Source: New York Daily News
On February 5, 2000, the Daily News reported that the Interfaith Center of New York has found a permanent home on East 30th Street in Manhattan in a long vacant former Turkish rug emporium. The center is spearheaded by the Rev. James Parks Morton, who recently retired from his post of 25 years as dean of New York's Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, the world's largest cathedral. There were three opening nights for the center - a benefit celebration with dinners served in patron's homes, an interfaith blessing celebration, and a night to celebrate its art gallery. The blessing ceremony included clergy from Jewish, Buddhist, Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Hindu, and African Methodist Episcopal faiths. The staff of the new center, which represents a dozen or so faiths, are involved in a wide variety of lectures, seminars, and workshops, and retreats. Rev. Morton, who has been a pioneer in interfaith activities and ecological consciousness, has created the Interfaith Center as a place where people can change the way they understand and appreciate the beliefs and rituals of others. "What makes us different from other interfaith agencies...is the size and scope of our programs, our ambitions, and the fact that we actually have a home," stated Morton.