2024 James Parks Morton Interfaith Award Honorees | ICNY (original) (raw)

The Interfaith Center of New York is proud to announce our 2024 James Parks Morton Interfaith Award honorees: His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis) of America, Most Honorable Exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and Singer, Songwriter, and Social Activist Judy Collins.

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis) of America, Most Honorable Exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, is the eighth Archbishop of America elected since the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in 1922.

Archbishop Elpidophoros was born in 1967 in Bakirköy, Istanbul. He studied at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki — School of Pastoral and Social Theology, from which he graduated in 1991. In 1993, he finished his postgraduate studies at the Philosophical School of the University of Bonn, Germany, submitting a dissertation entitled, “The Brothers Nicholas and John Mesarites: Defenders of Orthodoxy in the Union Negotiations from 1204 to 1214 (in the historical and theological framework of the era).” He was ordained a Deacon in 1994 at the Patriarchal Cathedral and was thereafter appointed as the Codecographer of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

In 1995, he was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod. From 1996-1997 he studied at the Theological School of St. John the Damascene in Balamand, Lebanon, where he improved his knowledge of the Arabic language. In 2001, he presented his doctoral dissertation at the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki under the title, “The Opposing Stance of Severus of Antioch at the Council of Chalcedon,” earning him a Doctorate of Theology with highest distinction. In 2004, he was invited to Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA, where he taught as a visiting professor for one semester.

In March 2005, at the proposal of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, he was promoted by the Holy and Sacred Synod to the position of Chief Secretary and was ordained to the priesthood by the Ecumenical Patriarch in the Patriarchal Cathedral. In 2009, he submitted two dissertations to the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki — School of Pastoral and Social Theology and was unanimously elected Assistant Professor of Symbolics, Inter-Orthodox Relations and the Ecumenical Movement. The dissertations are entitled: “The Synaxes of the Hierarchy of the Ecumenical Throne (1951-2004)” and “Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses: Historical and Theological Aspects. Text – Translation – Commentary.” In 2018, he was elected full professor at the same university, a position he held until his election as Archbishop of America.

In March 2011, he was elected Metropolitan of Bursa, and in August of the same year was appointed Abbot of the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of the Holy Trinity on the island of Halki. He has served as the Orthodox Secretary of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Lutheran World Federation and as a member of the Patriarchal delegations to the General Assemblies of the Conference of European Churches and the World Council of Churches. He was the Secretary of the Pan-Orthodox Synods in Sofia (1998), Istanbul (2005), Geneva (2006), and Istanbul (2008). He has been an active member of the World Council of Churches serving on its Central Committee and also serving on its Faith and Order Commission since 1996.

On May 11, 2019, he was elected Archbishop of America by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and was enthroned at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City on June 22 of the same year.

Judy Collins has long inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 55-album body of work, and heed inspiration from her spiritual discipline to thrive in the music industry for half a century.

The award-winning singer-songwriter is esteemed for her imaginative interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk standards and her own poetically poignant original compositions. Her stunning rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” from her landmark 1967 album, Wildflowers, has been entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Judy’s dreamy and sweetly intimate version of “Send in the Clowns,” a ballad written by Stephen Sondheim for the Broadway musical A Little Night Music, won “Song of the Year” at the 1975 Grammy Awards. She’s garnered several top-ten hits gold- and platinum-selling albums. Recently, contemporary and classic artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Shawn Colvin, Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, and Leonard Cohen honored her legacy with the album Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins.

The cultural treasure’s 55th album, Spellbound, was released in February 2022, finds Judy enjoying an artistic renaissance. The 13 song album is a special entry in her oeuvre. It marks the first time ever she wrote all the songs on one of her albums. It features 12 new recently-written modern folk songs, and a bonus track of her evergreen, “The Blizzard.” Spellbound is an introspective and impressionistic album. It unfolds as if Judy curated a museum exhibit of her life, and welcomed us into a retrospective of her most formative moments, some big and public, and some intensely personal and intimate. Spellbound has been nominated in the Best Folk Album category at the 65th Recording Academy Grammy Awards in 2023.

(Photo credit: Shervin Lainez)

Past Award Recipients

2023

Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beit Simchat TorahDr. Uma Mysorekar, F.A.C.O.G., President of the Hindu Temple Society of North AmericaDirector Joshua Seftel and the creative team behind the Academy award nominee documentary short Stranger at the Gate

Faith Justice Hero Award:

Imam Omar Niass
Adama Bah

2022

Ruby Bridges, civil rights activist who established the Ruby Bridges Foundation, and recipient of the NAACP Martin Luther King Award (among others)
Amed Khan, human rights advocate, political activist, and philanthropist, founder of Elpida Home and president of Zaka Khan Foundation.

