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Take the Crawl of Faith

By KATE PIERCE
News Editor

A series of events called the “Faith Crawl,” meant to bring awareness to the interfaith movement, has been planned in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary.

“I thought this would be a good way to bring the idea of what interfaith can be about to the level of the students—trying to engage students’ curiosity and willingness to go on an adventure with others of seeing how other people approach the idea of belief and faith,” said Joan Horgan, director of campus ministry.

Activities for the week include trips to a local mosque, the Metropolitan Baptist Church, and the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless. Other services and activities will take place in the sanctuary, including a walkable labyrinth, discussions about buddhism and a night of gospel music provided by HIS Image Gospel Choir.

The kickoff to the Faith Crawl includes a “Stop the Hate” interfaith prayer service at 7 p.m. on Feb. 1 in the sanctuary. The organizers hope that students will take the opportunity to attend the prayer service and visit at the local mosque as a way to stand in solidarity with the Muslim community, showing support for them at a difficult time.

“The only requirement is for students to be willing to be respectful of the beliefs and practices of others,” said Horgan. These opportunities are available to all students, and Horgan hopes they serve as a way to become familiar with other beliefs, values and practices.

“Sometimes we are curious and don’t have the courage to go on our own to visit another person’s place of workshop or enter a conversation,” she said. “We always anticipate that this area of religious difference will bring conflict, but that does not have to be so. We can enter these spaces as guests, as people who are there to learn and understand the ways of another person or group. This gives folks a chance to not have to do that alone.”

Maria Hartz, a senior majoring in Spanish and leader of the Better Together interfaith group on campus, believes that these opportunities are incredibly relevant.

“This is a time in our world when, more than ever, interfaith work is extremely important not only on our college campus, but campuses across the country,” she said. “More and more people are feeling discriminated against, marginalized and unsafe because of their religious identities.”

According to Hartz, the purpose of interfaith-themed events for the Faith Crawl is to give students the opportunity to learn about different faith backgrounds that they might not know a lot about or have preconceived notions about based on what they have seen and heard in the media and from political leaders.

“For students that identify with a faith or non-faith tradition that is represented during Faith Crawl, my hope is that they have a space to feel safe, understood, and be able to embrace what they believe,” she said.

“Maybe one of the harder things we can ask a person is to show up to a religious service they don’t know about,” said Horgan. “It is something many people are curious about, but they are also most self-conscious about making a mistake or feeling foolish if they don’t know what to do. One of the benefits of the Faith Crawl is that we are all in this together. As a small group we are all going to be in the same boat, which I think helps.”

The overall mission of the campus ministry and the sanctuary as a space is to support the spiritual and religious needs of the members of the college community and to challenge, where necessary, each person to grow on a personal path and respond to the needs of the wider community around Saint Rose.

“My personal mission includes assisting people in finding their spiritual home, whatever that might be, while also being able to honor the spiritual home of others,” said Horgan. “And, along with that, to assist people in finding a way to use this one precious life on behalf of others—whatever shape that may take.”

The sanctuary plays a large role in pursuing these missions.

“The building itself is a resource as an oasis—a place to hear yourself think, hear your inner voice, or just breathe,” said Horgan. “I think one of the most important resources is a place to be quiet—in one of the prayer spaces, in the garden. We have a downstairs space, the library, that in addition to housing many books on faith and spirituality, it is also a place for students to relax, make a cup of tea, meet others who are connected to the Sanctuary.”

Several clubs, activities and groups meet in the space on a weekly basis. These include Earth Peace, an interfaith, multi-belief gathering for those dedicated to the care of the planet earth, and the campus interfaith/belief group Better Together. The group includes students of various faith perspectives but also those who are seekers, atheists, secular humanists —anyone who is interested in reflecting on life’s meaning and purpose and curious about how people of different beliefs express that in their daily life. Each group meets every Monday, with Earth Peace held at 7 p.m. and Better Together held at 8 p.m.

“We are in a world full of people who are different than us, and our social survival and professional survival will depend on our ability to be open and respectful of those differences and to decrease our ignorance of those differences,” said Horgan. “For those who are teachers, social workers, business professionals, people in the criminal justice field—all these individuals benefit from increasing their comfort level with people who see the world differently than they do. These kind of endeavors—entering places where other people find themselves at home, makes us not only better professionals but better humans. I hope students will take a chance and expand who they are through these opportunities.”

In her last semester at Saint Rose, Hartz has found herself focusing on the concept of interfaith cooperation as something that doesn’t just end when she graduates.

“Being someone that is aware of the religious and non-religious preferences of those around them is very important, especially now in regards to current events,” she said. “Being able to cooperate and embrace differences with those around you is something that will be important not only on our campus, but in the ‘real world’ as well.”

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