The Daily OrangeStudents develop interfaith group on campus
By Madison Schmakel
Posted: 4/15/09, 1:56 AM EST Section: News
Catholicism was not what Matthew Regan was looking for. The Syracuse University graduate student in library and information science is a lifelong attendee of Catholic school and Catholic mass on Sundays - he was even an employee at a parochial school. But he knew it was not enough, and so he ceased practicing Catholicism nearly 10 years ago.
Students questioning and exploring faiths like Regan formed the new Interfaith Student Movement this semester. The group, still in development, has plans for a series of events kicking off with their participation in the Hendricks Chapel "Interfaith Pray-In for the Planet" Wednesday. Hendricks Chapel and the Science and Humanities Forum are sponsoring the silent vigil.
Students representing Christianity, post-Christianity, Sikhism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Agnosticism approached Kelly Sprinkle, dean of Hendricks Chapel, and asked to start the interfaith group.
Eboo Patel, a newly appointed member of President Obama's Faith-Based and Neighborhood Initiatives Advisory Council, spoke to the group about pluralism, his book "Acts of Faith" and his own group, the Interfaith Youth Core. Josh Cook, a sophomore health and wellness and religion major, said Patel's presentation inspired the group's mission.
"We emphasize service and common values, following Patel's example, but also affirm differences in a way that makes everyone feel welcome," Cook said.
This is not the first interfaith student council to exist at SU. Four years ago, an interfaith student council facilitated meetings and dialogues on campus. But students from that group graduated and the council slowly disappeared, said Elizabeth Crosby, a member of the previous interfaith student group.
"It just became kind of clear that the group didn't really have any real members," Crosby said. "We had exhausted what we wanted to talk about. It was not as much a big deal as it is now on campus."
The newly started organization is in the grassroots stages, but it meets monthly to plan events for next semester under Sprinkle's guidance.
Students questioning and exploring faiths like Regan formed the new Interfaith Student Movement this semester. The group, still in development, has plans for a series of events kicking off with their participation in the Hendricks Chapel "Interfaith Pray-In for the Planet" Wednesday. Hendricks Chapel and the Science and Humanities Forum are sponsoring the silent vigil.
Students representing Christianity, post-Christianity, Sikhism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Agnosticism approached Kelly Sprinkle, dean of Hendricks Chapel, and asked to start the interfaith group.
Eboo Patel, a newly appointed member of President Obama's Faith-Based and Neighborhood Initiatives Advisory Council, spoke to the group about pluralism, his book "Acts of Faith" and his own group, the Interfaith Youth Core. Josh Cook, a sophomore health and wellness and religion major, said Patel's presentation inspired the group's mission.
"We emphasize service and common values, following Patel's example, but also affirm differences in a way that makes everyone feel welcome," Cook said.
This is not the first interfaith student council to exist at SU. Four years ago, an interfaith student council facilitated meetings and dialogues on campus. But students from that group graduated and the council slowly disappeared, said Elizabeth Crosby, a member of the previous interfaith student group.
"It just became kind of clear that the group didn't really have any real members," Crosby said. "We had exhausted what we wanted to talk about. It was not as much a big deal as it is now on campus."
The newly started organization is in the grassroots stages, but it meets monthly to plan events for next semester under Sprinkle's guidance.
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Tony Gigliotti
posted 4/15/09 @ 8:00 PM EST
As a past board member, I would encourage the students heading this new group to reach out to InterFaith Works, located on E. Genesee St. Perhaps some linkage to such a well established community group would help with continuity problems inherent in such student initiatives. (Continued…)
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