April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
CAMPUS MINISTRY
Saint Rose helps students keep the faith, whatever faith they practice
Saint Rose helps students keep the faith, whatever faith they practice
A member of President Barack Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships, Mr. Patel created the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core (sic) to promote interfaith discussion.
Saint Rose, which has had a long history of interfaith dialogue in the Albany Diocese, started a Better Together group about four years ago, according to campus ministry director Joan Horgan.
"Sometimes, if students are not of a Catholic background, they could feel a little shy," said Ms. Horgan. "The group is based on the idea that service is a common ground for many belief systems. They use that as a springboard for conversations about beliefs."
Catholic's conversations
Emily Callman, a junior from Long Island, has been an active member of the group for about a year, though she says she has been going to the group's events throughout her entire time at CSR.
"As a Catholic student, I like conversations about religion and what's different," she told The Evangelist. "I like hearing about how other people do things and how their religion plays into their life."
Last year, Emily recalled, the group held a discussion about death and dying. Participants were paired up with a partner of a different religion or non-religious tradition.
"I was paired up with someone who was atheist," Emily explained. Because atheists don't believe in an afterlife, "it was interesting to see how he viewed dying as going back from where we came from and how we all came from stardust."
Emily, who is a communication sciences and disorders major, views other religious backgrounds from an unusual perspective: She grew up in a Jewish household, attending Hebrew classes and going to temple each week.
After a time of not practicing Judaism, Emily began attending Mass at a Catholic parish with her mother. "I really identified with Catholicism," she said. "I felt really drawn in and like I belonged."
Being in the group allows Emily an opportunity to learn more about the faith tradition she chose to practice: "It's interesting to have these conversations with people who have very different aspects.
Keeping the faith
"On a college campus, religion is sometimes passed [over], or people don't necessarily bring it up," Emily continued. The group provides "a platform where everyone is inclusive. You know you're not going to be judged for it."
This year, Better Together constructed a sukkah on the Saint Rose campus quad. It's a tradition in Jewish culture to build the temporary shelter to use during Sukkot, a Jewish harvest holiday.
The Better Together group had planned to have a discussion in the hut about harvest holidays in many religious traditions. Because of the cold, though, the discussion was taken inside.
Emily participated. "We had different stations with different faith traditions" talking about their celebrations, she noted.
Better Together members have also done volunteer work and fundraising for the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, said Ms. Horgan, who appreciates the group's willingness to communicate both the similarities and differences between religious and non-religious traditions on campus.
(Learn more about the Interfaith Youth Core at www.ifyc.org.)[[In-content Ad]]
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