Animal Interfaith Alliance

PRESS RELEASE

18^th September 2014

The 11^th Interfaith Celebration for Animals is being held on Saturday 4^th October at Golders Green Unitarian Church at 3.00pm – all are welcome!

Although many celebrations for animals are held on 4^th October, which is World Animal Day and the birthday of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, this is the only Interfaith celebration for animals.

Revd Feargus O’Connor has been holding interfaith celebrations for animals for over a decade and he is committed to bringing people of all faiths together to celebrate their shared love of animals each year.

This year’s celebrations are being sponsored, for the first time, by the newly formed Animal Interfaith Alliance, a group which brings together members of all faiths to campaign for the better treatment of our fellow creatures. It is also jointly sponsored by The World Congress of Faiths and Quaker Concern for Animals, who have sponsored the event in previous years.

The theme of this year’s event will be the launch of the Animal Interfaith Alliance and the promotion of the second edition of its supporting guide-book The Compassionate Animal: An Interfaith Guide to the Extended Circle of Compassion by Barbara Gardner, who is a director of the Animal Interfaith Alliance.

The service will be led by Revd Feargus O’Connor, who is Chair of the Animal Interfaith Alliance, and the keynote speaker will be Dr Richard D. Ryder, the eminent animal ethicist, who is a patron of the Animal Interfaith Alliance.

All donations will be shared equally between the Animal Interfaith Alliance and the Universal Kinship Fund of the Dr Hadwen Trust, which was set up in 2006 by Revd Feargus O’Connor to pay for non-animal medical research, that helps both humans and animals, emphasizing the interdependent web of existence, and which has, so far, raised over £18,000.

Revd Feargus O’Connor said, ‘I am delighted that the Animal Interfaith Alliance and the second edition of the book ‘The Compassionate Animal’ are being launched at the 11^th Interfaith Celebration for Animals, here at Golders Green Unitarian Church‘.

Keynote speaker, Dr Richard D. Ryder said, ‘Most faiths have good things to say about animals. We now need to put those good things into action‘.

Golders Green Unitarian Church is at 31 Hoop Lane, Golders Green, London, NW11 8BS and is a five minute walk from Golders Green tube station.

For further information, please contact Barbara Gardner on barbgard.aia@gmail.com or 07740 780028.

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Registered office: 855 Finchley Road, London, NW11 8LX                      Company number: 8958588

President: Satish Kumar    Chair: Rev Feargus ’Connor                    Secretary: Barbara Gardner