More than 300 representatives from different faith traditions attended Mayor Eric Adams’ annual Interfaith Breakfast on Thursday, January 30, at the New York Public Library, including two from the Archdiocese of New York.

Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, and Father Ryan Muldoon, director of the archdiocese’s Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue, were both in attendance at the event.

Father Muldoon offered the morning’s invocation. After a reading from Isaiah (Is 61:1-3) he concluded his prayer, saying:

“We pray in these days for the diverse religious communities that serve New York City and her residents. May our houses of worship, our schools, our healthcare apostolates, and our charitable centers be not places of fear but places of hope and of care for body, mind, and spirit.

“God, send your spirit upon all of us gathered here this morning, and upon all in our great city. May all our prayers and our works be for the betterment of our brothers and sisters and for Your glory. In Your holy name, we pray, Amen.”

The breakfast featured remarks and prayers from diverse religious groups such as Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Protestant Christianity, and Rastafarianism.

Speaking for almost 25 minutes, Mayor Adams, who regularly refers to his Christian faith, used most of his time to address a recent health scare and current allegations against him. However, the mayor referred to his faith toward the end of his remarks.

“When I ran for office, I went to the Middle East and I spent the night in the desert because I said to myself, this sand is the same sand that Moses, Abraham, and Jesus walked on. We may come and go, but there are things on this planet that are still here from those days that we have to draw strength from. And I know many people look at my spirituality and my belief and [wonder] how do I continue to move. It’s because I believe. And you can’t just read it, you got to believe it. You got to believe it,” Adams said.

The mayor appealed to the city’s faith communities for their support. “God knows my heart, God knows my journey, and God knows what I’ve stood for in this city and what I will continue to stand for. Your presence here today refortifies me. I thank you so much for coming out and understanding that the people of faith are going to navigate us through these turbulent times,” he said.