Author: bcicirel

The Modern Exodus: Walking with Refugees and Migrants in a Time of Crisis

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In this Visiting Artist Series the School of Cinematic Arts partners with the Office of Mission and Values to explore the pressing challenges of forced migration. After watching segments from Frontline’s EXODUS that explores the first person accounts of the treacherous journeys that refugees from Syria endure, Kim Lamberty from Catholic Relief Services and Rev. Craig Mousin from DePaul University will share their experience and expertise working directly with people who have largely been forgotten.

To view Exodus follow this link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/fil…

Newsnote: Vincentiana Purchase of the Week. Rare 18th century images of Daughters of Charity

bcicirel Vincentian Heritage, Vincentian History ,

The Vincentiana Collections of the Archives and Special Collections Department of DePaul University’s Richardson Library has recently acquired four very rare pre-revolutionary (18th century) hand-colored images depicting Daughters of Charity.  These images are small (approx. 2 by 3 inches).  The style of the sisters’ habits, the printing font, and type of paper all suggest this dating.

Left: “The Daughters of Charity cleaning their rooms.” Right: “The Daughters of Charity visiting and consoling prisoners.”
Left: “The Daughters of Charity visiting and consoling prisoners.” Right: “The Daughters of Charity making soup for the sick.”

Comunidad Musulmana Ahmadia

bcicirel Catholicism, Islam, Uncategorized

By: Kunza Shakil

Living in an unfamiliar land for 10 weeks awakens a spiritual need that cannot be felt in any other way. Being Muslim in Mexico, a nation with a 97% Catholic population draws its own challenges. Your host family does not really know about Islam, Muslims, the Qu’ran, dietary restrictions and the daily prayers. It is all new to them and in a way, this is new to you too. In Chicago the vast majority of people who barely know anything about Islam at least have some idea about it but that is not the case here in Mérida. It is harder to explain your faith in another language that you are still learning but you do it anyway.

kunza1

My professor told me about a mosque he found as he was walking one day. I made it a point to visit that mosque at some point before the end of my trip. One Sunday afternoon I was walking downtown with a friend when I saw a woman with a headscarf. I immediately stopped and looked up the building where it read “Comunidad Musulmana Ahmadia” or “Ahmadiyya Muslim Community”. I went inside and looked around and the mosque itself was very simple. There was a small general lounging area for visitors, a musullah to pray, and the office of the director. I had so many questions.

I spoke with the director about the community center and discovered that it was only about two and a half years old. He told me that in the entire Yucatan area, there were only about 100 Muslims. Also, the Ahmadiyya sect in Islam is a fairly small number of people compared to the overall Muslim population in the world and so I was curious as to why Sunni or Shia community centers did not exist. This center in particular was focused on portraying Islam as a peaceful religion and countering the negative narrative that is often portrayed in the media. It was very different than the various Islamic efforts present in Chicago that are both catered to the Muslim and non-Muslim communities. Nevertheless, I think any footprint by a Muslim entity is a positive step in vocalizing the presence of Muslims even in Mexico.

I could not help but think that I was one of the 100 Muslims in the Yucatan Peninsula and that too for only 10 weeks. Although this community center was one that I could not connect to as much as those in Chicago, it still helped me feel a little more spiritually at home. I may be only one Muslim out of very few in this entire region but I still felt like a part of a global community. When surrounded by people of different faiths, it is easy for me to feel like an outsider, different, and forget about the connection I share with my Muslim brothers and sisters worldwide but the experience I had at the Comunidad Musulmana Ahmadia reminded me to never forget these connections no matter how few Muslims there are around me.

The Cross in Vincentian Spirituality

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This article explores essential New Testament texts about the cross, its meaning in Vincentian tradition, and problems in reflecting about the cross. The cross is the symbol of God’s love for humanity as well as his power, as evidenced in the resurrection and Jesus’s victory over sin. Moreover, Jesus’s choice to die as an outcast is part of his focus on the marginalized during his life. Sometimes the cross refers to actual suffering that believers must undergo, but is more often used metaphorically to refer to what people must do to follow Jesus. Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac encouraged the contemplation of the cross as a symbol of God’s love and saw service to the poor as identifying with the cross in that sense. Their nuanced views on suffering, asceticism, and mortification are explained. Examples of beneficial ascetical practices are given. The theological problem of God’s relationship to suffering is discussed. Texts are offered for Vincentians and Daughters of Charity to use in meditation, and the forms the cross takes in the lives of both are listed. Finally, readers are urged to respond to suffering in the world because it is a reflection of the crucified Christ.

“The Cross in Vincentian Spirituality” is an article in the Vincentian Heritage Journal, Volume 16, Issue 1, Article 1 (1995) available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol16/iss1/1

It is also available as a chapter in the ebook He Hears the Cry of the Poor: On the Spirituality of Vincent de Paul (pp. 30-51) by Robert P. Maloney, C.M., available here: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vincentin_ebooks/2/

Praying with Louise de Marillac – Introduction

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Louise de Marillac was a wife, mother, widow, teacher, nurse, director of the Confraternities and Ladies of Charity, and cofounder with Vincent de Paul of the Daughters of Charity.  Patron of Social Workers, Louise knew personal suffering, and she also knew the suffering of God’s poor people.  She was an organizer, a radical thinker who lived life intensely and whose quest was to do the will of God with a deep faith in divine providence.

