Fred Stella

Fred Stella has served as President of the Interfaith Dialogue Association in Michigan for 23 years. In this capacity he hosts the radio program, Common Threads, which airs over local NPR affiliate, WGVU-FM. He is also a weekly contributor to the Grand Rapids Press column “Ethics and Religion.” A product of 16 years in the Catholic education system, Fred’s interest in Hinduism began at age 15 when studying comparative religions. By the time he was in his mid-30s he had formally embraced Hindu Dharma. Over the years he has studied and practiced in various ashrams and temples in the US and India, and in 2009 was ordained as Pracharak, or “Outreach Minister,” by the West Michigan Hindu Temple. He has also held leadership positions in his local chapter of Self-Realization Fellowship and sits on the National Leadership Council of the Hindu American Foundation. We spoke about lessons learned from decades of interfaith work and radio interviews, and his decision to identify as Hindu. Learn more about Fred Stella and Common Threads here.