LOWER MANHATTAN — The lines of prayer unfurl silently, projected in light against a dark background.
Facing a bustling block of Church Street just north of the World Trade Center, a display in the window of the Christian Science Reading Room quotes the leaders of the world's major religions, along with ordinary New Yorkers, in their wishes for peace.
"I pray for all of us, oppressor and friend," begins a prayer by the Dalai Lama, "that together we succeed in building a better world through human understanding and love, and that in doing so we may reduce the pain and suffering of all sentient beings."
That is also the goal of the reading room's staff, who launched the Prayers in Light exhibit earlier this month to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and bring comfort to the many people who pass by the center each day.
"It's a way of uniting the yearnings and wisdom of all people for peace," said Diane Allison, the reading room's creative director. "It's uniting the best in us."
The 24 prayers run all day and night in a continuous loop on the 30-by-60-inch screen, and new prayers will regularly join the rotation. Allison hopes to gather dozens more prayers from people of all ages before the exhibit ends Sept. 15.
Rev. John Lau, a regular visitor to the Christian Science Reading Room, submitted his wishes for the world 10 years after 9/11: "Grant that we may be your gentle people, alive to compassion and above all, to peace, never tire in the pursuit of peace, of which you are both giver and gift."
The idea for an interfaith prayer display came out of last summer's rancorous dispute over the Park51 mosque and community center, which is just around the corner from the reading room. Protests drew thousands of people to the neighborhood on the anniversary of 9/11 last fall, and the reading room staff was horrified by the animosity.
This year, Cindy Roemer, coordinator of the reading room's Building Towers of Healing anniversary program, wanted to do something to bring people of different faiths together, but she worried that a physical gathering would invite contention.
Instead, the Prayers of Light exhibit is a quieter but still powerful way of communicating an interfaith message, Roemer said.
In addition to Christian, Jewish, traditional African, Zoroastrian and other prayers comes this one from the Prophet Muhammad:
"Oh God, You are peace," Muhammad's prayer reads. "From you comes peace, to you returns peace. Revive us with a salutation of peace, and lead us to your abode of peace."
The Christian Science Reading Room, 130 Church St., is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It will also be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 11 for quiet reflection. To submit a prayer, e-mail librarian@csreadingroomnyc.com.
