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Katie Brick is a Chaplain and the Assistant Director of DePaul’s Office of Religious Diversity.  She works with Loop students and the Interfaith Scholars program.
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From June 12-20^th, nine students and two staff members went on an Interfaith Pilgrimage to explore Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Paris.  There were goals set and Learning Objectives learned, but here are a few things I picked up organically, and I hope other participants will post more stories/insights, because it was a tremendous trip on many levels.  Note: click on a photo to see them all  (& associated comments) in larger size.

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Caelin Niehoff is a sophomore at DePaul University pursuing a degree in American Studies. Caelin is an Interfaith Scholar and is involved with Catholic Campus Ministry at DePaul.

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A few weeks ago, DePaul Interfaith scholars engaged in a social experiment: an open space event. An Open Space invites individuals to come to a space where participants set their own agenda for the evening, asking questions and discuss solutions. This particular Open Space event was hosted by DePaul Interfaith scholar and veteran Michael Evers. The group was small, but, as in accordance with the rules of Open Space, those who were there were the right people. The evening was an invitation to those interested in faith, diversity and action at DePaul.

As an interfaith scholar and active member of the DePaul community, I attended the event with curiosity and hopes for a new experience on campus. Participants in the Open Space generated their own questions and topics that they were interested in discussing. The group voted on a series of topics: has anyone thought about using Open Space for the Quarterly Interreligious Celebration? How, where, and when can we share our deep stories at DePaul? Can people of two faiths ever really agree? What about DePaul University makes it seem good for interreligious and cross-cultural diversity?

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Jordan Kelley is a junior at DePaul University. Jordan is an Interfaith Scholar and is a leader in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. This is Jordan’s first year as an Interfaith Scholar.

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Easter is the chief event that all of Christianity hinges on. It is the commemoration of the day that Jesus rose from the dead after being in the grave for three days. This holiday is one that is celebrated by all Christians even though the day that it is celebrated on by the Western and Eastern traditions is slightly different. As somebody who has grown up a Christian my whole life, Easter has continued to take on a deeper meaning.

I can recount many of the Easter sermons I have heard. It’s been drilled into my head since I was a kid that Easter is a pretty big deal, but I never really knew what it all meant. Who cares if this ancient story of a person rising from the dead two thousand years ago actually happened, and how does that even impact me now in the year 2012? Can’t we just move on as normal with ourselves and the world? One thing I have eventually learned is that the Easter story changes everything.

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Dominique Johnson is a junior at DePaul University pursuing a Religious Studies major. Dominique is on the Executive Board of DePaul Interfaith.

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“A portion of the true sciences is better than a mass of undigested and misunderstood learning. An ounce of gold is worth a ton of dust.”—Blavatsky, The Key to Theosophy  

Budhi[1] or purely “Spiritual Wisdom” is the characteristic of an enlightened one, for it is the blossoming forth of perception into illumination, into the stream of Deva-Wisdom. Theosophia is a partial statement (teachings) emanating from pure-Budhi, which every authentic religious movement is in its origin, a partial statement. “Consequently, the higher aspect of the Revealed Bodha is unavoidably esoteric for most men.”—Franklin Merrell-Wolff, Is Theosophy Authentic. We each gentle reader, in the ascent to the intuition of divine and spiritual intellection ‘must first curb the senses in abeyance, so that the intellect exercise itself independently of the senses altogether.’—to paraphrase Nurho de Manhar (See his commentaries on The Sepher Ha-Zohar).

The infinite cannot be known by the finite, i.e., the finite self, but we must reach that Parent-Sun ever shining its light-rays through the Spiritual Soul (Buddhi) and Higher Mind (Manas); which in the psychology presented can be called the upper triad of the human-being. Ancient wisdom says that our true inner Self is the light of the soul in the heart, and demarks us as the individual drop in the ocean. Your terrestrial human form on earth, and all its aspects (Mind, instinctual-soul, subtle-body, ect.) are vehicles of the Higher Self—the God within. As, when flower-buds pop, what was hidden beauty before (in potentia or latency) becomes known, active, and expressive.

