Every Voice Collection

19 July 2018

By words and actions, people all over the world give voice to URI. In this "Every Voice" series, Sally Mahé shares inspirational quotes from members of the URI community. 

Every Voice Collection

Every Voice, 31 August 2020 – Father Gerry O’Rourke

Father Gerry O’Rourke, a Catholic priest for 70 years, gave his passion to URI in its early years and helped it become “a safe space.”

Every Voice, 10 July 2020 – Iftekhar Hai

Iftekhar Hai is an interfaith bridge-building pioneer. Before most people saw the need for bridge-building among people of different religious faiths, Iftekhar was already showing the way.

Every Voice, 26 June 2020 – Marcus and Mary Braybrooke

Marcus and Mary were with URI in its earliest days and are pioneers in the interfaith movement.

Every Voice, 23 April 2019 – Galina Ermolina

Galina Ermolina is remembered for her passion for Russia, her embrace of Bilik (a collection of spiritual traditions from the Altai region of Siberia), and her zest to build bridges of peace between Indigenous traditions and the religious traditions of East and West.

Every Voice, 11 March 2019 – Sr. Joan Chatfield, M.M. Ph.D

Sr. Joan Chatfield, an esteemed educator and Maryknoll sister, participated in the first URI Planning Summit in San Francisco in 1996.

Every Voice, 2 January 2019 – Dharma Master Heng Sure

Reverend Heng Sure, Buddhist monk in the Mahayana tradition and founding member of URI, shares two songs.

Every Voice, 26 December 2018 – Abraham Karickam

Abraham Karickam, Regional Coordinator for URI South India and Sri Lanka, tells a story that inspires us to see how catastrophe also gives us an opportunity to build caring communities.

Every Voice, 19 December 2018 – Barbara Hartford

Barbara Hartford, URI Global Staff for 15 years, often said, “I’ll do whatever is wanted and needed.”

Every Voice, 12 December 2018 – Kay Lindahl

Kay Lindahl, a founding Global Council member URI and Cooperation Circle leader, is a Listening Professional who understands listening to be a sacred act. 

Every Voice, 5 December 2018 – Libby Hoffman

Libby Hoffman, who helped lead URI’s peacebuilding training program, The Moral Imagination Project, from 2006-2008, shares her views about peacebuilding.

Every Voice, 28 November 2018 – Reverend Paul Chaffee

Reverend Paul Chafee, a minister in the United Church of Christ, was a founding member of URI and an early chronicler of URI events. Read an excerpt from his report of the 1997 URI Global Conference.

Every Voice, 21 November 2018 – Karimah Stauch

Karimah Stauch is a founding member of URI and has been the Regional Coordinator for URI Europe since 2003.

Every Voice, 14 November 2018 – Maha Ghosananada

The Venerable Maha Ghosananada, renowned Buddhist monk from Cambodia and international peacemaker, attended the first URI Global Summit Conference in 1997.

Every Voice, 7 November 2018 – Perri (PK) McCrary

PK is a founding member of URI, convener of the Think Peace and Communications Cooperation Circle, a former Global Council trustee, secretary of the Global Council and former member of the Multiregional Leadership team.

Every Voice, 31 October 2018 – Yoland Trevino

During the Global Council and Staff Meeting in 2009, Yoland Trevino created a learning activity called Rio de URI (River of URI).

Every Voice, 24 October 2018 – Sabina Rifat

Sr. Sabina works selflessly in Pakistan to provide women and children with counseling, vocational training, peace activities, workshops and education.

Every Voice, 17 October 2018 – URI’s Second Generation

Hear from Sharon Vaswani and Aisyah Amir, two young adult women who “grew up” within the URI family.

Every Voice, 10 October 2018 – Brahma Kumaris

Throughout the years, Sister Chandru Desai and the Brahma Kumaris sisters and brothers have served the URI community in countless ways.

Every Voice, 3 October 2018 – Mary Page Sims

For Mary Page Sims, a compelling childhood dream burst into life when she met Bishop Bill Swing and participated in URI’s Planning Conference in 1999.

Every Voice, 26 September 2018 – Gurudev Khalsa

As a PhD student, Gurudev Khalsa led a URI staff retreat in 2000 to explore URI’s approach to global capacity-building.

Every Voice, 19 September 2018 – Lejla Hasandedic-Dapo

Lejla grew up in Bosnia during the Balkan wars and now works with URI Europe to overcome centuries-old ethnic barriers.

Every Voice, 12 September 2018 – Assembly Participants

Members from URI North America and the URI Multiregion share: "What’s Working in URI."

Every Voice, 29 August 2018 – Andre Porto

Andre Porto, former Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, shares recommendations for creating partnerships.

Every Voice, 22 August 2018 – Sister Laetitia Borg

Sister Laetitia Borg, a Franciscan sister from Addis Ababa, shares: A Ritual - Values to Cherish. 

