Source: The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/12/27/...

Source: UPI

http://upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=24122001-033546-7201r

On December 24, 2001, UPI reported on the "Fund to soothe wounds of hate." It noted that "A Sikh temple in Palermo, N.Y., and an Episcopal church in Hanna City, Ill., will receive cash gifts from a unique Boston fund this Christmas ... The Boston Piano Religious Trust gives $500 grants to houses of worship damaged or destroyed in hate crimes." Gobind Sadan USA, a Sikh center in New York, and St. John's...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On December 24, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "in anticipation of the new year, dozens of members of Senshin Buddhist Temple near USC [in Los Angeles, CA] and their friends gathered to participate in the annual ritual called mochitsuki, or mochi pounding. The ancient process begins with high gluten rice--in this case, a thousand pounds of it--which is cleaned, steamed, beaten into a smooth, sticky dough, and finally transformed into small, round cakes of chewy, delicate mochi." The ritual of making mochi takes place...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On December 23, 2001, The Houston Chronicle featured an article on the "Sacred Sites" of Houston, TX. "Houston has thousands of houses, centers and buildings of worship and prayer for literally every faith known: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and others. What it does not have is the large-scale, sacred architecture built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and found in older, major cities like New York, according to Stephen Fox, a Rice University architectural historian... Compared with those other...

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On December 23, 2001, The San Diego Union-Tribune featured an article on the Vista Buddhist Temple in San Diego, CA. The article reported that "on Dec. 15, members celebrated the 20th anniversary of their current building with a year-end party, or Oseibo Taikai, to honor members over the age of 80... In recent years, the temple's congregation has become increasingly diverse because of an increase in Buddhist teachings at local colleges and universities... However, the temple can trace its roots to before the 1930s when...

Source: Newsday

On December 19, 2001, Newsday reported that a "fire that swept through the gift shop of the world's largest Gothic cathedral," the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. "From its inception, the cathedral was chartered not just as the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York but as a house of prayer whose bronze doors were open to all people... Indeed, in recent years, sermons have been delivered by rabbis, Zen Buddhists and African animists. The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, retired U.S. Army Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf...

Source: The Providence Journal

http ://p rojo.com/cgi-bin/story.pl/opinion/06719201.htm

On December 18, 2001, The Providence Journal featured an editorial on holidays in the workplace. "Many bosses decide, with a wink and a nod, to recast their Christmas parties as 'holiday' parties, but then still decorate in green and red and play Christmas carols. Such watering-down seems to work. The Christians can see their tradition in abstract form, and non-Christians find it less directly offensive. But it's not a real solution......

Source: The Kansas City Star

http://www.cres.org

On December 12, 2001, The Kansas City Star reported that "since Sept. 11, leaders in government - like those in schools, hospitals, media and business - want to be sure they are discharging their duties with particular sensitivity to religious concerns... As part of a recognition of pluralism in the [Kansas City] area, Jackson County Executive Katheryn J. Shields is developing a six-month calendar of community open houses scheduled by ethnic and faith...

Source: The Chicago Tribune

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Source: Los Angeles Times

On December 10, 2001, the Los Angeles Times featured an article on the Buddhist festival celebrating Buddha's enlightenment. "The festival is among the most significant in the Buddhist calendar, representing the day humanity learned the reason for suffering and the way to escape it." The article focuses on a small monastic community of monks and nuns in Ventura County, California. "The monks follow the Zen school of Buddhism, stressing daily meditation. The temple and retreat center is made up of several low-slung houses nestled...

Source: United Press International

On December 10, 2001, The United Press International reported that "the 'real story' of the blaze at the Gobind Sadan shrine actually developed into a rather marvelous one, recounts Ralph Singh, the center's spokesman... Jews, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists came out to express their solidarity, Singh recalled. And then there were individual acts of kindness... With a trembling voice, Ralph Singh spoke of the 'outpouring of love' the 100-strong congregation at the former farmstead received from neighbors and...

Source: The Kane County Chronicle

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On December 6, 2001, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "religious leaders, including Buddhists, Roman Catholics, Hindus and Muslims, lined up side by side one day last week while uniformed police officers stood inside the open doors of their cars, engines roaring, blue lights flashing. Taking turns, each cleric approached a podium and offered a special prayer during the first interfaith blessing of the fleet for the Morrow Police Department... A Buddhist monk concluded the ceremony by splashing...

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On November 30, 2001. The San Diego Union-Tribune featured an article on the diverse and numerous religious holidays that take place at this time of year. The article included a description of the following holidays: Ramadan - the Muslim holy month, Bodhi Day - the anniversary of Buddha's enlightenment, Hanukkah - "the eight-day Jewish festival of lights commemorates the victory of the Maccabees, Jewish warriors who overthrew their oppressors in about 165 B.C.", Yule and Winter Solstice - the Wiccan and Pagan holiday...

Source: Portsmouth Herald

http://www.seacoastonline.com/2001news/11_29living_a.htm

On November 29, 2001 the Portsmouth Herald reported that "Tibetan Buddhist Lama Norlha Rinpoche, the abbot of Kagyu Thubten Chöling Monastery in New York... imparted his message to more than 60 people during a public talk on 'Transforming Fear and Anger into Compassion' held recently in the Portsmouth Unitarian Church. After the Sept. 11 tragedy, Lama Norlha issued a message to his...