sources vo.l 5, no. 1
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The newsletter of Mult-faith Chaplaincy for Concordia University, Montreal, QC, CANADATRANSCRIPT
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Have you ever heard of the
Student Emergency & Food Fund?
Can You Help?The Student Emergency & Food Fund is wholly supported by donations from members of the Concordia Community; Students,Faculty, Staff, and Alumni, as well as gifts from the community-at-large. Our annual “Feed the Fund” campaign takes place from late October until January, though do-nations are accepted year-round. Donations can be made by cheques (made out to “Concordia Univer-sity” with SEFF in the memo line), or in cash at our offices. We are now also on the Annual Giving form for donations by credit card or payroll deduction. For more information feel free to call us at extension 3593 or 3585.
Won’t you...
Feed the Fund so that we can feed hungry students?
If you are a Concordia student who has suddenly found that all the money you have is not enough to buy any food, or if tuition, plus books, plus daycare equals an empty wallet, or your boss just told you that your job has just been eliminated, then chanc-es are you may have.
SEFF exists to help out when all of a sudden the food cupboard is bare and your wal-let is empty. It is not a loan or a bursary but emergency help when you need it most.
If you feel that you are in this situation call Multi-faith Chaplaincy at extension 3593 to make an appointment with one of our staff.
If you would like to support the fund, see below!
Calling All Student Groups!Here’s your chance to help
fellow students. If you can plan an activity, throw a party or pass the hat then you too can help raise money for SEFF! If you are interested in helping your fellow students give us a call at extension 3585 or email:[email protected]
Volunteers are always appreciated!
We are always looking for help with the Feed the Fund Drive. If you have some
time to give, call us at Ext. 3585 or 3593.
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Rooted in Our Own Identity: Spiritual Sustainability
continued on page 5, See “Close”
Close Your Eyes...Cover PhotoThis photo was taken during the
IAP’s Friday Fun Day, “Play in the Dirt”. We did just that: we played with and in the dirt and planted bean seeds, which we gave to the Sustainable Concordia Garden Proj-ect. At the same time, we explored what our faiths and spiritual paths say about creation and the earth. With this photo and through the articles and reflections in this issue of sources, we invite you to explore that same theme: Sustainable Spiri-tuality and Spiritual Sustainability. Enjoy! ?
The biggest threat to Jewish and spiritual survival is a confused identity. Today, sadly,
in many communities, discussions around spi-rituality and religion often have a pessimistic and negative presentation which is turning off
more young people than anything else. When we obsess about anti-Semitism, we paint ourselves as perpetual victims. When we over-emphasize the threat of assimilation it makes us feel like an endangered species. We Jews seem to be right there alongside the hump-back whale and the giant panda in the list of helpless and pitiful communities disappearing from the pla-net. It’s not surprising that young Jews are opting out of Judaism. Who wants to be a victim?
We have to stop defining ourselves by the way others perceive us. As-similation is when non-Jews love us so much they want to marry us. An-ti-Semitism is when non-Jews hate us so much they want to kill us. When both these realities are happening within our communities, how are we to think of ourselves?
We need a clear and positive reason to stay Jewish. Failing that, why should Judaism survive? Is there a good argu-ment for not assimilating into the welcoming societies surroun-ding us? Is there a compelling reason to stay proudly Jewish in the face of anti-Semitism?
I think there is.
Judaism is the most powerful idea that the world has ever seen. Jews should survive because we have a message that the world needs to hear.
The Jewish way of life is a revolutionary force that can transform ordinary lives into lives of meaning. A family that keeps the Shab-bat is always reminded of what is really important – that there is more to life than accumulating wealth. The Kosher laws teach us that we are not mere animals that must feed our every urge and desire, and that eating itself can be holy. A Mezuzah on the door tells the world that this home is built for a higher purpose.
Judaism teaches lessons that the world urgently needs to learn – that every individual person is created in the image of G-d, and
is therefore unique and valuable, that morality is not relative but absolute and that humans
are partners with G-d in creation, with a mission to create heaven on earth.
These bold Jewish ideas are more relevant now than ever. But bold
Jewish ideas need bold people to perpetuate them. The world can only
be elevated if individuals first elevate themselves. We can only make the world into
a divine home if we start with our own homes. This is Judaism’s formula to change the world for better. This is why Jews must stay Jewish.
The biggest threat to Judaism is not external pressure but rather internal confusion. When we lose sight of our mission, we lose the strength and stamina to survive. The Jewish feeling we need to develop in ourselves and our children is not fear of anti-Semitism, or guilt about assimilation. It is a humble pride in the greatness of the Jewish mission and confident resolve to fulfill it. When we are clear about our identity, no threat in the world can shake us. ?
