It is with deep sadness and immense gratitude that the United Religions Initiative mourns the passing of Rita R. Semel, co-founder of URI and the first Chair of our Global Council. On June 26, 1995, following the United Nations’ 50th anniversary gathering at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Rita turned to Bishop William E. Swing and said:
We can’t stop here.
Those words helped carry forward the vision that would become URI.
Rita went on to serve as Interim Chair and then as the first Chair of URI’s Global Council, helping guide the organisation through its formative years. Rita served as the first female leader of URI, chairing the first URI Global Council and guiding the organisation through its formative years. Rita presided over the signing of URI’s Charter in Pittsburgh, chaired URI’s first Global Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, and helped shape a global interfaith movement rooted in cooperation, courage, and shared responsibility.
See the full story here.