Community Outreach
The Capital Region Interfaith Council (CRIC) is a non-profit organization formed in November 1997 by Dr. Madhu Sahasrabudhe, the first Vice President (Religion) of the Hindu Temple, with two other faith leaders, one from the Anglican (Christian) community and the other representing the Muslim Faith. Dr. Sahasrabudhe served as President for several years.
CRIC helps to spread the message of appreciating the religious diversity and commonality that exists within the region. By way of recognition of its efforts, CRIC has been increasingly invited to participate in or organize celebratory events, to promote the concept of a secular society, and to recognize the role that religion can play in creating a peaceful global world and combating religious intolerance.
Representative Faith Communities in CRIC:
Ahmadiyya Community - Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Anglican Diocese, Baha’i Faith, Buddhist, Catholic Diocese, Christian Science, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Coptic Orthodox Church, Quakers (Religious Society of Friends), Falun Dafa, Family Federation for World Peace & Unification, Hindu, Indigenous, Islam, Jain, Judaism, Sikh, Sri Chinmaya Meditation Centre, Unitarian Universalist, United Church of Canada, Zoroastrian
Observer Status: Faith and the Common Good, Ottawa Police
CRIC holds meetings on the second Sunday of every month, where current issues are discussed, and the members present their views on a particular topic chosen for the month in “I and My Faith.” Each Faith representative prepares a 5-minute presentation on that topic. This involves some amount of research to understand the views of the religion he/she represents and to condense the information for the short presentation.
The two major events that CRIC holds every year are the Joy of Faith Celebration in June and the Interfaith Prayer Service in October. Until the onset of the Pandemic, these events used to be good gatherings where individuals and groups from various faiths present music and dance related to the faiths. Choir Music from some churches was also presented. This was held virtually for the past couple of years and hopefully, we will soon resume in-person gatherings.
For the last 14 years, Hindu Temple has participated ONLY ONE DAY -SATURDAY FROM 10 AM TO 4 PM. Visitors numbers anywhere from 120 up to 280 visitors, on a sunny day. On average, about 200 per year (of one day, Sat. only) visitors have taken the temple tour. Visitors were very happy,appreciated the guided tours, felt that they learned more clearly about Hinduism and thanked for the opportunity
What is Doors Open Ottawa?
Doors Open Ottawa is a weekend celebration of our architectural heritage when historic and architecturally significant buildings open their doors to the public, free of charge.
Most participating buildings are not normally opened to the public. Building owners welcome the public in for tours, special exhibits, and one-on-one conversations about the history and design of the buildings. During this event, you’ll learn more than you ever thought possible about the built spaces of Ottawa and their effect on our history.
Doors Open Ottawa is the once-a-year chance to fully explore your city literally from the ground up!
What buildings will be open during Doors Open Ottawa?
113 buildings of architectural, historical or functional significance will be opening their doors each year. Check out the list of buildings for more information.
Do I need to register in advance to visit a building?
The best ways to plan your Doors Open Ottawa itinerary is to visit the Participating Buildings page, and to read the Event Guide, which is published in the Ottawa Citizen and Le Droit in the week prior to the event. A few buildings require pre-registration for tours, so read carefully, but most welcome you to make your way to the building and walk right on in!
The Temple initiated these seminars in 2012 and are held every month on the second Sunday, 2-3 PM. Various important health topics that affect people's health of people, are covered by experts in the fields from the local hospitals and universities, as well as visiting scholars from outside the country. The main emphasis is on prevention. These seminars are well attended (over 100 devotees each month) and well appreciated. Till March 2020, 87 health seminars have been conducted.
The Spiritual Care Advisory Committee (SCAC) is the oldest Advisory Committee at The Ottawa Hospital and has been operating since 1997.
The Spiritual Care Services team consists of a dedicated group of individuals who are committed to caring for the human spirit.
SCAC serves as a link between the complementary roles of The Ottawa Hospital and the local faith and cultural communities in providing for the spiritual needs of patients and their families. SCAC serves as an advisory group for and supports Spiritual Care Services at the hospital.
Spiritual Care volunteers are members of the different religious communities in the Ottawa area. Their role is to visit patients who are of their faith groups while they are at The Ottawa Hospital.
Community clergy is faith leaders in the different religious communities in the Ottawa area. Their role is to provide ongoing support while the members of their communities are patients at The Ottawa Hospital, offering them their religious rites.
Spirituality can have a profound effect on the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of people’s lives. Spiritual support and resources can have a key role in our journey toward healing.
Spiritual Care Services provides spiritual, religious, and emotional support for patients and families.
The Ottawa Hospital recognizes the importance of spiritual care in the healing process. As spiritual care professionals, we provide spiritual support and sanctuary through engaging persons in healing dialogue, therapeutic ritual, and heartfelt presence, while respecting individual beliefs and values, which include:
Compassion: empathic expression is essential to accompanying patients in their healing process and working with patients, families, and staff to promote a spirit of peace, reconciliation, and hope.
Teamwork: The spiritual and religious needs of patients are best addressed when we collaborate with the patient, the family, the healthcare team, and the faith communities.