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Hey Everyone! Here are some snapshots from our most recent Quarterly  Interreligious Celebration. Find the full album on DePaul’s Blue For Peace campaign Facebook page (facebook.com/blueforpeace), stay updated on interfaith life at DePaul (depaulinterfaith.org), and keep an eye out for the next Interreligious Celebration in the 2012-13 school year!

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Dominique Johnson is a junior at DePaul University pursuing a Religious Studies major. Dominique is on the Executive Board of DePaul Interfaith.

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“Modern science is our best ally” (Mahatma Letters, No. 11, Chronologically No. 65) and yet “MODERN THOUGHT IS ANCIENT THOUGHT DISTORTED, and no more.” (The Secret Doctrine I, pg. 579)

Paul Brunton once said, “The cosmic order behind things is a divine one…it is creative, intelligent, conscious—it is MIND,” and if so, there is an inner Nature reflected in the inner being of us each, the latter its microcosm; on this (our) earth. The individual atomic lives of men are so inextricably woven; & mankind is a collective unit—i.e., the fact in nature of the universal fellowship of humanity or spiritual oneness of humanity.

What nobler relationship than that of friend? What nobler compliment can man bestow than friendship? The bonds and ties of the life we know break easily, but through eternity one bond remains – the bond of fellowship – the fellowship of atoms, of star dust in its endless flight, of suns and worlds, of gods and men. The clasped hands of comradeship unite in a bond eternal – the fellowship of spirit.” (Manly P. Hall, The Lost Keys Of Freemasonry, 1976, p. 94)

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This article was written by Momena Billah. Momena is a Muslim and an Interfaith Scholar. She is currently a senior at DePaul University, and this is her first year as a Scholar.

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As globalization and the internet informs and connects us to the lives of human beings across the globe, it may be worthwhile to understand our common denominator, what it means to be human?  Philosophies, literature, religions and even Hollywood have delved into this vast task of explicating and demonstrating the state of “humanness.” If our search is for an intrinsic value that a human being possesses regardless of their external religious affiliation, then we need to seek that understanding from within ourselves. To inquire further necessitates the guidance of religion, especially if we are adherents to any of the monotheistic traditions of Judaism, Christianity or Islam.

As a Muslim, it is only natural that I turn to the prime source of explicit Divine Knowledge which is manifest in the Quran. From a Quranic worldview, the human being is the khalifa [ku-leef-a] successor or representative of God on Earth. The evidence for and implications of this title are enormous.

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Katie Brick is a Chaplain at DePaul University and is also a faculty director for the Interfaith Scholars program.

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It’s still true that good news rarely comes in on a land line prior to dawn.  I was reminded of that this morning, disoriented in a “what is that noise” sort of way after a couple hard nights with fussy kids.

Cell phone news – now that comes in all shapes and sizes, 24-7, at the whim of the caller for the most part.  “They’ll turn off their ringer if they aren’t available” people think – usually true – so text, voice message, the occasional triumphant or embarrassing photo traffic can take place all night without a thought.

But the land line (or in our case, cable line) is basically meant to be on and waiting for urgent calls.  Its focus after hours is receiving in the moment news that might be unwelcome, unwanted, or unexpected but which is important to the caller and answerer alike.  And this morning, as I stumbled out of bed (because land lines are rarely located conveniently next to one’s bed like a cell phone for reasons of common access and potential heart failure from a blaring light night call), I had a few seconds to gather myself.  To process that Something had happened or was happening.

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This article was written by Emma CushmanWood, a junior at DePaul. Emma is a former Interfaith Scholar and the current president of DePaul Interfaith.

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A Prayer to the God of Life*

My father whispers in his low voice to my mother a verse. His hand on her swollen belly. A tiny heartbeat inside. The midwife smoothes her hair and dampens her head with a moist towel. Beads of clear water mixed with sweat run along her tender cheekbones.

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls… She groans low as each wave of pain washes over her. Pulsing. Pulsing. The waves are strong and beat against the rocky shore. As each new wave comes, another one follows. My small hand grasps her wet palm. I listen to the deepness of her breath.

…All your waves and breakers have swept over me…  Breathe in, breathe out, they tell her. In syncopation, my mother and I breathe a wave of fresh air, in and out. The midwife tugs me away. I watch them. Her body covered in sweat. His arms support her. They lie back against the pillows on the bed as he lets her weight sink into his skin.

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