DePaul University

The Power of Holding Hands

bcicirel Christianity, DePaul University, Peace, Prayer/Reflection/Meditation, Seeds of Mission, Service, Social Justice, United States

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This article was written by Emma CushmanWood, an Interfaith Scholar and President of DePaul University’s chapter of Amnesty International. Emma is a sophomore studying English and Religious Studies.

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This past Spring Break I went to Montgomery, AL, for a Service Immersion trip with a group of eleven students and one staff member. The trip was sponsored by University Ministry. While we were there we visited many Civil Rights historical sites and learned about peaceful protest in the Civil Rights Movement. Along with learning about the Civil Rights Movement, we also volunteered. We mostly volunteered at Resurrection Catholic Missions School, but one afternoon we did something different. We went to a home for physically and mentally disabled adults called Milton Road. While I was there volunteering, a wondrous thing happened to me. Continue reading →

Food, Faith and Friendship

bcicirel Catholicism, DePaul Interfaith Programs, DePaul University

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This is the first article posted by Caelin Niehoff, a freshman at DePaul University and an active member of DePaul Interfaith. This article comes as a reflection on the themes of an Interfaith Cafe two weeks ago.

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Food, Faith and Friendship: unique topics that provoke both insightful discussions and lively atmospheres (needless to say the workings of a superb Interfaith Café!).  Within my interfaith experiences, food has always been an essential component. What better way to establish an inviting environment for conversation than with hummus and pita chips? The Interfaith organizers certainly know how to win over my heart (and my stomach). Continue reading →

Interfaith and Higher Education (Part 2): Socially Responsible Leadership

bcicirel DePaul University, Global Interfaith Movement, Peace, Seeds of Mission, Service, Social Justice
Michael Evers (Left) and Nic Cable (Right) on the 2011 Interfaith Retreat

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This is the second article in a several part series throughout this quarter, written by Nic Cable, focusing on the complexities of interfaith work in higher education. These articles are in conjunction with an academic independent study project on the same themes.

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Last Thursday, students gathered in room 220 of the Lincoln Park Student Center for very important occasion. They came as they are: Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Atheists, Unitarian Universalists, and more; there were people who fit snug into a religious tradition and others who were exploring the borders of several. But, we all came for one reason. This reason was to celebrate the interfaith movement that is growing across this world and blossoming greatly at DePaul University. Continue reading →

What is Socially Responsible Leadership?

bcicirel DePaul University, Global Interfaith Movement, Judaism, Service

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This post was written by Michael Evers, a Junior at DePaul seeking a degree in Political Science. Michael is serving in his second year as an Interfaith Scholar and currently holds the position of President of DePaul Hillel.

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What does it mean to be a socially responsible leader? More so, what does it mean for me in my own life and my own leadership and how do I apply the principles I conjure up to those I serve? These will be the guiding questions for this essay and, I should mention here, serve as a model for, what I believe, to be socially responsible leadership. Continue reading →

Interfaith and Higher Education (Part 1): Love and Community

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The 2011 Interfaith Retreat Planning Committee

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This is the first article in a several part series throughout this quarter, written by Nic Cable, focusing on the complexities of interfaith work in higher education. These articles are in conjunction with an academic independent study project on the same themes.

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This past weekend, nearly 30 DePaul University students gathered together to take part in the second annual Interfaith Retreat. This year the theme was love. However, it was not love in some abstract notion of the word; rather, the goal was to begin to analyze it in light of our particular religious identities regarding what it means to love oneself (inward), to love one another (outward), and to love our particular idea(s) of the divine (awkward). This multilevel approach to love was the basis through which we grew in community together last weekend, and it is in the spirit of last weekend that I am drawn to reflect on my relationship to love, but also to the entire interfaith movement. Continue reading →

The Importance of Interfaith Solidarity in Times of Sorrow

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This article was written by Nic Cable and originally posted in the DePaulia, DePaul University’s student newspaper. Nic is a senior pursuing a double major in Religious Studies and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies.

