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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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

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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 21^st 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 →

What if hundreds of college campuses asked the same question?

What if people of diverse backgrounds and traditions came together to address issues of social justice in our world?

What if we, DePaul University students, came together to improve education access in Haiti and promoted the UN’s Millennium Development Goals to fellow students and the greater Chicago area?

This “what if” is not a theory or hypothesis; a conjuration or dream. It is a reality. Continue reading →