History

When we talk about a "Festival of Faiths," we are referring to a sustained series of annual events and programs, scheduled each year over the course of several consecutive days. Our mission is to celebrate the diversity of our faiths, be grateful for our unity and strengthen the role of religion in society. We accomplish our mission by exploring how the different participating faith traditions address a common issue, topic or theme.

In 1998, the US Senate adopted a resolution stating that the "Louisville Festival of Faiths should be commended and should serve as a model for similar festivals in other communities throughout the United States." Over the years, CHF has received regular requests for information and assistance from people around the world who were interested in exploring how the Festival of Faiths model might serve as a model to foster Interreligious cooperation in their own communities.

The Center for Interfaith Relations was formerly the Cathedral Heritage Foundation (CHF). Founded in 1985, CHF undertook the work of restoring the historic Cathedral of the Assumption. As that work progressed and was completed over a ten-year period, CHF’s mission broadened, and the organization evolved - based upon the role of the Cathedral as a civic resource to the community - and began to offer interfaith programming in the Cathedral’s restored spaces.

The Cathedral Heritage Foundation aspired to complete three goals:

• To restore the 1852 Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption to its former glory as an inspiring, historic, sacred space and a downtown gathering point for people of all faith traditions;
• To model how a house of worship can use its facilities to foster interfaith understanding and cooperation;
• To promote understanding and cooperation among all houses of worship and faith traditions within the Louisville community through such programs as: Arts and Music, Spiritual Life Lecture Series and the annual Festival of Faiths.

Having attained all three goals, in 2006 the board of CHF chose the organization’s new name, Center for Interfaith Relations, to make clear to the whole community its nonsectarian framework and to more accurately relect its focus on interfaith understanding, cooperation and action.

The Center of Interfaith Relations facilitates the Festival of Faiths.