network
(San Jose Interfaith Examiner)
Comments