Faith Feast 2016 Recap

The fourth annual SpokaneFaVS Faith Feast was April 17 and, once again, it was a fantastic evening full of delicious food, old and new friends, and learning about three faiths in the Spokane area.

Our generous attendees contributed $980 to help SpokaneFaVS continue fulfilling its mission to provide non-sectarian coverage of religion, spirituality and ethics in the Inland Northwest and promote dialogue through online journalism and community engagement opportunities. A huge thank you to our supporters!

We started the evening at the magnificent Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.

001 — The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist/Emily Geddes – SpokaneFaVS

The Very Rev. Bill Ellis, Dean of the Cathedral, gave us a brief overview of the history of the Episcopal church and Episcopal beliefs while we munched on a huge variety of hors d’oeuvres, both beautiful and scrumptious, provided by the Cathedral’s kitchen staff.

004 — The Very Rev. Bill Ellis, Dean of the Cathedral/Emily Geddes – SpokaneFaVS

002 — Variety of hors d’oeuvres provided by St. John’s Cathedral/Emily Geddes – SpokaneFaVS

We toured the cathedral, admiring the neo-gothic architecture and stained glass windows.

007 — The high altar at St. John’s/Emily Geddes – SpokaneFaVS

010 — Rose window at St. John’s Cathedral/Emily Geddes – SpokaneFaVS

011 — Stained glass window at St. John’s Cathedral/Emily Geddes – SpokaneFaVS

Our next stop was at the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center, the retreat center of the Catholic Diocese, on 13 quiet acres in the rolling hills of the Moran Prairie.

012 — Immaculate Heart Retreat Center/Emily Geddes – SpokaneFaVS

Mike Pallardy, the development officer of the center, greeted us and gave us a quick tour of the grounds, bravely facing the setting sun so we didn’t have to.

013 — Michael Pallardy, Development Officer for IHRC/Emily Geddes – SpokaneFaVS

Here’s the small white chapel where Sister Mary Eucharista, the Center’s program director, practices her trumpet in the evenings.

015 — The White Chapel at IHRC/Emily Geddes – SpokaneFaVS

Inside the retreat center, we paused for a moment in this beautiful chapel. The marble on the back wall came from Italy!

017 — Marble chapel at IHRC/Emily Geddes – SpokaneFaVS

The lead chef for IHRC, Jack Dunsmore, provided a delicious chicken cordon bleu entrée with rice pilaf, Caesar salad, spiced carrots, and freshly baked made-from-scratch rolls.

019 — Delicious buffet dinner at Immaculate Heart Retreat Center/Emily Geddes – SpokaneFaVS

Deacon John Ruscheinsky, the director of IHRC, and Sister Eucharista spoke to Faith Feast attendees about the retreats offered at Immaculate Heart Retreat Center.