2010 Juliet Hollister Awards Ceremony
The 2010 Honorees include:
Prince El Hassan bin Talal
His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal served as Crown Prince to the Hashemite Throne of Jordan from 1965 to 1999 serving as acting Regent for his brother, His late Majesty King Hussein. He has initiated and founded a number of Jordanian and international institutes including, The Higher Council for Science and Technology, in 1987, The Royal Scientific Society, in 1970 and The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, in 1994.
On the international stage, Prince Hassan founded the International Cultures Foundation in 2002 out of which the Parliament of Cultures was formed in 2004. HRH launched Partners in Humanity as a joint initiative with John Marks from Search For Common Ground.
Decorated by over twenty nations, His Royal Highness is the holder of the Order of Al Hussein bin Ali, Jordan’s highest decoration. He is the author of nine books including, Search For Peace (1984). He is being honored for his life-long commitment to foster interfaith and cross-cultural cooperation for peace.
Reverend Desmond M. Tutu
The Most Reverend Desmond M. Tutu, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Capetown, South Africa was appointed Dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg in 1975 as the first black to hold that position. In 1976 he was made Bishop of Lesotho and in 1978 he became the first black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. He served as the chairman of the Truth and econciliation Commission because of his role in the abolishment of South Africa’s Apartheid policy.
In 1984 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his “role as a unifying leader figure in the campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa”. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Criminal Court’s Trust Fund for Victims in 2003 and was named a member of the United Nations advisory panel on genocide prevention in 2006.
Desmond Tutu received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009. He is being honored for his visionary leadership to ensure civil rights and religious freedom for all.
Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch
His All Holiness, Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, the “Green Pope,” is the 270th successor of the 2,000 year old Christian Church founded by St. Andrew the Apostle. In this role he transcends every national and ethnic group on a global level and today is the spiritual leader of approximately 250 million faithful world-wide.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew strives to prepare the Orthodox Church for its continuing role as a mediator between East and West, co-sponsoring, for instance, the Peace and Tolerance Conference in Istanbul (1994) bringing together Christians, Muslims and Jews. He is best known as the “Green Patriarch” for his efforts in organizing since 1995, major international environmental symposia including six Religion, Science and Environmental International Symposia since 1999.
These efforts together with his inspiring efforts on behalf of religious freedom and human rights earned him the Congressional Gold Medal by the U.S. Congress. He is being honored for these efforts together with his inspiring commitment on behalf of religious freedom, human rights and interfaith understanding.
Karen Armstrong
Karen Armstrong has written more than 20 books on faith and the major religions. She is especially known for her study of what Islam, Christianity and Judaism have in common and how our faiths shape world history and drive world events.
In 2008 she won the TED Prize and assembled the Charter for Compassion, a document around which religious figures can work together for peace. As part of this process, she gathered together the Council of Conscience, a group of religious leaders and thinkers, who crafted the document which was launched in November 2009.
The Juliet Hollister Award is being given to Karen Armstrong because she is a powerful voice for ecumenical understanding.
Sister Kirby: Interfaith Visionary Lifetime Achievement Award
In dedication to Sister Joan Kirby for promoting inter-religious values at the United Nations, her lifelong commitment to addressing human rights and ecological issues, and her passionate devotion to the development of young leaders.
Sister Joan Kirby’s accomplishments have been highlighted by several high level initiatives. She served as Secretary of the NGO Committee on Human Rights, Chairperson of the 2004 NGO/DPI Conference, “The Millennium Development Goals: Civil Society Takes Action” and chaired the Outreach Committee for the 2008 NGO/DPI Conference on the International Declaration of Human Rights held in Paris, France. Sister Kirby was elected to serve for two years as Chair of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee and was President of the Religious NGOs at the UN.
Temple of Understanding’s 50th Anniversary Gala and Hollister Awards Ceremony at The Pierre Hotel, New York, NY, 2010.