L’chaim!Rabbi Yisroel Bernath
Chabad NDG & Loyola Campus
Rabbi Yisroel giving one of the many conferences offered at Chabad NDG
Close your eyes. Imagine you are in the middle of a forest. Take a deep breath. How do you feel? There is silence
all around, and quiet sounds. The forest is alive, but calm. You are part of it, but separate. You feel harmony. A bird calls out overhead. You understand, intuitively, there is a sacred pattern, a holiness, a symbiosis. Everything works. Everything feeds everything else. Everything is connected. You take another deep breath. A soothing peace washes over you, in you, through you. You feel open. In that silence, you begin to feel a little more you, somehow. It seems easier without all the noise of the city. Everything that ever seemed wrong or bad seems less so. You feel a little stronger, a little more forgiven, a little less angry. You feel like you can maybe get some answers to those questions that have been holding out on you; that you never quite get around to: why am I alive? Why did I have that argument? Who haven’t I been in touch with recently? What do I love? What makes me happy? What are the hidden talents I have yet to discover?
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Ellie’s Notes...
BuildingaSustainableInterfaithCommunityThis past April, five members of the Interfaith Ambassador
Program (IAP) and two staff from Multi-faith Chaplaincy piled into a van and drove to Rochester, NY, to attend the Understanding Interfaith Conference (https://interfaith2010.naz.edu/). It was an amazing experience in many ways. Recently, sources caught up with the students and asked them about what they felt they had learned and their hopes for the IAP at Concordia University in the coming year.
Unai: Initiated by chantings of “peace, salam, shalom, namaste”, the Interfaith Understanding Conference was a great opportunity for me to learn how others see the world. Specifically, how the world is seen through the many eyes of faith. I’ve always had the feeling that, just as the Enlightenment viewed a religious age as inferior, our society has the belief that science will ultimately solve all of humanity’s problems. In this view, the underestimated power of faith is often disregarded. Overcoming barriers of both rigidity and fundamentalism in religion and in the sciences, we worked at creating a dialogue between faiths in a search for the common principles needed to build a better world.
Michael: The conference greatly shaped my view of interfaith and
increased my awareness of the necessity for interfaith dialogue and cooperation in our developing global society. With each successive speaker, activity, or conversation, my view of interfaith continued to become more nuanced, complex, and integrated. I
observed that we each approach questions of faith from a certain perspective. I believe that the gift of
interfaith understanding is that it encourages us to approach our fellow human beings,
who have a perspective different than ours, with respect, openness, and curiosity. In doing so, we are free to accept each other simply as human beings while at the same time acknowledging the
diversity and uniqueness of each. I came away from the conference with a strong
sense that interfaith dialogue, cooperation, and understanding are increasingly more important in
our present context.
Mariel: Similar to Michael’s experience, the conference played a great part in allowing me to shape my views of the entire interfaith phenomenon. As someone who believes wholeheartedly in the importance and impact of religious plurality and tolerance, the concept of both a multi-faith and an interfaith approach to understanding religion, belief, and spirituality, as demonstrated at the Understanding Interfaith Conference, was invaluable.
Sustainability. How would you describe it? My guess is that if I asked 10 people
to define sustainability, I would get 15 answers. There are so many different opinions, viewpoints, priorities, and
perspectives on sustainability that it is difficult to pin down. I have some sense of what it is: it is more than following the 100-mile diet, more than designing LEED-certified buildings, more than a new business ethic, more than using public transit rather than a car. For me, it has something to do with living in a way that allows generations after me to enjoy the earth, and being partners in creation. It is also about our physical and mental well-being. It is about creating institutions, relationships and even schedules that allow us to maintain a way of life that nurtures us. It is about being in touch with our spirituality.
Ah, another big word: Spirituality! Again, if I asked 10 people to speak about what spirituality means to them, I would get 15 answers, depending on their religious or philosophical path, depending on their life experience, the questions that guide their daily living, and many other things. Spirituality is more than prayer or meditation, more than the belief in God or the adherence to a system of beliefs, and more than just a personal way of life to find balance and wholeness. I would describe it as that which points beyond the human experience, that which nurtures, strengthens and challenges us to live in a way that promotes justice, peace, and wholeness for all.
It is interesting that both spirituality and sustainability are hard to define, and yet they are two often-discussed topics. Go into any bookstore and you find shelves and shelves of books. Google the terms, and you will find over 35,000,000 entries for each. And now, we are even connecting the terms and talking about “sustainable spirituality” or “spiritual sustainability”. And just what does that mean?
One of the things it means to me is that both spirituality and sustainability, whether on their own or connected, point to a great hunger: a hunger for meaning, for purpose, for new ways of approaching new problems, new ways of looking at life. Both sustainability and spirituality touch the soul of this generation and invite it to dig deep and dream new dreams.
And this gives me great hope. For it seems that we are willing, once again, to push our comfort zones, to ask difficult questions, and to engage in creative inquiry about our lives and our world. It gives me hope that many of us are willing not just to consider the “I”, but also the “we”. It gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, we will find a way to sustain the earth and all creation, to find ways of living that do not kill us and others around us. It gives me hope that we are willing to see all humans as one community. ?
