• Connect With Other Participants

    We invite you to join our private LinkedIn group, designed to help event participants connect and engage with one another and the organizations represented at the event. This dynamic space offers opportunities to network, share ideas, and explore potential collaborations—before, during, and long after the event concludes. Don’t miss the chance to build meaningful connections and expand your professional community!

    List of Participants

  • Event Details and Accommodation

    Event Details

    May 21st 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
    Welcome Reception and Opening Remarks
    Double Tree by Hilton, Silver Spring, Maryland

    May 22nd, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
    Multi-View and Multi-Faith Forum
    Silver Spring Civic Building, Maryland

    Accommodation

    Accommodation options are available at DoubleTree by Hilton in Silver Spring. A special group rate has been arranged for our guests. To avail of this rate, click here.

    Supporting the Event

    We value your participation at this event and want it to be as accessible as possible. Thanks to generous support, attendance is free. If you’d like to contribute to help offset our costs, donations are warmly welcomed and appreciated. Please consider donating by using the button below.

    Donate

  • Event Schedule

    Wednesday, May 21st, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
    Doubletree By Hilton Washington DC, Silver Spring, Maryland

    Wednesday evening’s reception will combine informal mingling with an introduction to the purpose and methodology of Thursday’s forum. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served.

    6:30 p.m. Welcome
    7:00 p.m. Setting the Stage For Our Time Together: Spirit and Structure

    Rebecca Cataldi, Senior Director of Programs at International Center for Religion & Diplomacy (ICRD), Kate O’Brien, Director of the Focolare Forum for Dialogue and Culture, and Russ Pearce, Professor of Law; Edward and Marilyn Bellet Chair in Legal Ethics, Morality, and Religion at Fordham University
    7:30 p.m. Explore & Engage: Tailored Networking Opportunities
    Thursday, May 22nd, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
    Silver Spring Civic Building, Silver Spring, Maryland

    Thursday’s forum will be made up of four collaborative participant-led discussions, interwoven with tone-setting panel conversations. The day will culminate in a reflective conversation that will lay the groundwork for continued collaboration and action.

    8:30 a.m. Check-In and Coffee
    9:00 a.m. Introduction
    Kate O’Brien and Russ Pearce
    9:20 a.m. Keynote Remarks: “The Courage to Hope: Practicing Love and Unity in a Divided World”
    Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement
    9:40 a.m. Collaborative Conversation (I)
    All Collaborative Conversations will be facilitated by Rainer Gude from Inclusive Peace
    9:55 a.m. Break
    10:15 a.m. Opening Our Hearts To The Other: Diverse Perspectives on Peacebuilding
    Moderator: Rebecca Cataldi, Senior Director of Programs at International Center for Religion & Diplomacy (ICRD); Speakers: Tiffany Goodwin-Van Camp from American Friends of Combatants for Peace, Fr. Iouri Koslovskii from Saint Gabriel Institute
    10:40 a.m. Break
    11:00 a.m. Collaborative Conversation (II)
    PodCafe
    12:00 p.m. Lunch (Provided)
    1:00 p.m. From Sorrow to Solidarity: Transforming Grief into Peacebuilding
    Moderator: Paul Catipon, Co-Director of Focolare North America’s Public Outreach and Initiatives and President of Netpro Communications; Speakers: Eli S Mc Carthy from Georgetown University, Mohamed Abu Jafar from Parents Circle, Families Forum, Jeanine Ntihirageza from the Center for Genocide and Human Rights Research in Africa and the Diaspora (Northeastern Illinois University)
    1:30 p.m Collaborative Conversation (III)
    2:30 p.m. Break
    3:00 p.m. Peacebuilding Together: Shared Challenges, Joint Action
    Moderator: Ray Kim, Director of U.S. Programs & Partnerships at International Center for Religion & Diplomacy (ICRD); Speakers: Benjamin Kamine from the Jewish Theological Seminary, Ibrahim Anli from the Rumi Forum
    3:25 p.m. Collaborative Conversation (IV)
    4:25 p.m. Stretch Break
    4:35 p.m. Concluding Reflection: Continued Collaboration and Action
    Fadi Chehadé, Founder & Managing Partner at Ethos Capital, and Kate O’Brien, Director of the Focolare Forum for Dialogue and Culture

  • Events Location Map and Directions

    Getting to the Sustainable Peace Networks Event – Parking & Transit Info
    Reception – May 21

    DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
    8777 Georgia Ave,
    Silver Spring, MD 20910

    🚗 By Car:

    • Hotel parking available for $12
    • Other garages nearby
    • Street parking is mostly limited to 2 hours

    🚇 By Metro:

    • Take the Red Line to Silver Spring Station
    • Walk 5 to 10 minutes north on Georgia Avenue to the hotel
    Gathering – May 22

    Silver Spring Civic Center
    One Veterans Place,
    Silver Spring, MD 20910

    🚗 By Car:

    • The closest garage is across from the Civic Center on Ellsworth Drive & Fenton Street.
    • Several other nearby garages offer full-day parking
    • Street parking is mostly limited to 2-hour parking
    • The nearby Whole Foods parking lot has a strict 2-hour policy

    🚇 By Metro:

    • Take the Red Line to Silver Spring Station
    • Walk 7 to 13 minutes via Colesville Rd and Fenton St to the Civic Center

    📍 Need Directions?
    Scan the QR code below to open Google Maps directions to the Civic Center:

  • Weekly Emails

    We hope this site can serve as a one-stop shop for all participant information. Updates and resources will be posted here and – so you won’t need to search through your inbox for past emails – we will post a link to a PDF version of weekly participant emails after they are sent.


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