[todaysdate]
By Tracy Simmons
The three Opus Prize finalists sat amongst students, faith leaders and community members, closed their eyes and listened as prayers gently grazed the walls of Gonzaga’s University Chapel Wednesday evening.
At an interfaith service, led by Bishop Blase Cupich of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, prayers for social change and praise for the honored humanitarians were read, sung or chanted in nine different languages: prayers to love others like God commands, prayers for guidance in bringing the world together, prayers for the powerless.
Finalist Gollapalli Israel, of the Janodayam Social Education Centre in Chennai, India, implored in his native tongue that God would bring strength to those working with the marginalized, and gave thanks for organizations like Opus and Gonzaga for working toward “social justice, human dignity and life.”
Zag Jalene Herron, in the Eskimo language, said in her prayer that humans were made to do good, and student Putter Tiatragul echoed a Buddhist prayer, in Thai, “All religious traditions encourage their followers to create good karma.”
Evelyne Ello Hart delivered a West African prayer, asking for blessings upon the Opus prize finalists.
“We pray for those who protect and for those who serve will triumph, so that people will always overcome darkness,” Baba Ji Gurjeet Singh Aujla of the Sikh Gudwara of Spokane, chanted in Punjabi.
“Amens” from the room-filled crowed quietly followed the prayers, until each was read.
“We have just heard a number of prayers spokane in different languages, sung in others that we don’t recognize, and yet we hear our own voices in those prayers because they were prayers that came from the heart and that is the point of unity that draws us together,” said Cupich, who was on the Opus Prize nominating jury. “ The Lord beats in each one of our hearts, the God of all creation is present in each one of us.”
The finalists will be recognized Thursday at 7 p.m. at a ceremony and reception at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. The three finalists will be introduced in short videos that outline their work and impact. One will be announced as winner of the Opus Prize. The two finalists will each receive $100,000.