Ellie HummelChaplain
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Rev. Ellie Hummel with Dr. Eboo Patel, Founder & Executive
Director of the Interfaith Youth Core
Seeing this coming-together of different people with different stories, with one central goal, was inspiring. Perhaps one of the most valuable aspects for me on a personal level was the demonstration that in order for interfaith to have the most impact, people of all kinds, from devout believers, ritual experts, secular humanists and seekers, must come together, and each is as valuable as the next. It has helped me shape my own understanding of what place and role I can have within the interfaith world, and it has provided me with the guidance and confidence to give it my all.
Claire: I was struck by the number of people, young and old, from all over the United States, who have been engaged in interfaith work for many years. It feels like the interfaith movement in Canada is still in its infancy, while in the US there already exists a strong network of organizations and individuals working to promote interfaith ideas and practices. I spoke to many people who were thrilled to have Canadian representation at the conference and who were eager to maintain a strong relationship with the IAP. Experiencing the interfaith movement in the US context was inspiring and provided me with a vision for how I would like to see this movement grow in Canada.
The plenary speakers also had a huge impact. It was inspiring to hear the speakers (representative of five major world religions) discuss how their own faiths inform their work in the interfaith movement. From a Rabbi who spoke of the dangers of extremism by recounting a hilarious, yet poignant, story about his encounter with a Jesus-loving taxi driver, to a Zen Buddhist monk who spoke simply, but passionately, about religion’s place in our current environmental crisis and her own efforts to promote awareness about water shortage, I began to see more clearly how issues of religion and faith permeate our (so-called secular) everyday lives. Perhaps most importantly, however, the plenary speakers represented individuals who were both deeply committed to their own religious tradition and the interfaith m o v e m e n t . They drew insight from their own particular faiths in order to inspire and inform their i n t e r f a i t h work, and it seems to me that their ability to commit deeply to these dual perspectives is what makes the interfaith movement so diverse and powerful.
Joseph-Alexandre: For me, the simple gathering of these hundreds of participants motivated me to acknowledge that, regardless of our differences, we share much more in common with each other than we even like to admit: air, water, the land we walk on, resources, etc. I think that the most important aspect of the conference, for me, was coming to realize that there are many people willing to work together despite our differences,
because we can recognize that there is a common goal (or goals), that needs to be met, for the growth and development of each person, and for our society as a whole.
Having seen the IAP grow and transform since its conception, I am excited to see the discussions of faith on campus to grow in number as well as momentum. I believe that spiritual dialogue can lead to greater understanding among the members of the student body. In fact, what I am advocating is that it is time for our students to come out of the religious closet. We have many religious groups at Concordia, which make our campus one of the most diverse religiously, culturally, and ethnically. It is the IAP’s mandate this year, and hopefully for many to come, to encourage students of faith to come together and work towards common goals, rather than remain in isolated groups.
The conversations pertaining to sexuality, gender, politics, and sustainability are important to our students, and we have many students fighting for what they believe in. These beliefs come from values that many of us share, but whether they are religious or otherwise, I maintain that they need to be included in our dialogues, debates and conversations. Faith makes us who we are,
and interfaith entails that we acknowledge that our differences are what make us so capable of changing our world, together.
Mariel: Yes, and I truly believe that the conference provided the IAP team with a vision of how we can bring questions of faith to campus. It has empowered me to really explore the ways in which we can find a place for every type of person within interfaith discourse, and how we can use the dynamic for social good, through awareness, dialogue, and service.
Unai: One of the ideas that stuck in my mind for quite a while after the conference was that “nobody knows everything about anything”. By accept-ing this statement we realize the importance of dialogue for the con-struction of knowledge, life’s improvement and conflict resolution. Through dialogue we opened our hearts to other perspectives. We
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enriched our own vision and reaf-firmed our initial assumption on the importance of keeping faith a current topic to be shared among people of all backgrounds. We ac-knowledged the power of believing in something, and the potential of channelling this energy into rel-evant social causes.
Michael: Since the conference, we, the IAP leadership team, have been in a process of visioning new possibilities for next year, informed
by the many activities and events from the conference, as well as our inaugural year. We begin the coming year with greater bonds of friendship and increased capacity for teamwork and expansion. A road trip to a conference can have that effect! Finally, the IAP is better informed about interfaith initiatives around the world and I believe better able to uniquely contribute a program that will speak to Concordia students. ?
“Close Your Eyes” continued from page 2
Sustainability is the attempt to reconcile the world with our human practices, to bring us back into harmony with nature, with each other. It is a challenge to what has become the conventional way of thinking: a reductionist, rationalist approach to the experience of being human that has built our industrial society and has systematically destabilized and weakened the harmony of ecosystems that gave rise to life on Earth.
What is sustainability? At its most basic level, it means the capacity to endure. How can the world, or any being for that matter, endure without spirit? Spirit is the life-force, the essence of being. The strength of the spirit is directly connected to the quality of one’s experience. Spirit is revealed in a smile, in the eyes. Many of the features of our industrial world directly or indirectly weaken spirit through negative practices that harm life, that disregard the sacred balance.