Praying with Louise de Marillac is a book in the Companions for the Journey series of meditation guides on Christian spirituality.  Authored by Audrey Gibson, DC, and Kieran Kneaves, DC, it was published by Saint Mary’s Press,  Christian Brothers Publications, Winona, Minnesota, in 1995.  ISBN O-88489-329-4  Copies may be obtained directly from the publisher or on-line at www.amazon.com

 

Bearing Hate, Living With Hope

bcicirel Seeds of Mission, Social Justice

No matter what I do right before I go to bed my brain keeps locking on things that are really disturbing, he said.    Me too!  I say. Happens to me.

Especially if I am reading people’s alarming Facebook posts or the news late into the evening.  But you can’t be stuck there, I tell him.  You can say a mantra like “God, replace my fear with faith” or just something like “Hope hope hope hope hope…”

Hope.  At the CPAC conference tonight it seems like many are brimming with hope, while that which gives them hope troubles others.  Every day headlines are so demoralizing – bomb threats and Jewish cemetery vandalism. Mass deportations planned. Rising Islamophobic acts. Troubling racism. Environmental threats.  Political scandals.  Communication breakdowns.

I recently saw someone flash the headlines from a 1968 paper and the unrest looked eerily close to what we are experiencing now.  How does one respond?  How do you sustain yourself to act for justice?  The Center for Religion, Culture and Community hosted a panel on January 24th called “Bearing Hate, Living with Hope” that looked at these kinds of questions and asked: what do religious activist and religion have to tell us about community building in a fractured world?

I invite you to watch the panel via the link at the end of this piece.  In the meantime, here are a few nuggets and questions (in my own words) I gratefully latched on to from Moderator Dr. David Wellman of DePaul’s Religious Studies and the panelists — alumna and current Associate Dean of the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel at Howard University Rev. Waltrina Middleton, DePaul Muslim Chaplain Abdul-Malik Ryan, and Rabbi Cantor Michael Davis.

A framing question from David Wellman: What resources can religious traditions offer — such as the spiritual assumption that all human beings have equal worth regardless of identity or social status,  that people living on the margins have a tremendous amount to offer society and that inclusive communities are achievable?

Wisdom from Rabbi Davis:
Religious community can be a place outside of politics, a place to reconnect.

“We need the Other to keep us who we are.”  When you extend a hand in solidarity, a hand reaches back, sustains you. …What sustains you?

Have a spirit of inquiry!  Be curious about divisive issues – don’t jump into talking about right and wrong.  Ask “What is your story?  Why do you hold these beliefs?”  Get past the politeness of avoiding landmines in order to build community.

Money has strings!  Faculty and staff more constrained than students because money is involved!  So students – act! Act Now!

Wisdom from Rev. Middleton:
Faith leaders must challenge the status quo- introduce revolution!  Christ honored the tradition and was revolutionary.  As a clergy humanist womanist activist – I want to help all cross the freedom line!

God is showing up now – are WE?  Standing up is a risk.  We must be prophetic in speaking truth to power!  Christ showed that we must be concerned about social justice and get involved in social/political movements.

I don’t really like terms like “right” or “left” – we all share common values of love, for justice.

Waltrina told a story about her family demonstrating against the Confederate flag in South Carolina for 40 years.  It is powerful and I invite you to watch it on the video.  Year in, and year out they took action.   Her grandmother did not see the flag come down – but she had a part in it.  Waltrina said, “My work is not for me.”  I may never see the fruits of my labors – but future generations will witness to them.  If you depend on results for encouragement, this is a problem.  Do the action and give the results to God.

Whether or not it makes a difference, it makes sense for us to be in the struggle! You need something to give you hope in the struggle – what gives you hope?

Wisdom from Abdul-Malik Ryan:

No one wishes for them, but struggle and persecution can increase community support.  It can bring out positives.  It’s also lonely to struggle — and loneliness leads you to God.

Theologically in Islam, God is in control. There is wisdom in this — this is not the end. Your story will continue. You need to believe God is in this, and face reality and problems head on.  Platitudes will not do, but you can acknowledge problems in a real way and point people to hope and the greater reality that God is with us.

You should read the second inaugural address of Abraham Lincoln!  We need to claim some universal figures despite their flaws and look at what they actually said.

“Defeating the enemy” is not the end goal – reconciling with them is.  Do you have the courage to forgive after the struggle for justice?

