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Written by: Kamran Mofid

Published: 09 July 2017

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The Story of a Boy from Iran who became a Man in Coventry

Photo: Anne Mofid

"Father Forgive"-these two words which I discovered at the ruins of Coventry Cathedral in 1973 changed the course of my life.

Father Forgive: It’s Impact on Me 

'...In short, looking back, I believe one experience of that day, has had a major impact on me. That was when Annie (my future wife) and I were at the ruins of the old cathedral. I saw the ruined altar, with a charred cross, a replica of the original, its burnt blackness in startling contrast to the clean polished wood of most church crosses I had seen in Oxford or London. Then on the wall behind the altar, I noticed two words that had been carved into the red sandstone, their letters a foot high: FATHER, FORGIVE.

I asked Annie: “Who is the Father?” and “Forgive who?” She tried to the best of her ability to answer me. But, I am sure she knew that I was not getting it:

Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, All in one! Forgiving the Germans, who had just destroyed the cathedral and the city! Wow! What next?!

Now, who would have guessed, who could have believed, one day, that young man inspired and fuelled by what he had seen in an early morning visit to Coventry Cathedral in 1973, would end up co-founding the Centre for the Study of Forgiveness and Reconciliation at Coventry University in 1996: This is the story, “My Coventry Story” which I would love to share with you all.'...

ST MICHAEL'S HOUSE, Coventry Cathedral,

11 PRIORY ROW      CV1 5EX

7.00pm Wednesday 26 July 2017

My Story is My Witness: A Story of Suffering and Hope

The Healing Power of Storytelling

“To be a person is to have a story to tell.” — Isak Dinesen

Storytelling has the capacity to touch our deepest emotions and it can allow us to peer at beauty.  We glance at our own creativity and breathe our own thoughts.  But more than that: Storytelling is also a wonderful path to set ourselves free, by opening our hearts to others and letting them in; becoming one with one another.

Because, after all, as many have reminded us, the best way to know truth, wisdom or beauty is to try to express it and share it with others.”

Storytelling - opening our hearts to others - is instrumental in enhancing inclusion, social justice, cultural life, and improving physical and emotional health at the individual, local, national and international levels.

Moreover, storytelling nurtures both the young people and the older generation by providing a spiritual path to a meaningful and rewarding intergenerational dialogue, benefiting each group equally.

Storytelling also builds community. Storytelling, as has been noted, is a means of bridging gaps of cultural difference. Hearing another person’s story promotes empathy and recognition of a common humanity that is a basis for respecting human rights. Knowing and celebrating one’s own cultural stories builds self-esteem. Knowing and celebrating others’ cultural stories creates cross-cultural awareness and understanding.

I am grateful to the Reconciliation Ministry at Coventry Cathedral and St. Michael’s House, for their invitation, enabling me to tell “My Coventry Story”.

For further details and contact please see: St. Michael's House, Coventry Cathedral-EVENTS