I feel that at an intrinsic level we know and recognize what is wrong and right, and we know that it is possible to live
sustainably. Who can argue that a landfill leaching poisonous waste into the water system is acceptable or justifiable anymore? The carbon dioxide seeping out of our cars and smokestacks is warming the atmosphere and may make the Earth uninhabitable – already indigenous peoples closer to the land see the change and suffer for it.
The greatest crime is that it is unnecessary. It is driven only by greed, by an unwillingness to shake off the vices that provide such short term pleasure. It can be corrected by walking the Buddhist’s Eight-fold path; or heeding the words of Matthew 16:26, when Jesus said “For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?”
Is sustainability, then, salvation? One need have only spent some time watching the oil gush out of the Gulf seabed this summer to realize that things can quickly spiral out of control, and that the profit motive has lead to dangerous carelessness on the part of people in positions of power. Sustainability, to me, means maturity. It’s been said we have an adolescent society, demanding immediate satisfaction of short-term desires. It’s time to weigh our choices carefully.
The Earth Charter says it best: “We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future… We must realize that when basic needs have been met, human development is primarily about being more, not having more… Everyone shares responsibility for the present and future well being of the human family and the larger living world. The spirit of human solidarity and kinship with all life is strengthened when we live with reverence for the mystery of being, gratitude for the gift of life, and humility regarding the human place in nature.”
Ultimately, for me, sustainability is about bringing our world closer to nature, making our cities more liveable, more tranquil, more healthy, happy and calm – more like forests and less like factories. We will all need to make tough choices and ‘grow up’ a little about our wants and needs, and make some sacrifices. But out of sacrifice comes appreciation and gratitude, and ultimately, I believe, the good life. And it can be fun!
I am excited about the growing movement for sustainability that is manifesting here at Concordia and in the broader world of which we are part, and the accompanied deepening of spirituality that I see along with it. I believe Sustainable Concordia’s relocation to share Annex Z on Mackay Street with Concordia’s Multi-faith Chaplaincy is a meaningful opportunity to bring spirit into sustainability, and vice versa. I am also inspired by the emerging development of the Loyola Chapel into a multi-faith centre for spiritual and personal development. I believe all will benefit from a greater presence of the sacred in their lives, and I look forward to sharing that journey with everyone in our wonderful community. Please visit us at Sustainable Concordia anytime and good luck in the year to come!?
Cameron Stiff Sustainable Concordia
Back row (from left to right): Joseph Darrous, Mariel Edwards-Carreau, Chris Koudelka (from Nazareth College), Michael Abravanel, Unai MiquelajaureguiFront row: Laura Gallo, Claire Barnes
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Mother Hubbard’s back again!
On September 23, 2010, Mother Hubbard returns
to her kitchen.
Every Thursday evening until December 9, 2010 she
will be cooking up her delicious and nutritious vegan meals in Annex Z from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.
All we ask for is a donation of $2 which we rely on to pay expenses!
So, come on in, and bring your friends Everyone is welcome!
Would you like to volunteer to help out at
Mother Hubbard’s?
While we endeavour to provide the most accurate information pos-sible, at times there are changes that occur
after we have published the issue. That is why we have a list of constantly updated
information on our web page..You can find the link at: http://chaplaincy.conocrdia.ca
GettingonBoardStudentLife,Routine,andChallengesatConcordia
September 3, 2009, I was with our Interfaith Facilitator at the table
mounted on the second floor of the Hall Building to explain the role of the Dean of Students and Multi-faith chaplaincy programs to new students. As the students approached the table, they seemed divided between playing the tough self-confident person and showing the vulnerability of a newcomer. In the former case, they decided not to ask any questions. For these students, the philosophy was clear: Even if you need help to locate your classrooms, the CSU office, or the International Students Office, just pretend you know where you are going. For example, they decided to avoid asking what the Dean of Students’ table is meant to offer and just keep on moving. In the end, most of these students ascended and descended the escalator leading to the fourth floor at least four times!
Other students were ready to be initiated into their new environment through the medium of asking questions or seeking directions. To them, the philosophy of Socrates applies: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” In this light, the unexamined environment is not worth living in. So they question, examine and, explore their new environment by asking: “Where is this lecture hall located? Where is the office for student’s ID? Where is the Financial Aid Office?” In fact, only one out of twenty-five students asked: “What is this table all about?” No one even asked, if the campuses have a place for quiet, calm, self-emptying, self-discovery and soul discovery exercises. This is how it is. Sometimes, we feel like chatting with someone. Other times, we prefer to keep to ourselves, entirely, to observe the events around us.
These cases are the realities I experienced during my debut at Concordia Multi-faith Chaplaincy. On several occasions, during the Mother Hubbard’s program, clusters of students shared their thoughts and “beliefs” with each other. Often, you can hear one student saying, “My brother is a saint, but I’m the ‘black sheep’ in my family.” Or, you will hear a student sighing: “Ooh, I was so busy this week with work that I could not complete my assignments.” Work, assignments, and “hanging out” are the major concerns of students. Whether you notice it or not, it boils down to one social or spiritual reality: your relationship with parents, siblings, friends, strangers, or books. No doubt, your daily stories and anecdotes depend on whether you have had an amazing rapport with those you interact with, or not.
