Spirituality Week, sponsored primarily by the University Chaplains, took place last week and included a plethora of events celebrating the different ways in which students define their spirituality.
“The Chaplains and I are committed to showing students different aspects and expressions of spiritual life,” said Jewish Chaplain Rabbi David Leipziger. “Some of these events are communal, some are meant to be transformative or contemplative.”
Events ranged from lunches to documentary screenings and lectures. Protestant Chaplain Gary Comstock said that each year a different chaplain takes the lead in organizing the events, with each chaplain contributing their respective events. This year’s leader is Muslim Chaplain Abdullah Antepli.
“I think Spirituality Week has two purposes,” Comstock said. “First to remind and inform students about ongoing, regularly-scheduled religious services on campus, and also to plan special events that add to our on-going programs and that attend to new interests and developments.”
“For me, this year I wanted to work on protecting the environment and to do that in collaboration with EON [Environmental Organizers’ Network],” Comstock said.
On Monday students celebrated Tu B’svat, the Jewish holiday commemorating nature, at the Bayit by running a traditional Seder, or group-lead ceremony.
“We had a diverse group of students from different backgrounds who brought different things to the program,” said Abby Rapoport ’07.
The other eco-friendly event that took place during Spirituality Week was a sponsored lunch for “making art from the environment” on Tuesday. Activities included finger painting, pet rocks, tote bag decorating to reduce paper/plastic waste on grocery bags, and pinecone peanut butter birdfeeders.
Dana Powell ’08, one of the organizers of the event that was co-sponsored by Gary Comstock and EON, said that she thought the event was a great success, not only because a lot of people came, but because they seemed to be having a good time.
“I agreed with Gary Comstock that this would be a nice way to get people thinking about the environment in a casual setting,” Powell said.
Another new event added to the Spirituality Week program this year was a reception meant for the support and encouragement of Hindu students who are beginning to establish their identity on campus, Comstock said.
Antelpi sponsored several interactive Muslim events, including a lecture on Thursday by Muslim scholar Dr. Ingrid Mattson. She is Vice President of the ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), which is one of the largest umbrella organizations for Muslims in North America.
Her lecture concerned the feminine in the tradition of Islamic spirituality, and she also fielded questions from students about interpretations of sexuality and Prophet-hood in the Qu’ran.
“It was interesting to listen to an academic opinion on issues of femininity in Islam because it is a misunderstood topic among both Muslims and non-Muslims today,” said Rumman Hossain ’08.
Dr. Mattson emphasized that the God of Islam has no gender, is all-merciful, and is a creator and destroyer. She also discussed the apparent disconnect between the need to respect women found in The Qu’ran and the subjugation of women in some modern Muslim societies.
On Tuesday, the National Geographic documentary “Inside Mecca,” was shown. The documentary told the story of the ancient, holy city of Mecca, still visited today by millions of pilgrims who do so in order to follow in the steps of Prophets Abraham and Muhammad.
“’Inside Mecca’ gave us a rare look at a city inaccessible to many and a tradition practiced by millions of Muslims worldwide,” said Ben Smyser ’08. “It also personalized it in such a way to make it interesting and absorbable to those not indoctrinated with the Hajj.”
The Hajj is the name of the traditional trip to Mecca, which is one of the pillars of Islam and is required by all Muslims if they can afford it, just once in their lifetime.
To conclude Spirituality Week, the Wesleyan Christian Fellowship will sponsor a discussion group called “Suffering and Hope” on Friday. This will aim to explore the spiritual dimension of suffering and the possibility of redemptive hope. The PBS documentary the Legacy of Prophet Muhammad will also be shown on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in PAC 004.
“Students at Wes are wonderful because they often take great risks in growing intellectually and emotionally,” Leipziger said. “Students should also think about their spiritual development and growth while on campus. Wes’ Chaplains can be resources, teachers and coaches in this process of spiritual development.”
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