Rabbi Reena Judd of the Peter C. Hereld House for Jewish Life and Rev. Jordan Lenaghan of the Catholic Chapel brought their faiths together during a “Feeding Your Faith” event on Oct. 19, to discuss social justice in religious communities.
The event was held in the Center for Religion in the College of Arts and Sciences. Faculty and students of different faiths came together to discuss perspectives of life through the lens of religion.
“How does the individual relate to one another?” Lenaghan said. “How does the individual relate to a broader society?”
Lenaghan and Judd called upon students to discuss individual morality, advocacy, and societal norms. Health literacy was also encouraged among the group, being one of the six vectors of Religious Life focused on throughout the discussion.
Lenaghan, executive director of the Office of Religious Life, welcomes students to reflect on these vectors, including advocacy.
Peter C. Hereld House for Jewish Life. (Photo by Alena DeLuise)
“You can’t just advocate for your nation or group,” Lenaghan said. “The principle of solidarity requires advocacy for all.”
Megan Cuneen, a senior business management major and Catholic Mass-attendee, said her faith acts as a bridge to create bonds between herself and other worshipers.
“The Catholic chapel has put on events to further my faith and create relationships with people that have the same beliefs,” Cuneen said. “They have also given me the opportunity to grow and learn about myself — what I should advocate for, who I should be as a person.”
Lenaghan discussed the topic of social justice in relation to religion at the event.
“Social justice lies in the individual,” Lenaghan said. “It is considered a virtue.”
Judd elaborated on how broad the event’s topics can be, and the meaning behind each one.
“We’ve talked about immigration, we’ve talked about death and dying,” Judd said. “We talk about topics students care about.”
Iddrisu Awudu, the university’s Muslim Chaplain, also attended the event. Awudu is from Ghana, which led to his participation in the dissection of differing perspectives between countries’ societal norms.
“Guidelines and standards are driven by society,” Awudu said.
The Office of Religious Life has a dedicated prayer room for Muslim students.
Judd and Lenaghan cater their event to the student experience. Before COVID-19 halted student activity on campus, ‘Feeding Your Faith’ took place four times per semester, starting in 2014, when the two ordained leaders started working together.
Values are another vector of religious life at Quinnipiac, which can be demonstrated through the religious community’s outreach work.
Students work closely with local and international charities to organize educational programs and host speakers and other events.
The university’s religious communities dedicate their time to religious literacy, interfaith dialogue and social justice.
Religious programs and events at the university are often organized and run by its students.
The university’s religious life also sponsors CompACTION: Compassion in Action, a community service-based project. This year, the group is partnered with IRIS, a Connecticut-based nonprofit that helps with refugee resettlement in the United States.
At Quinnipiac, religious life is also focused on growing and nurturing the community, another vector of religious life.
“All too often in our society we look at religion as a private community,” Lenaghan said. “Religion is never this highly private thing, it’s about a communal understanding and conversation.”
Abby Blumenfeld, a senior liberal arts major and Jewish community member, reflected on her personal moral calling.
“As a Jewish person, I have realized that I need to speak up for those who can’t,” Blumenfeld said. “Especially in today’s time where Nazis are making a reemergence, it’s important to speak up.”
Blumenfeld said she recognizes there is room for different perspectives further advocate for a sense of community.
Judd and Lenaghan agreed that no two people have the same religion in considering the vector of perspective, and said that “everyone perceives things differently.”
“The people who live an integrated life in social justice have the most challenging relationship with God,” Judd said.