In 1975, at the Art Exhibition’s final stop in San Francisco, Oomoto performed a worship service at Grace Cathedral. Two years later, in 1977, Dean Rodgers of the Cathedral reciprocated by celebrating an Episcopal service at Kameoka.
The United Religions
In June 1995, a San Francisco group led by Bishop William Swing proposed the creation of a United Religions “to make peace among religions, leading to cooperative action for the sake of all life on earth”.
n July 1996 Bishop Swing visited Oomoto as part of a worldwide trip to seek advice and commitment from religious leaders. Oomoto welcomed his proposal as embracing the same ideals which Onisaburo had voiced in founding
the World Federation of Religions in Peking.
Bishop Swing’s visit led to a delegation from the Oomoto Youth Department conducting a Shinto service and offering Noh music and tea ceremony at Grace Cathedral in October 1996, renewing an interfaith bond made 21 years earlier.
James Parks Morton
James Parks Morton was inaugu-rated as Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 1972, and has since become a prominent leader of the world interfaith move-ment. Under him, the Cathedral has hosted count-less joint worship events, seminars, conferences, concerts, and art ex-hibitions to further understanding between religions.
Oomoto counts Dean Morton and his wife Pamela among its closest friends. They have visited the Oomoto Headquarters on numerous occasions, and their daugh-ter Polly Barton spent six months at Oomoto studying traditional Japanese weaving.
The Interfaith Center of
New York
In January 1997, James Morton will retire from his position as Dean to devote himself to establishing the world’s first “Interfaith Center” in New York. The Center — with worship spaces, library, event and exhibition halls — will educate citizens and travelers to New York about the world’s religions, train reli-gious and civic leaders to be active in resolving conflicts, and provide spaces for religious ceremonies and art performances. Oomoto looks forward to participating in the Interfaith Center as the next chapter of its decades long friendship with James Morton.