The challenges of my presence in Multi-faith spaces are two-fold. Maybe you feel the same. How do I connect with students in the reality of their routine life and hopes? How do I provide the social space for students to validate their experiences by allowing them to narrate their stories, to celebrate their joys, and to evaluate their concerns? One thing is sure, self-emptying, self-discovery, and soul discovery occur even within the routine life of students. These are our spiritual life and qualities. To meet
friends or gather with fellow students and to share these activities is really awesome. Definitely, you can bring so much reassurance, confidence, and meaning to others just by sharing with, listening to, and interacting with them in a social space, transformed as it were into uplifting and elevating space. This way, you are not alone in a routine student life. Far from it, you are sustained by those around you, even if they seem not to notice. This is why St. Augustine says in poetic words: “I believe, in order to understand; I understand, the better to believe.” ?
Fr. Paul Anyidoho, Roman Catholic Chaplain
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The Meaning of Spiritual SustainabilityA Baha’i Perspective
Born of necessity, sustainability has gradually become the ethos of our age. However, it is clear that we have yet to uncover
the most profound truth: that true sustainability is spiritual sustainability.
As a result of the sweeping industrial changes of the past centuries humanity finds itself in a precarious place. Abundant evidence illustrates that our actions have begun to significantly alter the balance of global systems. These changes threaten, like never before, the whole of humanity and have lead to the popularization of sustainability as a way of life. This is the case particularly for students who thirst to regain balanced lifestyles.
Despite this trend, we would do well to ask: what does it actually mean to live sustainably?
Most commonly, sustainability has come to mean environmental sustainability – to live within your ecological setting in a balanced and responsible way. Although there is truth to this idea of sustainability, there is, however, a serious problem as well. It fails to account for the wholeness of human existence that is not simply physical but fundamentally spiritual.
When attempting to understand what it means to live sustainably, we find ourselves forced beyond the modern materialistic theories of human nature to acknowledge the deeper spiritual qualities of the human soul. That is because along with our physical needs human beings require significantly more to ‘sustain’ themselves. We require love and emotional fulfilment; we require intellectual stimulation that fosters wisdom; we require a sense of morality that upholds human dignity and leads to a purposeful and meaningful life.
Ultimately, any notion of sustainability that fails to account for these essential human qualities cannot be sustainable at all. Furthermore, since all of these qualities are essentially spiritual qualities, we are forced to recognize that the essence of sustainability is actually spiritual sustainability.
Acknowledging this helps us realize that all of the divergent problems that we face throughout the world (such as environmental degradation, war, poverty…etc) come from within us and are symptoms of deeper spiritual problems. As a result, in order to adequately address these spiritual problems in their outward forms (one example being environmental degradation) we must first begin by addressing them within ourselves (or the patterns of thought an action that are their source). Only then can we live a truly holistic life in a spiritually sustainable manner.
This spiritual sense of sustainability is clearly expressed by ‘Abdu’l-Baha (the son of Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i faith) when he explains that we should
Liken the world of existence to the temple of man. All the limbs and organs of the human body assist one another; therefore life continues.... Likewise, among the parts of existence there is a wonderful connection and interchange of forces, which is the cause of the life of the world and the continuation of these countless phenomena....
From this illustration one can see the base of life is this mutual aid and helpfulness....
Since reciprocity and balance are the main qualities that characterize the world of existence, they must also characterize the world of humanity. With that in mind, spiritual sustainability can only be founded upon the deepest respect and loving care for our fellow beings and the true depths of that respect and love can only come through the love of God: “In truth, the fruit of human existence is the love of God, for this love is the spirit of life, and the eternal bounty”. That love, is best manifested through the noble qualities of character that Baha’u’llah impels us to foster:
Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbour, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, … an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge.... Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, …a dew to the soil of the human heart, …a fruit upon the tree of humility.
May we all learn to live a truly spiritually sustainable life.?
Kevin Naimi (in collaboration with Greg Newing,
Andrew Naimi, Ilona Weinstein, Alexandra Hanson, and the
Concordia Association for Baha’i Studies.)
Catholic Student Association
Concordia Catholic Student Association provides a meeting place for Catholics on campus.
The Association offers social activities, speaker series, social justice projects, retreat sessions, Eucharistic adorations and prayer gatherings.
We meet on Wednesdays from 12:30 – 2:00 PM in Annex Z
Contact: [email protected] or
(514) 848-2424 Ext. 3586.
