The Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, the largest mosque in New England, is no stranger to Massachusetts politicians: Mosque leaders attended the swearing-in of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey this year; and mosque Imam Shaykh Yassir Fahmy offered a benediction at Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's recent State of the City address.

But Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker's visit to the mosque Friday was, according to mosque leaders, the first time a sitting Republican Massachusetts governor visited a mosque here — and Baker received a warm welcome.

Baker arrived just before the mosque's daily afternoon service, sitting quietly while Fahmy delivered a sermon focused on the values of community and neighborliness -- values he says Muslims share with people of all faiths.

"God does not want us, Allah does not want us to be disconnected," Fahmy said. "He does not want us to be tribal in our orientation where it is a you versus I mentality -- he does not want us to be individualistic, he does not want us to be nationalistic in that way."

"He wants us to be communal in spirit. Because when we have a communal spirit ... that community can be very big and very beautiful."

Then, Baker spoke briefly - delivering a message of inclusion, and noting that the spirit of "communalism" Fahmy invoked in his sermon is a fitting and indeed literally embodied in the notion of a "Commonwealth" of Massachusetts.

"One of the great opportunities a Commonwealth gives us [is] a Commonwealth of multiple faiths, people from different countries," Baker said. "One of the things it gives us is a chance to learn and to grow."

Congregation members nodded as Baker spoke and were clearly delighted to have the governor in attendance.

Yusufi Vali, director of public relations for the mosque, said he was pleased that Baker had the chance to see for himself the wide diversity among mosque members.

"I think today what he got to experience was a very socio-economically, racially, diverse community," Vali said. "The Muslim faith is most diverse faith in America, and [Baker] got to meet with a set of leaders from very different walks of life and different arenas -doctors, academics, lawyers."

"I think he got a real experience with one of his core constituencies in the Commonwealth."

Vali said Baker's visit grew out of a relationship the two developed after meeting during a vigil in Boston for 11 members of the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, murdered by an anti-Semitic gunman last fall.

Baker spoke briefly with reporters following his remarks, saying that he had come to admire Imam Fahmy.

"Anybody who heard Shaykh Yassir speak at that Tree of Life vigil on Boston Commmon, his remarks in my opinion were the most powerful of anybody's," Baker said, "He talked about his love for the people of the Jewish community and how heartbroken he was for the agony they were going through."