“Ripples of Kindness: An Interfaith Community Meal”
Ripples of Kindness (ROK) is an Interfaith Community Meal that was started because of the Catholic desire to reach out to people in the community who face social isolation, poverty and homelessness, and other societal struggles. RoK is an inter-faith and intercultural event, and we welcome everyone with an attitude of dialogue and respect for each other, and it is in this environment that we serve the other and build community through hospitality and the breaking of bread.

Our Community Meal gives us an opportunity to listen to our guests. It is about listening and being open and allowing the Spirit to teach us through our guests and strangers. As Pope Francis often reminds us, “We have to respect truth wherever it is found.” Hospitality therefore has a special meaning for our Interfaith Community Meal as it is a celebration of how we receive our guests, including those of other faiths and those of no faith. In our view, guests must be honoured by welcoming them.

The Community meal is served at the Sacre-Coeur Church located at 381 Sherbourne Street, on the NE corner of Sherbourne and Carlton. ROKserves to enable people to gather for lunch in an atmosphere of friendship and hospitality. The food is prepared by a variety of faith communities, and all are welcome to join us.

Vision: One of the main themes of ROK is ‘sharing inter-faith hospitality’ - ROK is an inter-faith and intercultural event, and we welcome everyone with an attitude of dialogue and respect for each other, and it is in this environment that we serve the other and build community through hospitality and the breaking of bread.

Mission: ROK gives us the opportunity to show hospitality and camaraderie as we listen to the other while sharing a hot meal. Through friendship, we have learned that by working together as members of different faiths, we can accomplish great things and show our concern for one another regardless of religion, race, color, gender and social status.
How has the Spirit spoken to us?

During ROK, we have observed the importance of hospitality in coming together as an Interfaith community and realize that we sometimes have little in common with a stranger, yet we come together as neighbours and friends, each with our individual stories. Our Community Meal gives us an opportunity to listen to our guests. It is about listening and being open and allowing the Spirit to teach us through our guests and strangers. Hospitality is a celebration of how we receive our guests, including those of other faiths and those of no faith. In our view, guests must be honoured by welcoming them.

Our Ripples of Kindness Community Meal allows us to reaffirm the idea that hospitality is an attitude, a part of everything that we do. It is an act of opening doors for people; it is in us, and we are a part of it as we live it and we continue to grow by living each day. Hospitality therefore moves through us and towards others. It promotes mutual understanding, cooperation and unity among our volunteers and guests.

Bishop Desmond Tutu once remarked, “We are made for goodness. We are made for love. We are made for togetherness. We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all. We all belong to this family, this human family, God’s family.”

We are very thankful for the many others who have devoted their time and energy in helping to provide the community meals, and we are truly thankful and acknowledge the many gifts of the Spirit at work with ROK.

The Guru Nanak Langar Sewa Society Toronto, partnering with ROK. ROK now being hosted by our Sikh brothers and Sisters. Langar is the Sikh communal kitchen and is the Sikh tradition of serving free Vegetarian meals to people and everyone is invited to partake in this beautiful version of Hospitality. This selfless act of kindness ensures that millions of meals are served each day throughout the world and gives hope that hunger can one day be eradicated.

Articles about Ripples of Kindness

• Downtown program ripples of kindness
  By Luke Mandato - April 4, 2024
• Church on the Street: In this ‘pop-up’ community, all are one
  By Robert Kinghorn - November 12, 2018
• Young evangelists heed cries of the poor
  By Robert Kinghorn - March 20, 2018