WASHINGTON, March 15 —At its National Leadership Gathering in Nashville, The Interfaith Alliance, a nonpartisan grassroots organization representing more than 150,000 members of various faith traditions, presented the 6^th Annual Bishop P. Francis Murphy Local Activism award to The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado for its advocacy and educational work throughout the state.

The award honors the memory of Bishop Murphy, an Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore, and founding board member of The Interfaith Alliance, who believed passionately that religion can be a constructive and healing force in public life.

Accepting the award for TIA Colorado were Sister Maureen McCormack (Order of Loretto), President of TIA Colorado, and Sigrid Higdon, board member of TIA Colorado.

“Bishop Murphy’s passion for social justice and his tireless commitment to the role of religion as a constructive and healing force in public life is an inspiration to our chapter and to people across many faith traditions,” McCormack said. “Through this award, The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado hopes to connect with his courage and his wisdom.”

Presenting the award, the Rev. Welton Gaddy, president of The Interfaith Alliance, cited the chapter’s outstanding grassroots work and public awareness of religious freedom.

“We are a national organization, but our real work is done in the grassroots,” Gaddy said.  “We are thankful to have a group in Colorado which recognizes the threat religious liberty is facing and is willing to stand up and fight to preserve rights for all Americans.”

In 2005, TIA Colorado opened interfaith dialogue on Islam, participated in statewide coalitions and lobbied to restore funding to healthcare and education.  TIA Colorado also advocated to protect the filibuster and oppose a federal budget cut that would harm programs providing food stamps, student loans and health care to those in need.

• For more information on the Bishop Murphy Award and past recipients, go to interfaithalliance.org.

Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, Interfaith Alliance brings together members from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition to protect faith and freedom. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.