Welcome...

... to the Women’s Interfaith Institute in the Finger Lakes! We are a non-profit organization founded in 2002 and dedicated to promoting understanding, cooperation, peace, and women’s leadership. The Women’s Interfaith Institute in the Finger Lakes is affiliated with the Women’s Interfaith Institute in the Berkshires and we share a common vision:

Circles of women are powerful vessels
that can call forth visions and longings not yet known.
Coming together to mirror our strengths and wisdom
is vital food for sustained and inspired action.

We are committed to pluralism and diversity in all our gatherings,
celebrations, seminars, workshops, retreats and conferences.

In February 2003, the Institute in the Finger Lakes purchased the historic church located next door to the Visitors’ Center of the Women’s Rights National Historical Park. We recognized the importance of such a location after receiving an inquiry from a woman in Canada:

Q:Is there a building anywhere else in the world
dedicated to women and interfaith work?
A: Not to our knowledge. The Institute in Seneca Falls is unique.

Since our initial blessing ceremony in June 2003, we have hosted several programs, including the 150th anniversary celebration of the ordination of Antoinette Brown Blackwell, the first American woman to be ordained. We have hosted a theater group, had a book-signing event and a weekly conversation group on how people of different religions might relate to one another. Our library of several thousand books on women and religion and related subjects is open to all persons with an interest in reading and learning.

At our Grand Opening Celebration, Bringing Peace to Life, a letter was read from New York State Senator Michael Nozzolio that states our belief about the value of the Women's Interfaith Institute perfectly:

"There is no better venue
for an interfaith educational resource for women
than the birthplace of women's rights."

The Women's Interfaith Institute of the Finger Lakes is a member of the
North American Interfaith Network. A link to their web page would be www.nain.org
Always feel free to contact us at any time for more information.

Shalom, Salaam, Peace.