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Many religious traditions have an ethic or a code of stew-ardship to the earth. Some, like contemporary Paganism
hold a strong reverence and respect for the earth, nature, and natural cycles. This environmental ethic inspires us to make more careful choices about where and how we live, as well as the products that we buy. Our awareness encourages us to reduce, reuse, recycle and refuse. But how do we connect on a religious or spiri-tual level within an urban environment? How do we walk our talk and live spiritu-ally every day? To try and answer these questions and concerns I would offer some suggestions from my own experiences on how to sustain your spirituality in a fast paced secular, urban world and make lifestyle choices that help to reconnect with nature. This is not just for Pagans. May my insights and experi-ences help all to walk the talk in Downtown Montreal.
First I must remind people that our spirituality and connection to the sacred and divine starts first with each of us, person-ally. We have all heard how the body is a temple. It is the first temple and shrine of your soul. So beginning to walk the talk and sustain one’s spirituality starts with the self. Make choices for a clean and healthy body. This can be combined with your environmental ethic by choosing bathing products and clothing that are environmentally friendly or fair trade. Choose healthier foods, organic foods, or better yet, locally grown products to help our own local economy and the organic farmers of Que-bec. I have a vegetable garden in my little yard and on my bal-cony. I try to buy market fruits and vegetables when possible. I brew my own teas and iced teas. Instead of buying food out of-ten, I make larger meals and divide it up into freezable portions to be lunches and dinners when I need them for work or school. When I do eat out, I choose to eat at places like McKibbin’s near the SGW campus on Bishop street or visit the little sushi place inside Atwater metro who both use local farmer supplies and organic as much as they can. On campus try Mother Hubbard’s at Multi-faith Chaplaincy or People’s Potato in the Hall building.
In Paganism we say, “as within, so without” which means what is on the inside is reflected on the outside and vice versa. What are you putting in your body? This also means dressing how you feel, or how you want to feel; and minding what you say to whom and how.
Also, move the body, it was designed for it! Find some exercise you love and, as Nike would say “just do it”. I walk, bike and bus instead of wasting car fuel for short trips. I have hunted up a route for walking along the canal or the lakeshore for exercise that is beautiful day or night. Montreal offers many wonder-ful places to walk and the Bixi system for biking around town. Or simply do some yoga on the balcony of your home. If you
lack a balcony, create a small space in your home for exercise or stretching. Maybe even get the Wii Fit.
One of the very difficult things to do in our fast-paced lives is to get proper rest. Few of us take time out for ourselves. While our body needs time to sleep and recuperate, so does our soul. Try setting aside a moment for a quiet tea with incense and candle light. The time it takes to sip through a cup of tea is great relax-ation time for body, mind and soul. It is so simple to designate a corner of a room to be a meditation space. I have a Mexi-can blanket folded in front of my balcony sliding patio doors on which I sit. Any place where you can sit upon a chair or cush-ion to read, sit quiet, sip tea is a good place. Setting up a small shrine in your home with a candle upon it is a gentle reminder as well. Spirituality is a habit, ritual is a routine. They need to be developed. A daily devotion will go a long way to sustaining your spirituality.
Listen to your body, journal, be…
Bright Blessings to all,
T. Scarlet JoryMasters Student in Religion
Stewardship and Sustainability from a Pagan Perspective
Do you like to drum?Are you interested or curious about drumming as a spiritual practice?
Perhaps this is for you...
C’mon, make a joyful noise...
C’mon, make a joyful noise...
...with Laura GalloSGW: Every Tuesday from 1:00 -2:00 PM in Annex Z, Room 05 Beginning September 28, 2010
Loyola: Every Wednesday from Noon - 1:00 PM in the Loyola Chapel Beginning September 29, 2010
For more information: [email protected]
Don’t own a drum? Not to worry, we have a couple of extras.
Drum circlesDrum circles
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Concordia University Catholic
Student Association
Fall 2010 Events
October 28-31 - Conference: Awaking Communion - Saint John NB
ThursdaysEucharist and Spirituality
Loyola Chapel, NoonFor more information contact: Rachelle or Don at [email protected]
Concordia Christian FellowshipCome and see!
Concordia Christian Fellowship (CCF) is a group of students seeking out what it means to live lives as fully committed followers of Jesus Christ. We engage as a community in prayer, Scripture study, social events, city-wide retreats with McGill and area CEGEPs, and discipleship.
Our office is located in room P-305 at 2020 Mackay.
We invite all who are interested in asking questions of faith to journey with us.
SGI Buddhist ClubSGI (Soka Gakkai International) Buddhist Club is aimed at providing a peace, culture and education movement based on the philosophy of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.
Gongyo Chanting SessionsHeld weekly in Annex Z, Room 05
Info: [email protected]
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Campus Association for Bahá’í Studies at Concordia
Devotional Gatherings......a tranquil time for prayers and inspirational readings. These have taken place in the past at the Multi-faith Chaplaincy. Dates and times will be announced at the beginning of the term.
Study Circle:Based on Bahá’í principles and universal moral values, study circles aim to improve our lives and make the world a better place. Participants often experience a new sense of direction in life, better relationships with family and friends, and a fruitful re-evaluation of the contribution they can make to the wider community. New study circles begin throughout the year.
