The World Harmony Run began it’s Melbourne journey today, completing an ‘Interfaith Relay’ between many of the religious communities of the city. This marked a diversification for the World Harmony Run in Victoria, as we strove to extend the reach of the event to embrace those individuals who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of peace.

Our first visit took us to the St Kilda Hebrew Congregation where we were warmly received by Rabbi Philip Heilbrunn. Upon the steps of the Synagogue we shared our hopes for a unified world before being treated to an exquisitely beautiful musical rendition of a Hebrew psalm, the meaning of which was most poignant. Rabbi Heilbrunn then had the pleasure of making the very first hand print on our banner ‘World Harmony Run: Uniting People of all Faiths'. The making of these hand prints provided the highlights of our day as we shared many hilarious and also intimate moments with our respective hosts.

Taking a scenic route to our next destination, the spectacle of our runners following the foreshore attracted great interest from passers-by, many of whom were inspired to stop and hold the torch.

Upon arrival at the Tara Buddhist Institute we were greeted by the beaming faces of the resident Lama, Ven Geshe Doga, Ven Caroline Lawler as well as a number of members of their community who had gathered to be a part of the ceremony. Geshe Doga spoke most eloquently as we invited all those present to hold the torch, make a sincere wish for world harmony and to briefly reflect upon this lofty ideal.

As the day progressed we were at times reminded of the fact that we were perhaps a little unfit, yet, as always, were motivated and inspired by the good will of the lovely people we met. It became apparent that we shared, with all these individuals, a great faith that the inherent goodness of humanity would eventually come to the fore and that peace would one day become a permanent reality upon this world of ours. With each step we took the words of World Harmony Run founder Sri Chinmoy echoed within our hearts; ‘Peace will come about in the world from the perfection of individuals’.

Our visits to the Hare Krishna Temple in Albert Park and also the Russian Orthodox Church in Brunswick, echoed the sweet sentiments of the day and we were honoured by guided tours of their respective places of worship.

To finish our day we were warmly embraced by Fr Peter Collins from the Blessed Sacrament Community of St Francis’ Church in the heart of downtown Melbourne. The church was the first to be built in Melbourne and stands to this day, a sanctuary amidst the chaos of the city, nestled in the shadows of towering sky scrapers. Fr Peter offered a truly beautiful and spontaneous prayer as he held the torch and reflected upon its significance. To say his words touched the depths of our heart would be a gross understatement.

We hope that today’s Interfaith relay will, in following years, become the cornerstone of a much larger show of unity and brotherhood between many of the religious and cultural communities of our wonderful city. The friendships forged from today’s visits will undoubtedly provide the building blocks for such dreams.

The next two days bring promise an array of exciting school visits around Melbourne, beyond which looms our 1500km journey from Melbourne to Canberra, and then on to Sydney. We look forward to being joined by our brothers and sisters from Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Sydney, and in particular the added support and camaraderie they will lend to the Run as we head into the challenging alpine regions.

As always, our heartfelt gratitude to all those who participated in today’s Interfaith event, the sentiments of whom we will carry in our hearts as we journey across the country in the weeks to come.

Christopher

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