Notre Dame’s Institute for Church Life hosted the “Stories of Practical Holiness: An Exercise in Interreligious Understanding” conference series February 5 to February 8.  Religious leaders from a variety of faith traditions gathered together at the McKenna Conference Center to exchange stories and reflections of their faith.

Co-sponsored by the Fetzer Institute, the Center for Social Concerns, and Multicultural Student Programs and Services, the conference began with a screening of the film, OF GODS AND MEN.  The 2010 French drama retells the true story of seven Trappist monks from the monastery of Tibhirine who were kidnapped and assassinated in 1996 during the Algerian Civil War.  The conference progressed with opening remarks by Professor John C. Cavadini, a member of the theology department and director of the Institute for Church Life (ICL).

Cavadini described the conference as a “pilgrimage” aimed at promoting respect between religions and cultures and offering a collective witness to the good.

“John Paul II, in VERITATIS SPLENDOR, reminded us that Christians were not alone in the ability to bear heroic witness to the good that is in human nature, and that in this we were accompanied by the witness of the great religious and sapiential traditions of the East and West, from which, he said, the Spirit of God is not absent,” he said.

Following Cavadini’s remarks, Dharma Master Hsin Tao, a Buddhist monk and founder of the Museum of World Religions in New Taipei City, Taiwan, offered his insights into Buddhist spirituality. Now in its twelfth year, his museum aims to promote interreligious exposure, respect, and familiarity – educating young children to appreciate spirituality, prayer, and meditation. The Dharma Master’s talk was translated by Dalia Landau, an Israeli activist for reconciliation with Palestinians. The Dharma Master led the audience of about 75 people in a short meditation following his talk.

During the course of the conference, Ven. Guang Guo Shih, a Taiwanese nun and abbess of the One Center in New York City, visited various classrooms and spoke with students about her life and faith.

After the Dharma Master had led another meditation, Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia, a Sikh leader and chairman of a religious charitable organization in the United Kingdom, shared the story of Sikh luminary Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha.

Fr. Armand Veillux, OCSO, abbot of Scourmont Abbey in Belgium, introduced an additional screening of Of Gods and Men.  In his remarks, Fr. Veillux explained the background story of the Trappist monks shown in the film, offered insights from his personal relationships with them, and emphasized the charitable relationship forged between those Catholic monks and their predominantly Muslim community.

According to Fr. Veillux, such a relationship is a paradigmatic exemplar of what the series was intended to promote, because it brings to light both the simple power of witness and the good that comes from interreligious exchange.

Abdolrahim Gavahi, vice president of the Asia Energy Institute, told the story of an inspiring contemporary Muslim religious healer.  Dalia Landau was later joined by Khader Al-Kalak and Yehezkel Landau in a discussion on Open House, a grassroots organization (co-directed by the Landaus) that works with local Jewish, Christian, and Muslim youth in Ramle, Israel to effect reconciliation and social coexistence on the community level.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion between participants that was facilitated by Larry Sullivan, president of the Fetzer Institute. Cavadini delivered closing remarks.

“A lot of people within certain faith traditions tend to view different traditions as threatening to their own beliefs,” said sophomore Christian Coppa, who works for the ICL and helped to coordinate the series. “When we bring members of different faiths together to share their stories, we plant seeds of interreligious admiration. Storytelling opens the door to admiration and empathy by pointing us toward the hidden, underlying spiritual harmony that connects us all.”

“Pope Benedict XVI invited all of us ‘to solemnly renew the commitment of believers of every religion to live their own religious faith as a service to the cause of peace,’” Cavadini said in his introductory remarks. “Let us therefore all go forward in this conference as though on a similar pilgrimage.”

“This goal can only be realized if we’re willing to become vulnerable and open ourselves to dialogue, the fountainhead of understanding,” Coppa said. “Once we can see people from other faiths – or even those outside religion – not as enemies or threats but instead as brothers and sisters, we can start to acknowledge and even celebrate the differences between traditions without transcending doctrine or resorting to relativism.”

Michael Bradley is a sophomore philosophy & theology major and proud Dillonite who is enjoying watching the Sean Connery Bond films for the first time this semester. Contact him at mbradle6@nd.edu.