Maxwell LecturesCovering topics of interest to students. These take place on the first Friday of every month, at the Bahá’í Center, 177 Pine Ave. East, 7:30 p.m.
CONTACTS :For details about these activities, or anything else: Ilona WeinsteinAssociate Chaplain [email protected] THE WEB :http://www.bahai.org/http://www.ca.bahai.org/
Concordia’s Students with Dependent Children: An inspiration to us all
Sustainability reaches all areas of uni-versity life, but often students with
children are an overlooked segment of university populations, despite the fact that they comprise roughly 11% of all uni-versity students in Canada. According to this statistic, Concordia has roughly 4833 students juggling the demands of school, family, and sometimes one or more jobs. The sacrifice and effort made by these students is a real inspiration to us all.
Student parents face unique and serious challenges while going to university. While students without children can often find the demands of university overwhelming, student parents have the
added responsibility of caring for one or more children simultane-ously, sometimes all by themselves in the case of single parents. Between caring for children, attending classes, and trying to make ends meet, student parents must sacrifice their own needs and free-time to achieve it all. Some student parents even express feelings of guilt for enduring the period of financial strain and personal stress while attending university because it affects their whole family. But these students are actually making great per-sonal sacrifices and enduring enormous strain in order to improve the future for themselves and their children. In fact, the benefit is
multi-generational: Not only will their upward mobility be improved with their own education, chil-dren of university-educated parents are also more likely to attend university themselves.
Since 2009, the Concordia Univer-
sity Student Parents Centre (CUSP) has been helping students parents tackle their academic challenges and achieve their aca-demic goals. The Centre provides a child-friendly space on cam-pus where student parents can work, relax, or meet with other student parents or CUSP staff for support. Programs and services offered have includ-ed a Life Skills Work-shop Series, weekly Support Group, monthly Cook-Out, Babysitters Club, and Summer Camp sub-sidies to help par-ents pay for the cost of their children’s summer camp. CUSP is currently conducting a large research project to identify the particular demographics and needs of Concordia’s student parent population.
If you are a student parent you may find that CUSP can be a valu-able resource. Why not drop by and check out what the CUSP centre has to offer.?
Kristy Heeren Coordinator
Concordia University Student Parents Centre (CUSP)
The CUSP centre is located in:Annex K, 2150 Bishop, Room 200 514-848-2424, ext. 5954 [email protected]/cusp.concordia.ca
The CUSP Centre has both a work space for parents...
... and a play space for the children.
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Insight Meditation
(Vipassana)in the
Loyola Chapel
with Daryl Ross, Retired Chaplain
Thursdays, 5:15 - 6:45 PM
October 7 to November 25, 2010
For more info: [email protected]
Zen MeditationWednesdays in Annex Z, Room 05
Instruction at 10:45 AM
Sitting from 11:00 AM-Noon
September 22 to December 1, 2010
For more info, contact Myōkyō at:
514-842-3648
Accuracy is Important…Sometimes the planning for programs of-fered by Multi-faith Chaplaincy, the chap-lains, or some of the religious student groups is only completed after the deadline for sources has passed. Some ideas develop out of an article in sources or as a result of conversation with students. It also can hap-pen that dates or times change slightly. The most accurate and up-to-date information will therefore be on our website.
Please check http://chaplaincy.concordia.ca
and follow the “Programs & Groups” link on the home page sidebar. We will endea-vour to update information accurately and regularly. And please, if your group hosts an event or changes an already existing event listed with us, please let us know!
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Sikh StudentsAre you interested in activities
specifically related to your faith?
If so, contact Manjit Singh
Services for Muslim Students
Prayer Spaces...H-716 (SGW) or SC 03-02 (Loyola)
Imam Elmenyawi meets with students, on the 3rd Friday of each month, after Friday prayers.
For information and prayer times:
Muslim Student Association at 514-848-7410 or
http://msa.concordia.ca/
The Art of Living Club
To live life fully and freely is an art, requiring skill, intuition, creativity, and knowledge.
Weekly YogaFridays, 2:30-4:00 PM
Annex Z, Room 05August 27 - December 24, 2010
Information: [email protected] Book Sale
Come and help!Can you lend a hand?
To volunteer during the sale; help with set-up on Sunday (October 3) and/or take-down on Wednesday (October 6), contact:
Susan Hawke at Ext. 7385 Email: [email protected]
Come and browse! Come and buy!Monday and Tuesday, October 4 & 5, 2010
in the LB Atrium!Proceeds go to the Student Emergency & Food
Fund and to scholarship programs.
Used Book Sale
Jewish Students, Faculty & Staff
Pizza & ParshaThursdays, 12:30-1:30 PM
Beginning October 7, 2010
Loyola, Room AD 130
For information on programs and High Holiday schedules check out
the Chabad NDG & Loyola Campus web page at:
http://www.jewishmonkland.com
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The Interfaith Ambassador ProgramSacred DialoguesAn opportunity to share our personal experiences and thoughts on spirituality.