Sister Kirby has played an important role in developing the first ever Tri-Partite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation and Peace which is composed of Member States, UN Agencies and NGOs working for peace through interfaith cooperation. She is currently on the Steering Committee for a UN Decade of Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace as well as being a founding member of the Interfaith Consortium for Ecological Civilization. Sister Kirby also has been invited and hosted around the world at global conferences related to UN issues.
Since 2004, Sister Joan Kirby has been instrumental in the education of teen youth at the Temple of Understanding through her UN Intensive Internship Program.
In honor of its 50th Anniversary TOU hosted an historic Interfaith Visionary Call To Action Conference on Sustainable Development | October 19, 2010 at The Pierre Hotel, NYC
Van Jones delivering statement to Robert Orr, the Under Secretary General of the UN
The leaders of international interfaith organizations, along with other eminent interfaith visionaries, convened for the first time in 50 years to explore the role of the interfaith movement in addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development.
The statement from the conference was delivered by Van Jones to Robert Orr, the Under Secretary General of the UN on October 19, 2010 at the 50th Anniversary Gala.
Statement from the Call to Action Conference of Interfaith Visionaries, organized by the Temple of Understanding:
On October 19, 2010, 120 interfaith visionaries, environmental experts, civic and business leaders met in New York City to engage in a creative conversation to explore how they are uniquely positioned and poised to help shape the transformational potential of this intersection of ecology and religion.
This conversation helped define the potential role that the broader interfaith community can play in the effective work of the Interfaith Consortium for an Ecological Civilization (ICEC). We affirm that environmental concerns are moral and spiritual concerns, not just political concerns, and that action must begin locally.
The Interfaith Visionaries who Attended included:
Mr. Macky Alston, Trustee, Hartley Film Foundation
Mr. Jay Banerjei, Co-Founder, One People
Mrs. Molly Banerjei, Co-Founder, One People
H.H. Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Founder and Spiritual Director, Kashi Ashram (represented by Swami Anjani)
The Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham, Founder and President, Interfaith Power and Light
Dr. Josef Boehle, Coordinator, UNESCO Chair in Interfaith Studies University of Birmingham, UK
Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke, President, World Congress of Faiths
Dr. Patrice Brodeur, Canada Research Chair on Islam, Pluralism, and Globalization, University of Montreal
Dr. Suheil Bushrui, Baha’i Chair for World Peace, University of Maryland
Ms. Majora Carter, Founder, Sustainable South Bronx
Rev. Paul Chaffee, Executive Director, Interfaith Center at the Presidio
Mr. Simon Cohen, Founder and Managing Director, Global Tolerance
Rev. Dirk Ficca, Executive Director, Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions
Rev. James Forbes, Founder and President, Healing of the Nations Foundation
Ms. Tonya Gonnella Frichner, Founder and President, American Indian Law Alliance
Dr. Carolyne Fuqua, Founder and President, Circles of Light
Mr. Homi Gandhi, President, Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York
The Rev. Cannon Charles P. Gibbs, Executive Director, United Religions Initiative
Dr. Daniel Gomez-Ibanez, Founder, The International Committee for the Peace Council
Ms. Bettina Gray, Chairperson, North American Interfaith Network
Mr. Herman F. Greene, President, Center for Ecozoic Studies
Mr. Alex Grey, Co-Founder, CoSM, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
Mrs. Allyson Grey, Co-Founder, CoSM, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
Dr. John Allen Grim, Senior Lecturer and Research Scholar, Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, Yale University
Rev. Fletcher Harper, Executive Director, GreenFaith
Rev. Dr. Katharine Rhodes Henderson, President, Auburn Theological Seminary
Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, President, Union Theologcial Seminary
Van Jones, Professor, Department of African American Studies, Princeton University
Fr. Robert Kennedy Roshi, Zen teacher, Morning Star Zendo
