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Katie Brick is a Chaplain and the Assistant Director of DePaul’s Office of Religious Diversity. She works with Loop students and the Interfaith Scholars program.
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From June 12-20th, nine students and two staff members went on an Interfaith Pilgrimage to explore Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Paris. There were goals set and Learning Objectives learned, but here are a few things I picked up organically, and I hope other participants will post more stories/insights, because it was a tremendous trip on many levels. Note: click on a photo to see them all (& associated comments) in larger size.
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- Messed up airline meals can become a natural team and interreligious exercise in care and community building – “I ordered kosher because they didn’t have halal, but if you need kosher please take this one.” “Have this side dish and we can get others’ too …” “So, we’ve got Jewish, Muslim and Christian vegetarians on this trip and it’s not tied to religion, but… it sort of is – what?”
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- Cafes are sacred spaces.
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- Reflection time is graced, especially with a group like ours…
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- …particularly when the view from the reflection room looks like this.
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- Photographs of a pilgrimage to a modern city largely look like Americans taking up too much sidewalk space. Not communicated are the deep conversations, the questions, the clarifications, and the laughter. The good stuff.
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- Student-led prayer and 20-minute morning meditations in the garden of the Vincentian Priests’ Motherhouse were a tremendous anchor and framing for our common journey. We also were told it delighted quite a few of the guests and House residents to watch a visibly diverse group of young adults in this type of gathering. So, interfaith prayer: good for you, and better than a cute cat video for charming and heartening viewers?
