The Installation of Rev. Robert Chase

Highlights from the Installation

Sunday (February 24), 300 people gathered at the Hayden Planetarium to participate in the installation of the Rev. Robert Chase as founding director of Intersections. The occasion of the installation became an eclectic, multi-cultural, multi-faith experience that launched the work of Intersections into the public arena.

From the opening note of the conch shell to the closing music taken from the Native American chant, Witchi-Tai-To, the two hour event featured multiple entry points for participants in the diverse gathering to better understand the "intersections" both in their own lives and the world around them.

The choice of the Hayden Planetarium as the venue for this celebration formed a symbolic statement: that the religious community and the scientific community can work together to enhance curiosity, build self-empowerment and promote social justice. Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and J. Bennett Guess, Communication Director of the United Church of Christ were co-keynoters.

The arts were well-represented. Grammy award winner Paul Winter offered musical solos as Melissa Lopez danced. Doug Katsaros and Fred Johnson offered multi-cultural musical expressions and Kim and Reggie Harris, long-time friends of Rev. Chase, took a break from touring to offer songs of healing.

Intersections is an initiative of the Collegiate Church of New York and the "charge" to the church was offered by Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf who traveled to the event from his work with the Government of Malaysia, challenged Intersections to remember the poor and oppressed, to keep justice in the forefront of its work, to be inclusive and welcoming to other faith traditions. Rabbi Naamah Kelman who joined the gathering from Jerusalem, offered the charge to Rev. Chase and quoted Hebrew scripture by encouraging him to seek "justice, justice," implying that there are multiple truths and that true justice can only be achieved by considering different perspectives.

In essence, that is the hallmark of Intersections: bringing people together who differ; honoring those differences while seeking a common ground for global social justice. In ways large and small, symbolic and concrete, this principle was in evidence on Sunday afternoon.

To view images from Sunday's Installation, click here.

To view the new video with quotes from the installation guests, click here.