This year on January 21st of 2024, many across the world celebrated World Religion Day. This day helps to spread awareness to different religions such as Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism, Buddhism, and Islamism. This national day provides an opportunity for people around the world to educate themselves on religions that guide and inspire their peers, and see commonalities between their religion and someone else’s. Here at Olympia we have many students and teachers that follow some of these different religions.
“I am a Roman Catholic. My favorite part of being a Roman Catholic is the tradition, the mass, communion, the catholic community that we belong to, and doing things within that community,” Mr. Raymond Bornacelli, a world history teacher said.
“I am a Christian. My favorite part of being a Christian is being in church on Sundays and being surrounded by other believers,” guidance counselor Ms. Jasmine Hollis stated.
“The religion I follow is Islam. My favorite part of Islam is Ramadan. Ramadan is a holy month in
our calendar where we fast for 30 days that lasts from sunrise to sundown,” junior Palestinian Olympia student Zaina Mari explained.
“I am Christian and my favorite part of my religion is the warmth and love you get from Jesus. While you’re on a path he shows, guides, and gives you the strength as you go on that path. Even though sometimes it may be hard and the adversity may be tough, he still shows you that there’s a way to go through things and that there is warmth and love as you go through life,” senior Isaiah Deshommes expressed.
“I believe in Judaism. My favorite part of the religion is becoming a bar/bat mitzvah. At age 13, kids get to read the Torah and lead a service at temple. This is such an amazing opportunity to become comfortable with Hebrew and closer with the Jewish community. It is overall a fun weekend by leading services Friday night and Saturday morning as well as a big party on Saturday night. You get to be with your friends and feel special on this occasion. It is definitely a lot of work preparing for this day as we have years of Hebrew school, but it shows hard work pays off,” senior Molly Bryan said.
“My religion is Christianity and my favorite part about my religion is that others who follow my religion all come together as one instead of it being an individual thing,” senior Moses Aristide explained.
It is important that many get an understanding of the different religions that the people surrounding them follow. Encountering individuals from diverse religious backgrounds, attending events hosted by non-religious organizations, and interacting with others to gain a deeper understanding of their perspectives and values are some of the most enjoyable ways to commemorate this day.
