Religion

The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara Meditation Center on Route 27 held a day-long “birthday party” of sorts on Aug. 20. The “birthday boy” was the center’s 30-foot-tall Buddha statue, and the party was to commemorate the seventh anniversary of its installation. The celebration started early in the day, with visits from dignitaries such as a Sri Lankan ambassador and the president of …

A township church is helping a Zarephath-based radio station to create a temporary Sept. 11 memorial. Somerset Presbyterian Church, 100 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, is serving as a collection point for Star 99.1’s “Empty Shoe Memorial.” The station is collecting 2,996 pairs of shoes, one for every person who was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as a …

Franklin Township police officers and members of two church congregations went door-to-door in one neighborhood Aug. 12. The goal of the walk through the Parkside neighborhood, according to its organizers, was to help the community and the officers get to know each other. “What we plan to accomplish is just for the police officers to have the opportunity to speak with the …

Religious leaders, township officials and the police department’s top brass met July 11 in the Community/Senior Center to call for unity and peace in the wake of killings in Minnesota, Louisiana and Dallas, Texas. “We stand here today collectively to work in the community to make sure everybody has somebody and to make sure the police department knows that we …

More than 50 people gathered in the courtyard of the Masjid-e-Ali Mosque June 30 to hold a candlelight vigil in remembrance of those killed by terrorists. The event was sparked by the June 28 attack at Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkey, in which 44 people were killed and about 240 injured. Alex Kharazi, vice president of the mosque and president …

Messages of peace, compassion and following what one’s heart knows to be right were delivered by several speakers June 18 at the sixth annual Interfaith/Iftar Dinner hosted by Masjid-e-Ali mosque on Cedar Grove Lane. The mosque holds the dinner each year during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Christian pastors from township churches, Mayor Phillip Kramer and an Islamic scholar …

By Rizwan Rizvi. June seventh will mark the beginning of 9th Lunar month in the Islamic Calendar known as Ramaḍān, although some Muslims consider June 6th to be the beginning of the month. It is the month when Muslims worldwide embark on a month-long fasting journey to spiritually connect them with their Lord. It is stated in the Holy Qurʾān: …

The Srivari Sri Balaji Temple on Elizabeth Avenue was formally initiated in a May 29 ceremony. The ceremony was the capstone of a three-day outdoor festival held by the temple. Two priests flew in from India to help with the ceremony, said Vijayaraghavan Poondi, chairman of the temple’s board of trustees. During the final ceremony, food offerings were made to a …

A three-day festival – which will include the naming of a new main deity – is planned for later this month by the Srivari Sri Balaji Temple on Elizabeth Avenue. The Grand Prana Pratishtapana festival, the first for this year-old Hindu temple, will be held outdoors on its 6-acre campus from May 27-29. The festival will be held from roughly …

The annual St. Matthias Carnival got underway May 10, featuring rides, games and food. The carnival runs through May 15 at the church, 168 John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Hours are 6-10 p.m. through May 13, 2-10 p.m. May 14 and 2-9 p.m. May 15. Food specials for the week are fish fry on May 13 and Italian hot dogs on …