Sacred SitesJoin us as we visit sacred sites in Montreal and explore spirituality through them.
Faith in ActionParticipate in a community project and explore faith and spiritual paths while doing so.
Interfaith RetreatOctober 1-3, 2010 (Advance registration required)
Want to find out more: Contact… Laura Gallo ([email protected]) e-mail: [email protected] or visit: chaplaincy.concordia.ca/interfaith-ambassador-program
Banner Design: Bernard Paul GloverCover Photo: Tracey FisherNo reproduction without permission
Editor: Rev. Ellie Hummel Published at Montreal, QChttp://chaplaincy.concordia.ca/
sources...a publication of Concordia Multi-faith Chaplaincy
Vol. 5, No. 1, Autumn 2010
Are you a Student Group of a Spiritual or Religious Nature?
Several Concordia Student Groups of a religious nature offer programs in Multi-faith Chaplaincy spaces or in other Concordia or off-campus locations:
Chabad of NDG & Loyola Campus Concordia Association of Baha’i Studies Concordia Christian Fellowship Interfaith Ambassador Program Roman Catholic Student Association SGI Buddhist Club The Art of Living Club (Yoga) Thaqalayn Muslim Association The Muslim Student Association Campus for Christ
For up-to-date days, times and locations of their programs click on the Programs & Groups on our web page at:
http://www.chaplaincy.concordia.ca
If you are a Concordia student or group who would like to pursue a spiritual path, Multi-faith Chaplaincy might be able to assist you or your group. Contact us at the coordinates on the back page for more information.
There is an exciting initiative happening in the heart of Concordia’s Loyola Campus. An innovative gathering place is emerging in the Loyola Chapel to meet the di-verse needs of Concordia’s vibrant community.
We provide an inclusive and multi-purpose space for personal development, social engagement, arts, music, wellness programs, spiritual practice, inter-faith dia-logue, prayer, meditation, yoga, reflection…
For more details, and to find out how you can get in-volved, come check out the beautiful space and meet the awesome staff.
To contact us:
Helen Downie, Administrator, ext. 3588, Email: [email protected]
Solomon Krueger, Development Officer, ext. 3589, Email: [email protected]
Welcome
to the Loyola Chapel
All are WelcomeCome in and find a place to pray or medi-tate, to be quiet, to reflect or just to “be’.
It is a place to refresh your Spirit.
It is Sacred Space.
Our Multi-faith Chaplaincy TeamOur In-house Team
Why not drop in?You will always find a warm welcome at Multi-faith Chaplaincy!
SGW: Annex Z (2090 Mackay, across from the Hall bldg.)Loyola: administration building L-AD 130
if you would like to call ahead......dial 514- 848-2424
and enter the desired extension at the prompt.
Our Associate ChaplainsRev. Ellie HummelChaplain and CoordinatorPhone Ext: [email protected]
Fr. Paul AnyidohoRoman Catholic ChaplainPhone Ext. [email protected]
Laura GalloInterfaith FacilitatorPhone Ext. [email protected]
Tracey FisherService AssistantSGW Office: Z 102Phone Ext: [email protected]
Bernard GloverDepartmental AssistantSGW Office: Z 205Phone Ext: [email protected]
Baha’iIlona Weinstein514- 485-9543
Hindu Dr. T.S. Rukmani
Jewish Rabbi Yisroel Bernath
(514) 686-6770 [email protected]
MuslimImam Salam Elmenyawi
SikhMr. Manjit Singh
Zen BuddhistMyōkyō Judith McLean
Unitarian Rev. Diane Rollert
514-485-7654 [email protected]
In collaboration with the Centre for Native Education:Native ElderMorningstarat Ext. 7327
Our Multi-faith Chaplaincy Team
Programs Offered by Multi-faith Chaplaincy
Drum Circles with Laura GalloSGW: Tuesdays from 1:00-2:00 PM in Z-05Loyola: Wednesdays from Noon to 1:00 PM in the Loyola Chapel
Mother Hubbard’s CupboardThursdays from 5:00-7:00 PM, Z-105/06, September 23 to December 9, 2010.
Interfaith Ambassador ProgramRetreat, October 1-3, 2010 (Advance registration required)For full IAP information see our website:http://chaplaincy.concordia.ca/interfaith-ambassador-program/
Prayer, Spirituality and EucharistThursdays from noon to 1:00 PM in the Loyola Chapel.
Weekly meeting - Catholic Students AssociationWednesdays from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM, Z-05.
Programs Offered by Associate Chaplains
Pizza & Parsha with Rabbi Yisroel
Zen Meditation with Myōkyō
Insight (Vipassana) Meditation with Daryl Ross
Baha’i Devotional Discussions with Ilona Weinstein
For more information about days, times, and locations of all of our programs offered by and throughMulti-faith Chaplaincy check on our web site: http://chaplaincy.concordia.ca
Not in this picture: Fr. Paul Anyidoho and Rev. Diane Rollert