PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — “We’re all in this together.” It’s a simple concept, but also one that, at times, feels distant.
Father John Daya, pastor at Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church on South 13th Street, between Market and Chestnut streets, tries to push back against currents of divisiveness.
“Our theme, our motto at St. John’s is ‘all are welcome,’ ” Daya said. “It doesn’t matter their race or sexual orientation. It doesn’t matter whether they’re male or female. It doesn’t matter what they are.”
That’s why, nearly a decade ago, Daya didn’t bat an eye when he was approached by a group of Muslims in need of a space for Friday prayer. He showed them one of the church’s meeting rooms, and just like that, Center City Mosque had somewhere to go.
“It’s my own philosophy in life that it doesn’t matter to me what faith a person has. The most important thing is that we’re all in this together,” said Daya. “We are believers, we are faithful people, and we’re called to help each other and support each other.”
Center City Mosque was founded in the 1990s by Muslim professionals who wanted to pray between traditional 9-to-5 business hours. To this day, the mosque remains semi-nomadic, continuing to raise funds for a permanent home.
“We were going from one place to the other, but the numbers [of congregants] became too large,” said Mohammed I. Shariff, who belongs to Center City Mosque. “We were blessed to meet Father John Daya.”
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Not only does St. John’s have the size to accommodate Center City Mosque, but it also has the necessary facilities for Muslim worship. Before praying, as part of a process called ablution, Muslims must properly wash, cleansing their hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, head, ears and feet.
“The fact that we have a safe haven to go, a place of solace at the church, means a lot,” Shariff said, particularly during Ramadan, which ends Sunday evening.
“This has been a fantastic relationship,” added Daya. “Over the past eight, nine years, I have gotten to meet several of the individuals who come for prayer, and I know them on the streets now, and we greet each other. I gained a knowledge of the whole Muslim tradition.”
Last summer, the FBI made hate crimes and civil rights a top national threat priority. Later in the year, a new study from the bureau showed that hate crimes in the United States reached their highest level since 2008.
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Daya hopes St. John’s, which was founded in the 19th century, sets a good example.
“The greatest message that can be spread is that people see both of these communities — the Catholic community of St. John’s and the Muslim community coming to prayer — bonding with each other. I think that speaks greatly.
“It’s unfortunate that we can’t change the minds of a lot of people or have people be more accepting of each other, but this is our small way of doing it.”
“This is, I guess, more of a deeper context,” echoed Shariff. “People of faith are there for each other. If it’s someone who’s Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sikh or Hindu, we’re there for each other. We see each other as people of faith, and Father John Daya has been there for us, helping our community.”
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