Dialogue

The Lessons of Listening: Experiencing the Beauty of Others

bcicirel Dialogue
American-Mexican Border

This past December I traveled with a group of DePaul students to Nogales, Mexico with University Ministry’s service immersion program. We were going on this trip in order to learn more about immigration down at the border. Although we met several times prior to the trip in order to prepare, we fell extremely short of actually being prepared. We saw much more than I believe any of us expected. We sat in a courtroom and watched undocumented migrants be prosecuted in large batches, only to learn that this is actually unconstitutional. We slept in migrant shelters. We visited Border Patrol. We spoke with a rancher who lives on the border. We went to a maquiladora factory. We passed back and forth across the border with privilege we were all suddenly much more aware of. We spoke with so many people. It began to feel strange to think that it was a ‘service’ immersion trip. What we were actually doing for most of the time while we were there was listening. Continue reading →

The Feeling of a Comfortable Shoe

bcicirel Dialogue

The feeling of a comfortable shoe. That is how I would describe my visit to www.soulpancake.com. Visiting the site by actor Rainn Wilson (he really does spell it with two N’s) made me feel comfortable inside. I searched the web at 2:30am to see what information is out there on interfaith dialogue and         discussions and I came across Soul Pancake© and took delight in my search. The site immediately hooked me in. It might have been the cute pancake motif to the site, which works surprisingly well, or it could be the color scheme, but it’s probably the caption that runs under on the main web page that really attracted me. The caption changes, but it appeared to me for the first time as: {See. Think. Talk.} and the website is truly filled with challenging thoughts to take on. I believe the practice of talking and thinking is heavily suppressed in today’s world, but it is openly embraced by Soul Pancake© alongside interfaith dialogue. Continue reading →

4 Ways of Dialogue

bcicirel Catholicism, Dialogue

At DePaul we realize that interfaith dialogue is more than a dialogue of trained theologians and scholars. At a diverse school like ours people are participating in interfaith dialogue all the time at different levels. We want to help people appreciate the various expressions of dialogue by providing a language for this dynamic. We find “The Four Ways of Dialogue” helpful in understanding what interfaith dialogue is to each of us and hope that there is a greater understanding of dialogue and diversity at DePaul through this model. Continue reading →

Truth Pursues Peace

bcicirel Dialogue, Peace

Interfaith Dialogue

Conflict often emerges from assuming differences and ignoring similarities. Asserting irreconcilable differences between oneself and anyone else and ignoring the similarities to life’s experience is both very common and very dangerous. Any predetermined perception of others upsets the future of that relationship in an equitable way to the effect of stereotypes on racism and sexism. Exposure to other faiths can cause confusion and doubt about own own religion. But, however we react to our differences, there will be no progression without embracing both our similarities and our differences and engaging them. We are called to interfaith dialogue. Continue reading →