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Students approached the center of the Quad around 8 p.m on Tuesday, March 15. They were handed an unlit candle from a smiling volunteer. The cold, March wind blanketed the students as they stood huddled in groups of three or four. Sixty students came out in the midst of final exams and papers, in order to stand in solidarity with all those who were affected by the tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

What was originally an organized vigil by UNICEF DePaul soon became an interfaith vigil with participants from numerous student groups on campus. Within just a few days of the terrible events, a response was organized and executed with love and compassion leading the way. Continue reading →

The President’s Challenge

bcicirel DePaul University, United States

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This article was co-authored by Peter Dziedzic and Nic Cable, active students in the interfaith movement at DePaul. Both Peter and Nic are regular contributors to this blog and serve in leadership capacities through DePaul Interfaith and University Ministry.

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Often, the American government is perceived to be a bulwark of obscurity and indecisiveness, an agent of mismanagement and intrusion. There are times, however, where we do encounter an initiative or program that truly emphasizes the humanity of all people, the narrative of our common struggle for freedom and social justice, and our fight for a better nation and a better world. Continue reading →

The Purpose and Promise of Interfaith Cooperation

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Michael Evers

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This article was written by Michael Evers, who has served as an interfaith scholar for the past two academic years, and is currently the president of DePaul Hillel. He is a junior at DePaul, pursuing a major in political science.

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My name is Michael Evers and this will be my third year at DePaul, second year as an Interfaith Scholar, and one of many as a person of spirit and action. If you were to ask me what my “religion” is I would reply that I am Jewish – identifying religiously and culturally with a healthy dose of curiosity in between. The appeal that I find participating in interfaith activities is that they give me a chance to interact with my Judaism in a way that is distinctly non-Jewish (while still deepening it), while also allowing me to meet people that I may have not otherwise ever come to know. I see interfaith action, as a way to bring people of our generation (yes, you) together in order to further community, civic engagement, and expand the knowledge and thought of oneself in relation to others. In short, our faiths bring us together. And not only does it bring us together, but it brings us together to do things – community service in our neighborhoods, expanded views of the World, and dialogues around tough, but pressing, issues. Continue reading →

In Review: DePaul Interfaith 2010

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Hello Glorious Readers of DePaul Interfaith,

I wanted to fill you in on the amazing things happening on this website just a few months after its creation.

In three months, this site had:

53 Articles Posted

Over 3,600 Views

These are fantastic numbers which are spreading our message of religious pluralism throughout this university, city, country, and world. Your support is what has made this possible. Together we can show the world that when we bring religious and non-religious people together amazing things can happen. This site starts with the word, but action is the next step. Thank you for writing, reading, commenting, and sharing with all of your friends and family.

Peace to All,

Nic Cable

Interfaith Scholar 2009-2011

Website Creator

What IF?: An Invitation to Dream

bcicirel DePaul University

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Today’s post is by Nic Cable, a senior at Depaul, pursuing a double major in Religious Studies and Peac, Justice, and Conflict Studies. He is serving his second year as an Interfaith Scholar at DePaul University and is the Director of the Better Together Campaign at this institution.

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As the crowd grew quiet that Monday night nearly two weeks ago, I realized the interfaith movement was truly alive. Fifty students gathered on the eve of final exams and papers not because they had free time, but because they felt something powerful was going to happen that night. And it did.

A new era began at DePaul University during the What IF? Speak-In. Students stood unanimously sharing the belief that religious, spiritual, and non-religious people need to come together in the 21st century to respond to the unfortunate realities that face the world. Attendees were guided through the night by the simple yet profound question: What IF?

However, I was quick to posit that this question is not intended to be a question at all. I recall suggesting that “What IF?” “is an expression of imagination, an invitation to dream; it poses a possibility of that which one day may be a reality. What IF? is just the beginning, it is the spark that gives an idea a path to travel and grow.” Continue reading →