Interfaith leaders to hold Jan. 4 community prayer vigil
Nearly two dozen faith groups will come together to celebrate the 21st annual Interfaith World Peace Day with a prayer vigil from 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave.
The community is invited to take part in the free event, which will include poetry, dance, music and storytelling.
This year’s theme is “Speak Up! Power in Collective Action.”
Keynote speakers will be the Rev. Janette Wilson, executive director of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and senior adviser to the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Flo Appel, a member of the College of DuPage Board of Trustees and DuPage Indivisible.
Performances include the Midwest Ismaili Choir, a Hindu dance group, a Baha’i musical group, the young-adults group from the Buddhist Temple of Chicago and the spirit band from First Congregational Church of Christ, Naperville, organizers said.
The event celebrates the diversity of faith communities and offers a chance for the community to come together to reject attempts to weaponize religion as a means of promoting hate and division, organizers said.
Sponsors include those representing Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, Bahai, Buddhist, Sikh, Zoroastrian, Celtic and Hindu faith communities.
For more information, contact the Naperville Interfaith Leaders Association at napervilleinterfaith.org.
Settlement hosting history lectures in January, February
Naper Settlement is planning three history lectures as part of its “Your Friendly Neighborhood Historian” series.
Each hour-long program takes place at 7 p.m. at the settlement, 523 S. Webster St. The cost is $10 per person and registration is required.
The first event on Jan. 22 will commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and focus on the Declaration of Independence.
On Feb. 11, Connie Martin will share stories of using quilts containing hidden codes and secret messages that helped guide slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. These stories have been passed down to her through generations, the settlement said, and Martin’s mother, Clarice Boswell, wrote a book,” Lizzie’s Story: A Slave Family’s Journey to Freedom.”
Another historic presentation will be held Feb. 19 on the U.S. founding fathers and the Revolutionary War.
Settlement officials said the programs are designed to explore major events in American history with a focus on the misunderstood or overlooked aspects.
To register, go to www.napersettlement.org.
Eagle Watch, an annual free celebration of the once-endangered bald eagle, will be held Jan. 10 at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon. (Chad Merda/Forest Preserve District of Will County)
Eagle Watch features bird presentations, guided hikes
Forest Preserve District of Will County is planning Eagle Watch, an annual free celebration of the once-endangered bald eagle, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, 25055 W. Walnut Lane, Channahon.
There will be live bird presentations, guided outdoor hikes, family crafts, a scavenger hunt and a food truck.
The hikes will allow visitors to view eagles that nest near Four Rivers. Other eagles may be spotted searching for fish in the river, according to a forest preserve district news release.
Jess McQuown, a program coordinator at Four Rivers, said Will County had a successful bald eagle nesting season this year. Eagle Watch gives visitors a chance to see eagles in Will County where they once were a rare sight, he said.
There are an estimated 3,100 eagles that spend winter in Illinois, the biggest population outside of Alaska, the forest preserve district release said.
Hoo Haven, a wildlife rehabilitation and education center in Durand, will hold live bird presentations at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. with a meet and greet at 12:30 p.m.
Guided outdoor hikes will take place on paved trails and will be held at 11:50 a.m. and 12:55 and 2:20 p.m.
For more information, go to www.reconnectwithnature.org.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/26/naperville-interfaith-prayer-eagles-history-settlement/
