UIW and the Interfaith San Antonio Alliance Host the Second Annual Festival of Faiths
By Devin Castillo
The University of the Incarnate Word’s (UIW) Mission statement reads that “UIW is a Catholic institution that welcomes to its community persons of diverse backgrounds, in the belief that their respectful interaction advances the discovery of truth, mutual understanding, self-realization and the common good.”
As the largest Catholic university in the state of Texas, UIW is committed to educational excellence in a context of faith in Jesus Christ, while also fostering a culture that allows people of various faith backgrounds to be acknowledged and respected. Through the efforts of UIW’s Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith, Mission and Ministry, Pastoral Institute and more, a community comprised of multiple faith systems has been able to prosper throughout the entire UIW system.
In 2024, UIW was honored to collaborate with the Interfaith San Antonio Alliance (ISAA) and host San Antonio’s inaugural Festival of Faiths, a festival that hosted the city’s diverse communities to “learn about other faiths and cultures, foster understanding, equity and connection” (festivaloffaithssa.org). This year, from 12:30 – 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14, the University will welcome guests to the Broadway campus as it hosts the second annual Festival of Faiths.
The idea for this event started with the Festival of Faiths Director and ISAA Executive Director, Rev. Wyndee Holbrook.
Holbrook was previously familiar with a Festival of Faiths that had been hosted in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky since 1996. Having been a San Antonio resident of nearly nine years now, she became familiar with how rich the city is in culture. However, it’s common for people of specific faith traditions to operate in their own familiar “bubbles” and they are often unaware of other faith traditions that are present within their community. She became determined to host an event in San Antonio inspired by Louisville’s long-standing Festival of Faiths, welcoming people to gather and expand their world view, intentionally choosing to know their neighbors.
During her search for a host location, Holbrook was led to UIW due to her connection with the Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS), Dr. Javier Clavere. Having previously served as interim director of the Pastoral Institute, Clavere had extensive insight into UIW’s Mission, values, history and its broad cross-culture. Feeling that the University reflected a proud sense of identity in its own faith while simultaneously respecting multiple faith systems, Holbrook felt that UIW was the perfect site to host the first-time event, which was held on January 21, 2024.
“The purpose of this event is to celebrate the best of us,” expressed Holbrook. “People come seeking to know and be known. No one comes to persuade anyone, but simply to share who they are and to be open to who other people are.”
Last year, 25 faith traditions were represented at the inaugural festival, including Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and more. This year, approximately 35 faith traditions are expected to be represented at the festival, better representing the numerous faith systems that are present in the San Antonio area.
Additionally, the 2024 Festival of Faiths received an abundance of support, with the event generating 27 partnerships and sponsorships from local organizations. This year is no different, as the festival has received sponsorships from well-known organizations including H-E-B, Frost Bank, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Archdiocese of San Antonio and more!
“Participating in the inaugural Festival of Faiths was a great opportunity for our small congregation to showcase our distinctive culture, heritage, institutions and social initiatives,” shared Munira Tajkhanji, 2024 participating Dawoodi Bohras (Muslim) representative. “The event was a truly enlightening experience reinforcing that our city is a great confluence of faith and culture. We are most grateful, and looking forward to being a part of the 2025 Festival of Faiths!”
This year’s festival will feature a variety of engaging activities that will grow attendees’ knowledge of faith systems and build unification across communities. Talented participants will be featuring musical and dance performances that will demonstrate the vibrancy of their cultures. Guests will also be able to expand their food palettes by tasting cuisines from various cultures at the “Flavors of Faith” food truck alley. Kids are also invited and highly encouraged to attend the festival, as there will be booths with arts-and-crafts activities that will ignite their creativity and allow them to learn about other faiths.
Holbrook hopes that by participating in the festival’s events, that attendees will see that faith isn’t a separate part of one’s being, but rather that it is pervasive throughout one’s life. Faith, in all its many forms, influences art, music, dance and culture. Without faith, the story of humanity is incomplete.
“This (festival) is a space to simply come, engage and safely ask questions. To be able to leave with a sense of, ‘Oh, it's a lot easier to make friends with people who are different than me than I realized.’ We as humanity, are still about this business of living out our values in honor of and reverence to God and also to each other. It’s both.”
"Everyone interested in learning more about others, especially those from a different religion, should come to the Festival of Faiths,” encouraged Michael Romero, director of the Pastoral Institute at UIW. “The festival provides a fun and engaging environment for anyone to explore different faith perspectives with respectful curiosity.
Interfaith dialogue is important for our city for many reasons, not least of which is peace. From the Catholic perspective, the Festival of Faith engages what can be called ‘a dialogue of life’, that is, an aim toward mutual respect and understanding, to the best of our ability and despite our human limitations, that a peaceful and amicable relation exist between neighbors professing different religious convictions. This challenges us. But it is important to know that interfaith dialogue and inter-religious relations can encourage you to become more familiar with your own spiritual heritage, which in turn helps to foster a sense of humility and renew the flame of your own faith."