Every Voice, 15 August 2018 – Nyambura Mundia

Nyambura Mundia, former URI country coordinator for Kenya, reflects on her experience.

Every Voice, 8 August 2018 – Maria Crespo

Maria Crespo, a long-time Cooperation Circle leader and staff member, shares "A Community Prayer for Challenging Times."

Every Voice, 1 August 2018 – Diana Arsenian

Diana Arsenian is a talented artist who helps graphically visualize the URI network.

Every Voice, 25 July 2018 – Dee Hock

Dee Hock is a banker and founder of the VISA card. He developed key organizational concepts for URI.

Every Voice, 18 July 2018 – Greshma P. Raju

Greshma P. Raju is a former youth member of URI and Eco-Spirituality scholar.

Every Voice, 11 July 2018 – The Reverend Patrick Lumumba

The Reverend Patrick Lumumba is a committee member of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative Cooperation Circle in Uganda.

Every Voice, 4 July 2018 – Gard Jameson

Gard Jameson is a generous friend and member of the URI North America Leadership Council.

Every Voice, 27 June 2018 – Father Louis Dolan

Father Louis Dolan is a Catholic priest, a citizen of the US and Argentina, a founding URI leader, and the first regional URI coordinator in Latin America.

Every Voice, 20 June 2018 – The Reverend Jack Lundin

Jack Lundin is a Lutheran pastor and inspiring jazz pianist who served as a Global Council Trustee.

Every Voice, 13 June 2018 – Margaret Jones and the SF Peninsula CC

Margaret Jones is a URI member who created a set of guidelines for creating a safe space for interfaith dialogue.

Every Voice, 6 June 2018 – The Drum

In this installment, we hear from different URI members about the "heartbeat of the drum."

Every Voice, 30 May 2018 – Audri Scott Williams

Audri Scott Williams is a URI trustee and founder of the Trail of Dreams Cooperation Circle, based in Alabama, USA.

Every Voice, 23 May 2018 – Tomoko Watanabe

Tomoko Watanabe is a URI member born in Hiroshima, Japan, just eight years after the atomic bombing.

Every Voice, 16 May 2018 – Henry Kurt Michael Ayala Alva

Michael Ayala, a URI member from Peru, speaks about Indigenous identity and the "condition of Mestizo."

Every Voice, 9 May 2018 – Sally Mahé

Sally Mahé, Senior Consultant, shares why URI is "a harbinger of a deeper democracy."

Every Voice, 2 May 2018 – Adelia Sandoval

Adelia Sandoval is a treasured contributor to URI, Cooperation Circle member and former Global Council trustee.

Every Voice, 25 April 2018 – Sarah Talcott

Sarah Talcott is a former Coordinator for URI’s Young Leaders Program.

Every Voice, 11 April 2018 – Charles Gibbs

The Reverend Charles Gibbs is URI’s founding Executive Director.

Every Voice, 4 April 2018 – Diana Whitney

Read about Dr. Diana Whitney and the principles behind URI's meetings to encourage a close-knit and growing community.

Every Voice, 28 March 2018 – Sr. Mary Tarcisia

Sr. Mary Tarcisia is a URI member who lived through generations of war in Northern Uganda and helped young girls who had been used as sex slaves in that war.

Every Voice, 21 March 2018 – URI Staff

URI staff share memories from a major URI global gathering in Sarajevo, Bosnia in September 2017.

Every Voice, 14 March 2018 – T.D. Singh

Dr. Thoudam Damodara Singh (T.D. Singh) is a scientist, spiritual leader, and URI Cooperation Circle leader.

Every Voice, 7 March 2018 – Deborah Moldow and Betsy Stang

Betsy Stang and Deborah Moldow both served on the URI Global Council in its early years.

Every Voice, 28 February 2018  – David Cooperrider

Dr. David Cooperrider is a professor, founder of Appreciative Inquiry, and a "first responder" to the idea of a "United Religions."

Every Voice, 21 February 2018  – Fire Women Association

Fire Women Association is a URI Cooperation Circle from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Every Voice, 14 February 2018 – Gary Gunderson

Dr. Gary Gunderson highlights URI’s structure as the "right vehicle to shepherd profound change in an uncertain world."

Every Voice, 7 February 2018 – Dr. Potre Diampuan

Hhear a prayer from Dr. Potre Diampuan, Senior Interfaith Advisor for URI in the Philippines.

Every Voice, 31 January 2018 – Julia Ha

Julia Ha is a URI member who encountered URI in the 10th grade.

Every Voice, 24 January 2018 – John Paul Lederach

Dr. John Paul Lederach is an esteemed educator of peacebuilding and conflict transformation.

Every Voice, 17 January 2018 – Rosalia Gutierrez

Rosalia Gutierrez is a leader of the Indigenous People of Argentina Cooperation Circle in Buenos Aires.

Every Voice, 10 January 2018 – Stephan Fuqua

Stephen Fuqua is a member of the Bahá'í faith and former student at the University of Austin, Texas.