Religion

A proposal to honorarily rename Cedar Grove Lane “Interfaith Lane” received the town’s approval, and has an advocate on the county level. That’s important because any move to place an honorary name on the county owned road would require approval from the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders. The Township Council at its Dec. 13 meeting unanimously agreed to ask …

Middlebush Reformed Church is serving as a drop-off point for the 29th annual Jersey Cares Coat Drive. Gently used winter coats are needed, especially those for children. Deadline for donations is Dec. 4. The church is located at Amwell and South Middlebush roads. Jersey Cares plans to collect and distribute more than 30,000 coats to children and adults as a result …

Hundreds of Muslims gathered Nov. 5 at Masjid-e-Ali Mosque to celebrate the life and mourn the death of one of the most significant prophets in Shi’a Islam, and to renew their commitments to social justice. More than 14 centuries ago, Husain Ibn Ai and about 70 of his followers were killed in Karbala, in present-day Iraq, after refusing to pledge allegiance to …

One of Shia Islam’s most sacred days was commemorated Oct. 11 at the Masjid-e-Ali Mosque on Cedar Grove Lane. Shab-e-Ashura – literally, “The Night Before the 10th – is the day before the day that the grandson of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad and 71 of his followers were killed in Karbala, Iraq, by the army of Yazid I, head of …

Submitted by Imam Syed Rizwan Rizvi. Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is held to be the most sacred of all the months, excluding Ramadan. The tenth day of Muharram is the Day of Ashura, which to Shīʿah Muslims is part of the Mourning of Muharram. The months of Muharram and Safar offer the yearly opportunity to …

Dogs and cats and Guinea pigs and a snake received blessings Oct. 2 at the annual St. Matthias Catholic Church’s Blessing of the Animals ceremony. The ceremony is held each year on the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, said Deacon Russ Demkovitz, who conducted the blessing. St. Francis is also the …

Members of the Islamic Society of Franklin Township gathered Sept. 12 in a hotel ballroom to celebrate one of the holiest days in the Muslim calendar, Eid-al-Adha, or the “Feast of the Sacrifice.” Nearly 100 of the society’s members showed up at the Holiday Inn on Davidson Avenue for the prayer. The celebration commemorates Ibraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son …

By Dr. Alex Kharazi. For all of us and indeed for all Americans and people of good conscience around the world, 9/11 evokes memories of a moment in our history when the world as we knew it changed forever. We will come together as one community on Sunday, September 11 at 5:30 p.m. at Masjid-e-Ali, located at 47 Cedar Grove …

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 …