Students Explore Faith Traditions and Prayer in Philadelphia Public School

Asheq Fazlullah describes Muslim prayer practices

This Spring, Interfaith Philadelphia presented before approximately 100 sixth graders at C.C.A. Baldi Middle School, a public school in N.E. Philadelphia. The social studies class had been studying world religions and the classroom walls were adorned with vibrant posters and artwork that beautifully depicted the essence of their learnings. Their teacher had asked us to speak with the students about prayer in diverse spiritual and religious traditions. 

Sara Zebovitz dons her tallit, Jewish prayer shawl

Suhag Shukla,
Executive Director of the Hindu American Foundation, and three members of
Interfaith Philadelphia’s staff team: Bronwen Henry, Director of Curricular
Innovation, Asheq Fazlullah, Director of the
Leadership Institute, and Sara Zebovitz, Director of
Institutional Advancement, spent the day visiting the students in their
classrooms. They shared prayer practices
and rituals from their respective faith traditions and discussed the broad forms
of spiritual expression within each of their communities.

Students eagerly
asked questions, engaged in mediative reflection, touched the prayer rugs, and
tried on the prayer shawls. They expressed an interest in how spiritual practices may or may not be adhered to by
members of faith communities and that they can ebb and flow throughout a
lifetime. All students received Interfaith Philadelphia’s Passport to Understanding, a tool that can continue
to guide them in their interfaith journeys.

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