A World of Faith & Spirituality

Introducing a new book, years in the making, celebrating Manitoba's faith and spirituality diversity.

A World of Faith & Spirituality: Yours, Mine, Theirs & Ours

Diversity in Manitoba

Compiled and created by Ray Dirks and Manju Lodha
A project of the MHC Gallery, Canadian Mennonite University
Primary sponsors: The Winnipeg Foundation, MHC Gallery, Blennerhassett Family Foundation, individual donors

216 full-colour pages

More than 200 contributors from various communities and traditions: Indigenous Spirituality, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Yazidi, the Baha'i Faith, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Falun Dafa, Sikhism, Unitarian Universalism, and from no organized tradition

More than 800 photographs

Examples of communities working together

Art by students on themes of faith, unity, understanding, respect, and acceptance

"We may not follow the same faith. We may follow no organized faith at all. We may not agree on many things. But we should agree on the desire to get to know each other, to respect, understand and accept each other. We live in a wonderfully diverse province. Every faith and spiritual tradition now in Manitoba includes many people of goodwill. Make friends across cultures and faiths and enrich your life."

A full colour, 216 page book celebrating the world of faith and spirituality that exists in Manitoba. Featuring hundreds of Manitobans, their lives, families, sacred spaces and more in words and photos. Chapters highlight Indigenous Spirituality, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, the Baha'i Faith, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Unitarian Universalism, Yazidi, Falun Dafa, people of different traditions working together, and art by students on faith and acceptance. Contributors include leaders and ordinary folks, young and old.

We are especially honoured by the participation of Elder Dr. Dave Courchene, who sadly passed away on December 8, 2021, only two months prior to the book being printed. The book opens with his words and proceeds from there to include a vast array of people representing those whose ancestors were first on these lands to recently arrived refugees, and many between.

In 2011 Manju Lodha and Ray Dirks set out to create a documentary about faith diversity in Manitoba. Upon completion of the documentary they led art workshops in schools along with fellow artist Isam Aboud. Lohda, a Hindu; Dirks, a Mennonite Christian; and Aboud, a Muslim, would enter a classroom as equal partners. They would invite students to create artworks about what they believed in their hearts. With workshops done, Lodha and Dirks began working on the book, A World of Faith & Spirituality: Yours, Mine, Theirs & Ours. The book was finally printed in February 2022 and is now available for sale.

A World of Faith & Spirituality: Yours, Mine, Theirs & Ours

Ray Dirks, Manju Lodha, CMU Press

$35.00 (plus GST)

To order a copy or copies (discounts available for purchase of five or more books) contact Graeme at gunrau:@:cmu.ca or 204-487-3300 ext. 344

For more, visit the MHC Gallery Instagram and Facebook pages:

Project coordinators Ray Dirks and Manju Lodha jointly received the 2018 Lieutenant Governor's Award for the Advancement of Inter-Religious Understanding in January 2018, presented to them by Her Honour Lt Gov of Manitoba Janice Filmon.

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