Assembly of the World's Religions

The Assembly of the World's Religions (AWR) is a quadrennial gathering, the first of which took place at McAfee, New Jersey, in November, 1985. That meeting, with the theme "Recovering Our Classical Heritage," brought together over 600 spiritual teachers, scholars, lay leaders, artists and young people. The theme of the 1989 Assembly, which will take place in Seoul, Korea, will be "Transmitting Our Heritage to Youth and Society." The 1993 Assembly will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions.

The Assembly has an interreligious, intercultural, pluralistic program, including prayer, meditation, seminars, dialogues, rituals, art exhibits, music and dance, and film festivals. Small group gatherings facilitated personal cross-cultural contact among participants, while traditional worship emphasized the depth and integrity of the distinct traditions. These Assemblies aim to uncover, from within the world's spiritual traditions, much-needed resources and inspiration that might help resolve the many crises of our time.