Ms. Daisy Khan, Executive Director, American Society for Muslim Advancement
Rev. Dr. Paul Knitter, Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World, and Culture, Union Theological Seminary
Imam Khalid Latif, Director and Chaplain, Islamic Center, New York University
Ven. Dr. Chung-Ok Lee, Executive Director, United Nations Affairs and Inter-religious Work, Won Buddhism International
Rev. William Lesher, Chair Emeritus, Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions
Ms. Kay Lindahl, Founder, The Listening Center
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, National Geographic Fellow, National Geographic
Professor T.T. Liu, Executive Director, Foundation for World Freedom and Democracy
Mr. Clark Lobenstine, Executive Director, Interfaith Conference of the Metropolitan Washington
Mr. Johnny Lu, Founder, Jewelry Institute of America
Chief Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper, Onondago Nation
Dr. Daniel Martin, Founder, International Center for Religion and the Earth
Dr. Thomas Mathew, President, International Association for Religious Freedom
Fr. Paul Mayer, Co-Founder, Climate Crisis Coalition
Ms. Dena Merriam, Founder and Convener, Global Peace Initiative of Women
Rev. Yoshinobu Miyake, Superior General of the Konko Church of Izuo, United Religions International
Dame Dr. Prof. Meher Master Moos, President, Zoroastrian College
Very Rev. James Parks Morton, President, Interfatih Center of New York
Shri Vivek Muniji Disciple of His Holiness Acharya Sushil Kumarji Maharaj (represented by Gautam Oswal, Secretary-General, International Mahavir Jain MIssion, India)
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Chairman, The Cordoba Initiative
Dr. Steven C. Rockefeller, Co-Chair, The Earth Charter International Council
Mr. Marc Scheuer, Director, Alliance of Civilizations
Bhai Sahib Dr. Mohinder Singh, Chairman, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha
Ms. Rajinderjit K. Singh, President, East and West Association of Sikh Women for World Peace
Rev. Helen Summers, Founder and Director, The Interfaith Center of Melbourne
Mr. Jake Swamp, President, Tree of Peace Society
The Rt. Rev. William Swin, Founder and President, United Religions Initiative
Dharma Master Hsin Tao, Founder, Museum of World Religions represented by Dr. Maria Reis Habito
Dr. Robert Thurman, Co-Founder, Tibet House
Rabbi Lawrence Troster, Director, Fellowship Program, GreenFaith
Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker, Senior Lecturer and Senior Scholar, Department of Religious Studies, Yale University
Dr. William Vendley, Secretary General, Religions for Peace
The Reverend Dr. Franklin Vilas, Trustee, International Communities for the Renewal of the Earth
Mr. Stein Villumstad, Deputy Secretary General, World Council of Religions for Peace
Mr. Steven Waldman, Co-Founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief, Beliefnet.com
Honorable Yao Eng-Chi, President, World League for Freedom and Democracy
Master Cheng Yen, Founder, Tzu Chi Foundation (represented by Mr. George Chang)
Environmental Advisers who attended
Dr. Robert Bell, Chairman of the Economics Department, Brooklyn College
Mrs. Juanita Castaño, Director, New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme
Father John Chryssavgis, Founder, St. Andrew’s Theological College
Rev. Dr. Kurt Johnson, Co-Founder, International Contemplative Alliance
Mr. Dan Miner, Chair, Sierra Club, New York City Group
Mr. Dan Miner, Chair, Sierra Club, New York City Group
Mr. Brian Rosborough, Founding Chairman, Earthwatch Institute
Ms. Cynthia Sampson, Freelance editor and writer on environmental peacemaking, religion, and ecology
Mr. James Sniffen, Program Officer, United Nation Environment Programme, NYC
Mr. Tim Toben, Chair, NC Energy Policy Council
Master of Ceremony
Rolland Smith
Mr. Rolland Smith has over forty-five years of professional broadcast experience as an anchorman, reporter, writer, producer and commentator for local and national programs airing on CBS and documentary series Eye on New York and the Ten O’clock News on WWOR-TV in New York. He is the recipient of 11 Emmy Awards and has been honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with 35 Emmy nominations.
He is a seasoned journalist, having conducted interviews with many world figures and political leaders, frontline coverage of the Vietnam War during the Tet Offensive, anchored the international broadcast feed of Live Aid, and reported on many other historical event around the world.