Faith Justice Hero Award:

Dr. Sarah Sayeed

2021
Dr. Diana Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University and Founder of The Pluralism Project Congresswoman Grace Meng, U.S. House of Representatives, 6th District of New York, and Sponsor of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act

Faith Justice Hero Award:

Vijah Ramjattan
Pandit Vyaas Sukul

2020

Anna Deavere Smith, Actress, Playwright, Teacher, and Author. Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President Emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF)

Faith Justice Hero Award:

The Venerable Ming Yu

2019

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Sex Therapist, Media Personality, and Author The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church

Faith Justice Hero Award:

Chaplain Imam Dr. Ahmed Atlig, Imam and Secretary-General of Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF)

2018

Mary Jane Brock, ICNY’s first board chair in 2002 and vice-chair of the Big Apple Circus 1990-2015 Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Ryan Deitsch and Chris Grady, Parkland, Florida student activists

2017

Preet Bharara, former US attorney of the Southern District of New York Ann Rockefeller Roberts, founder, and president of the Fund of the Four Directions, philanthropist, humanitarian, and best-selling author. The Community of Sant’Egidio, a Roman Catholic movement of 60,000 lay people based on prayer, solidarity, ecumenicism, and dialogue

2015

Bob Abernethy, Executive Editor, and Host of PBS/Thirteen’s Religion & Ethics Newsweekly Promise for the Future Award:
James Venturi, Urban Strategist

2014

The Honorable Al Gore, 45th Vice President of the United States, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Peter L. Zimroth, Senior Counsel, Arnold & Porter LLP; Director, Center on Civil Justice, NYU Law School Mrs. Gaetana Enders, Humanitarian His Holiness Sri Swami Satchidananda (posthumous), Interfaith Visionary; Founder, Integral Yoga International

2013

Rev. Dr. C. T. Vivian, Veteran Civil Rights Activist & Colleague of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bill Moyers, Host, PBS Bill Moyers Journal Judith Moyers, CEO, Public Affairs Television Russell Simmons, Chairman, Foundation for Ethnic Understanding Sister Pat Farrell, OSF, Vice President, Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque & Past President, Leadership Conference of Women Religious

2012

Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Abigail Disney, Philanthropist and Filmmaker

2011

Wynton Marsalis, Composer and Musician

2010

Philip Glass, Composer and Musician

2009

Thomas Cahill, Author The Hon. Judith S. Kaye, Chief Judge of the State of New York

2008

Dr. Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Foundation Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, Rabbi of Jewish Community in the Hague and Dutch Interfaith Leader His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, Spiritual Leader of the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism

2007

Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, Environmental Human Rights Interfaith Leader Rev. Kyotaro Deguchi, Japanese and Global Shinto Interfaith Leader Nicholas D. Kristof, Pulitzer-Prize winning Op-Ed columnist and Global Human Rights Advocate Steven Rockefeller, Educator and Global Environmentalist; creator of The Earth Charter Carl Sagan, Posthumous award for pioneering work in astronomy, the environment, and interfaith activities Paul Winter, Environmental Musician

2006

The Hon. Stephen Breyer, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the IAEA AND 2005 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Richard Gere, Human Rights Activist Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, and his wife, Daisy Khan, Founders American Society for Muslim Advancement Her Holiness Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), Spiritual Leader and Humanitarian from southern India

2005

No award, instead there was a celebration of The Very Rev. James Parks Morton’s 75th birthday

2004

Santiago and Robertina Calatrava, Spanish Architect and his wife/administrator/lawyer Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Actors and Civil Rights Activists Judge Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Muslim Judge, Human Rights Activist Philippe Petit and his partner Kathy O’ Donnell, World Trade Center High Wire Walker

2003

Daniel and Nina Libeskind, Architects and Winners of the Master Plan Design for Ground Zero Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, former Archbishop of Southern Africa

2002

Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States of America Alan Slifka, Interfaith Philanthropist James Carroll, Author

1997

H. H. the Dalai Lama, 1989 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravi Shankar, Musician and Peace Activist

The James Parks Morton Interfaith Award is named in tribute of The Interfaith Center of New York’s founder the Very Rev. James Parks Morton and recognizes individuals or organizations that exemplify an outstanding commitment to promoting human development and peace — values shared by the world’s great religious traditions.