A few days after Easter marked the end of the Lenten season of fasting, and a few days before Eid al-Fitr marked the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan’s fasting, Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Washington, DC, hosted an interfaith discussion on fasting with neighbouring Masjid Muhammad, the Nation’s Mosque.
The evening gathering on April 5 drew about 30 people representing both congregations. As the Masjid Muhammad Mosque, located a few blocks away, is undergoing a building expansion and renovation, Holy Redeemer has opened up its lower church hall for its Muslim neighbours to have their Jumah Friday prayer there.
In addition to participating in the interfaith discussion on fasting, two imams from Masjid Muhammad led men and women from their mosque in the Maghrib call to prayer at sunset and then in the Iftar fast-breaking evening meal, which they shared with the Holy Redeemer parishioners and guests.