The phrase "thoughts and prayers" has become overused almost to the point of cliché, but using faith and prayer as a tool to get through hardship is as old as recorded history. This week on "In Conversation," we explored the role of religion in healing from the traumatic events of 2020 — a particularly poignant question to ponder here in Louisville, where protesters spent a good part of last year fighting for racial justice.

Louisville’s 25th annual Festival of Faiths is underway this weekend, and some of the panelists joined us to explore this year’s theme, faith and race.

The festival is produced by the Center for Interfaith Relations, an organization dedicated to celebrating the city’s diverse faith landscape. But this year, the planning process went beyond the center’s walls, tapping community leaders from Simmons College, Spalding University, the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky, and the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary to help curate.

Here are the guests you’ll hear on our show this week:

• Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson
• Ronda Magee
• Imam Zaid Shakir
• Sarah Kelley