Abdul-Malik contended that people late to a movement or the struggle are still trying to help, so why be overly critical and hard on them?  Make it easy for people to join you and do what you’d like them to do.  Waltrina pushed back. She said lots of people on the margins have their cries for solidarity ignored.  We said, “Come to Ferguson to honor a murdered son” and White women did not come.  When they ask me to march in DC for their issues I ask, “Will you also come be with me?  Share my burden?” Why did there even have to be push back on the Women’s March to increase inclusion? We need to demand to honor the narrative of all!    Make space to listen and honor the narrative – Ask where does it hurt?  Ubuntu – I am because we are (because God calls us…).

At one point, Rabbi Davis said it was a big deal to share spiritual space with fellow activists, to generate ideas and hope.  I agree with him, and was glad to be there for it.  If you’d like to view the entire program by linking here – please do!

Katie Brick, MDiv, is the Director of the Office of Religious Diversity (ORD)
at DePaul University. ORD co-sponsored the panel with the CRCC.

Publication Notice: “Les Lazaristes aux Mascareignes aux XVIIe et XIXe siecles: Ile Bourbon et Ile de France”

bcicirel Vincentian Heritage, Vincentian History

LES LAZARISTES AUX MASCAREIGNES AUX XVIIIE ET XIXE SIÈCLES Ile Bourbon (La Réunion) et Ile de France (Maurice)

Marc Thieffry HISTOIRE RELIGIONS CHRISTIANISME OCÉAN INDIEN Ile Maurice Réunion

La Congrégation de la Mission a été fondée en 1625 par Saint Vincent de Paul. Ses membres s’appellent les lazaristes ou prêtres de Saint-Lazare. Pendant plus d’un siècle, plus d’une centaine de Lazaristes, prêtres et frères, ont évangélisé l’île Bourbon et l’île de France. C’est leur histoire, leur mission, que nous découvrons à travers les manuscrits, documents, lettres, notes, traités et mémoires entreposés aux Archives de la Congrégation de la Mission à Paris.

Broché ISBN : 978-2-343-10433-1 • janvier 2017 • 540 pages EAN PDF : 9782140027970

Solidarity with Muslims at DePaul

bcicirel Seeds of Mission, Social Justice, Spirituality ,

Abdul-Malik Ryan serves as Assistant Director of the Office of Religious Diversity and DePaul’s Muslim Chaplain. In this role he serves as Advisor to UMMA and the Interfaith Scholars student groups.

Recent days have been trying for many different people in our country and around the world, among them the Muslim community which has been targeted through both inflammatory rhetoric and government policies that have caused suffering and created fear for many in American Muslim communities.  At the same time, we have also seen an outpouring of action from Muslims and from others acting in solidarity which has given us hope and determination to continue to struggle for dignity for all communities.

Many people have been asking, “What can I do?” For those looking to show solidarity with the Muslim community at DePaul, we would like to extend a special invitation to participate in Fast a Thon on February 16.

Fast a Thon is an annual program organized by DePaul’s UMMA (United Muslims Moving Ahead) student group which invites people of all faiths or none to join us in experiencing fasting, community, and service together on the same day.  We recognize that everyone is busy and has many different commitments on their time, so we have created several different ways in which people can participate in this effort.

1) People are invited to pledge to fast (as best they are able) on February 16.  Simply go to this link and enter your name and email and you will get a reminder the day before with some suggested guidelines around fasting.  This will include an invitation to wear green on that day in a display of solidarity with the Muslim community.   

2) People are also invited to attend our iftar (breaking of the fast) dinner on February 16 at 5 PM in Cortelyou Commons.  The breaking of the fast (at sunset) will be at 5:27 PM that day.  We will share a delicious meal as a community, reflect together on the experience of fasting, and be entertained by a unique comedian Jeremy McLellan. McLellan is a Christian who has caught on with Muslim and other audiences for his unique take on issues like immigration, race, religion, Islamophobia, politics and disabilities – he celebrates diversity and critiques bigotry through his comedy.  Please RSVP for the dinner here if you know you can commit. An RSVP is necessary to ensure we have space (and food) for you at the dinner.

3) Finally, Fast a Thon will raise money as a community for a great cause.  As part of this Fast a Thon, UMMA is collaborating with Zakat Foundation, an international humanitarian relief organization, to raise money to support education for Syrian refugees, the youngest and most innocent victims of the world’s greatest contemporary humanitarian crisis.  People can donate through this link, by bringing a donation on the day of the Fast a Thon, or visiting the Muslim Life Center in Lincoln Park Student Center room 329 at any time leading up to the dinner.  Please look out for Fast a Thon tabling in the Student Center and spread the word about ways to get involved.  If you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Abdul-Malik Ryan

Newsnote: 19th century French Sisters in China Oeuvre de Saint-Enfance

bcicirel Vincentian Heritage, Vincentian History ,

The Vincentiana Collection of DePaul University’s Archives and Special Collections has recently acquired two late 19th century pious images of Daughters of Charity serving in the China missions. These were issued by the Oeuvre de Sainte Enfance a Paris-based charity (founded in 1843) supporting the foreign missions especially for the rescue and baptism of children.

The Daughters were major recipients of the support of this organization.