King’s Coronation Medals Honour Latter-day Saints Involved in Interfaith Work

Seven Canadian members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently received the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of their interfaith work. The medal recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to Canada. To award the medals, the government of Canada partnered with nominating organizations nationwide, including the Canadian Interfaith Conversation (CIC).

The seven recipients have all made substantial contributions to interfaith dialogue across Canada, including organizing and participating in interfaith events, initiatives and projects as well as serving as executives of local interfaith organizations. Each recipient has a unique perspective on the value and importance of their interfaith experience.

Newsroom invited the recipients to share a bit about their work and their thoughts on interfaith engagement.

National Conversations

Sandra Pallin, the national communication director for the Church in Canada, has served on the executive committee of CIC for the past decade. CIC is a national interfaith body that fosters collaboration among local and regional interfaith groups. It sponsors the Our Whole Society conference every two years; Pallin has served on the planning committee for the past five conferences. She commented, “Events like the Our Whole Society conference are important starting places for dialogue and bridge-building if we want to increase understanding and find common ground in Canadian civil society.”

The CIC charter vision expresses a desire to “promote harmony and religious insight, ... strengthen our society’s moral foundations and work for greater realization of the fundamental freedom of conscience and religion” (Canadian Interfaith Conversation Charter Vision, November 21, 2016). CIC addresses issues such as poverty, environmental stewardship and investing in peace, and it works for “greater truth and reconciliation between Indigenous groups and later arrivals of Canadians” (CIC Charter Vision).

Community Connection

Medal recipient Dalton Harding helped establish the Calgary Interfaith Council in 2017. He described a major focus of his interfaith work as mobilizing people of faith to do good within the community.

The Calgary Interfaith Council set a goal to raise money for Habitat for Humanity and achieved this by hosting an interfaith musical evening. In the tradition of Scriptural Reasoning groups that operate worldwide, Harding initiated one such group in Calgary. One person brings forward a sacred text based on a monthly theme, while other participants ask questions and share thoughts from their faith traditions. The group has been running in Calgary for four years.

Harding also collaborates with faith groups in his neighbourhood to plan two annual service projects where members of various congregations work together. Successful projects include making sandwiches for the Mustard Seed drop-in centre and organizing food and clothing drives. A potluck dinner after the service project helps build friendships.

Interfaith Advocacy

Medal recipients Sherry Marceil and Neil McKenzie from British Columbia have focused their interfaith efforts on advocacy. McKenzie expressed, “We need to focus on policy in the public square, which will, once in place, go forward advancing the status of faith by itself forever.”

Similarly, Marceil said, “We advocate to government on behalf of people of faith.” One project was the development of the “Multi-Faith Resource Manual for British Columbia Educators.” They also lead a province-wide professional development day for teachers, educating them on the role of faith in society and providing them with resources for use in the classroom.

Religious Freedom

Chantelle McMullen was recognized for her interfaith work in Edmonton. One of her most successful projects is an annual conference titled “Religious Freedom: A Community Conversation.” The conference gathers speakers from many faiths to build on common ground and emphasize the importance of religious freedom.

McMullen’s interfaith work also includes involvement with the Edmonton Food Drive. She explained that the drive is “the single largest collection event each year for Edmonton’s food bank and 17 other food banks.”

McMullen and her communication team have also harnessed the Church’s JustServe app to connect with Catholic Social Services, helping them find volunteer support for their community.

Deepened Mutual Understanding

Medal recipient John Borrows is Anishinaabe and a member of the Chippewas of the Nawash First Nation. Borrows said, “[Participating in] monthly gatherings of the Victoria Multifaith Society board helped me see my own faith in a broader light.”

Borrows finds profound value in the spirituality of his First Nations teachings, including deep connections with nature. He explained, “Life is at its fullest when we are gentle and quiet.” He advises that “being curious and asking to attend a friend’s worship service deepens mutual understanding and respect.”

Building Friendships

Medal recipient Janet MacLennan has served with Interfaith Harmony Halifax. She says her interfaith work “has been building friendships with people from other faiths, learning to understand and appreciate their faith and how they live it, and giving them the opportunity to meet Latter-day Saints.”

MacLennan has friends from a variety of faiths and has invited some of them to meals in her home. She said, “The greatest thing I have learned is that no matter what religion we practice, if we are sincerely trying to live our faith with integrity, our similarities are much greater than our differences and we can be friends, not enemies.”

Sacred Beliefs Strengthen Pluralistic Societies

President Russell M. Nelson, when addressing the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions, said, “Religion must shoulder greater responsibility in healing the spiritual sickness that engulfs our globe. … Because there is much that is praiseworthy in each of our faiths, it is important for us to maintain the integrity of our religious institutions and to preserve tolerance of each other’s sacred beliefs. These factors are essential to the strength of a pluralistic society” (“Combatting Spiritual Drift — Our Global Pandemic,” September 2, 1993).

When asked what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would like to communicate about interfaith work, Pallin said that Latter-day Saints “have respect for the diverse beliefs and unique contributions of all the world’s faiths. From our earliest beginnings, the prophet Joseph Smith elevated the principle of religious liberty and respect when he stated: ‘We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may’ (“Articles of Faith”).” Latter-day Saints value their friendships with other faith communities and appreciate opportunities to work together to build and strengthen a pluralistic society.

Get Involved

Those interested in participating in interfaith work can contact their local interfaith organization or engage in conversations with friends from different faith traditions. Respectfully learning more about others’ beliefs is a great place to start.