Respect for the Individual: Ethical approach in nourishing the human spirit by respecting the individual’s personal, spiritual, and cultural beliefs within the context of a healing community. The Hospital is committed to supporting the ongoing humanization of the healthcare experience.
Sacred Space: We value and promote the availability and accessibility of a designated sacred space for meditation and worship
TOH-SCAC had an On-Chaplain Program where several SCAC Volunteer Faith leaders used to be called upon to offer prayer, chants, consolation, and comforting of the patients and families. For several years, the Temple had participated in this program and visited the Hospitals on various occasions, day, or night, under all weather conditions.
We continue to do this and this year (2022) alone, we had to visit the Intensive Care Unit, the Heart Institute, etc., several times, to offer our services to affected families.
This committee, CCAC, was established several years ago and many Faith communities used to be represented in that, including our own Temple. We used to have monthly meetings, mostly at the Civic campus, but with occasional meetings at The General and the Riverside Campuses. The purpose was to discuss the problems faced by patients and their families in dealing with the Hospital. One of the key issues was Parking, as Hospital Parking is restricted or limited and no closed Street Parking is available. The Civic and General Parking lots are quite full most of the time and no street parking is available close by. Other issues considered and discussed were ambulances and waiting times during Emergencies. The community representatives made good suggestions on many of these issues. The Hospital Representatives (including the then CEO) were always receptive to suggestions, although without much relief or solutions to problems.
On behalf of the Hindu temple, we have made suggestions and have made presentations on topics. After a few years, the Committee was dissolved, presumable due to financial constraints, as we were told.
The Temple has been approached by the RCMP to provide input into their social programs on several aspects of Crime Prevention and keeping peace in the community. RCMP has also been generous in assisting the temple during large gatherings for special festivals such as Diwali.
Recently RCMP approached us for our help in writing a guide for the families of homicide victims and missing persons. The guide is intended to address the barriers for families, involving jurisdictional barriers for the victim and family members living in different police jurisdictions and/or provinces/territories. The guide will be available regardless of where the homicide occurred and where the family lives. The guide will also help in understanding different areas of the criminal justice system - police investigation, medical examiners, prosecution, corrections, parole, and victim services.
In particular, the sensitive issue of talking about what happens to a loved one’s body will be considered. RCMP wants to engage different faith groups to understand and follow the religious requirements or preferences related to a decedent. The temple will provide information and suggestions to RCMP from a Hindu perspective.
Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is a not-for-profit charitable organization that operates independently from the government and forms a part of Canada’s broader network of healthcare systems. It acts as the connection between donors and patients, healthcare professionals, and medical researchers. They are responsible for a secure, reliable, accessible, and sustainable system for transfusion and transplantation.
They provide blood, and plasma, as well as transfusion and stem cell registry services.
They collect, test, and manufacture blood and blood products, including red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Plasma is collected from volunteer donors in Canada, most of which is shipped to contract manufacturers who create plasma protein products for distribution to hospitals to treat patients.
Their stem cell program supports patients living with disorders that can be treated with stem cell transplants. A national registry of potential adult stem cell donors and participants is maintained for the best potential matches between those donors and recipients. A national transplant registry for inter-provincial organ sharing is also maintained for organ and tissue donation and transplantation (OTDT). Canadian Blood Services conducts research and development activities to support problem-solving in the blood supply chain, contributing to improvements in quality and efficiency, professional education and public awareness activities related to transfusion and transplantation, and sharing our knowledge and expertise with healthcare partners.
CBS consults with Faith organizations for their input into the specific requirements needed as suggested in different scriptures. Our Temple had participated extensively in the past by attending regular monthly meetings organized by CBS, giving talks on the spiritual needs prescribed under Hindu traditions., etc. The program is currently on hold due to financial constraints.
Recently a Prayer Room was opened at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre located at 2244 Innes Road. The Rev. Marvin Sinclair, Coordinator Chaplaincy Services, Ministry of the Solicitor General, had invited several Faith leaders to come and say prayers for the occasion, and our Hindu Temple was represented by one of our devotees, Shri Rajan Ramanujam, who offered a prayer, quoting from the scriptures. The Chaplaincy Services of the Centre very much appreciated this.
More recently, the temple has been approached by several organizations that promote the preservation of the environment without pollution, prevent climate change, etc. Some of these include:
Faith4Climate organization:
Faith for the Climate encourages, inspires, and equips faith communities in their work on Climate Change, which is the biggest and most urgent challenge facing humanity. People of faith see our planet as a gift and believe we have a sacred responsibility to care for and protect the Earth’s climate for future generations.
Many of our faiths and belief systems also share a “Golden Rule”: treat others as you wish to be treated. Faith communities have a unique and precious role to play – in our thought, speech, worship, and action, alongside and in partnership with secular environmental organizations – enabling people of faith to live out their calling by acting to protect the climate.
Watersheds Canada and Greening Sacred Spaces
Based in Perth, Ontario, they promote freshwater stewardship and education programs to help people and community groups to connect to local nature and protect it.