Category : Interfaith Dialgoue

Meet ‘Masters in Spirituality’ Student: Br. Lee Colombino

December 8, 2017

Meet Masters in Spirituality Student: Br. Lee ColombinoCan you tell us a bit about yourself?

By origin, I am a yooper donchaknow, eh?!  But, most of my life has now been spent outside the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  A few years after undergraduate studies, I entered the Society of Jesus and I have been a brother for nearly twenty years.  I have been greatly blessed in my life as a Jesuit.  I have been in community with some fantastic men and I have met so many amazing people from the wide range of experiences I have had over the years.  Despite my many resistances, it has been a fascinating journey in seeking to grow within God’s Love.

What were you involved in prior to studying at IPS?  How did you discern IPS to be a next step?

Two years ago I was teaching in the Visual Arts Department at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, IL.  Then starting in September 2016, I worked with Jesuit Refugee Service in Kampala, Uganda, for four months.  In early January 2017, I went to Nairobi, Kenya for six months to participate in the East African Tertianship program (tertianship is the last stage of Jesuit formation).  It was a phenomenal experience, but one that I am still ‘unpacking’.  It was during this time in East Africa that I felt an expanding desire to grow in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, along with a desire to cultivate the skills in being able to give the Spiritual Exercises and to go into spiritual direction.

What are you currently studying at IPS?

Masters in Spirituality: Spiritual Direction concentration

What has your IPS journey been like so far?

In many ways, it has been the perfect continuation of my heart-based experiences in East Africa.  I feel very grateful for my instructors and classmates this semester.  I particularly enjoy our class conversations as they make the readings come to life.  Due to the nature of the readings and conversations, I’ve been doing quite a bit of ‘soul-work’, which has been helpful in ‘unpacking’ my experiences of the last year.  My experiences in IPS are providing me with substantially delicious ‘food’ for the journey. 

What are some of your favorite Chicago-related pursuits?

Walking around in the city to simply take in the city life; the Chicago skyline and architecture (Architectural Foundation walking tours and river boat tours); Art Institute, Robie House, & other museums; I am looking forward to getting down to Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza after Thanksgiving, as well as getting glögg in Andersonville; finding new restaurants with friends; being by the lake; and walking through the Botanic Gardens.

If you could teach a class at IPS, what would it be called?

This is a fun question. Hmmm…something like: “The Contemplative Life and Art Appreciation / Art Making”

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

At this point, I would offer to my provincial my desires of working in a retreat house as well as my openness to possibly work abroad.

Finally, can you share a personal spiritual practice that continues to restore and re-energize your mind, body, heart and spirit?

Meditational and repetitive mark-making that is like saying the rosary, but instead of speaking, I draw with pen and ink on paper, with the work developing as it does.

If you want to reach out to Br. Lee directly, you can email him at lcolombino@luc.edu.
To learn more about IPS, go to https://www.luc.edu/ips/.
For those interested in applying to IPS, go to https://gpem.luc.edu/apply/.

IPS Professor AHyun Lee article in Journal of Pastoral Theology

September 12, 2017
      The Journal of Pastoral Theology has just published an article authored by IPS Adjunct Professor, AHyun Lee.
      In the article entitled “What Do I Call You?” Postcolonial Pastoral Care and Counseling: Ambiguous Sense of Self with Perspectives on the Experience of Korean Clergywomen, Professor Lee “explores the ambiguous sense of self with the complexity of the psychological experiences of racial–ethnic minority women, especially Korean immigrant women’s subordinate roles in intercultural contexts”.  Professor Lee interviews five ordained Korean clergywomen to “address the psychological influence of stereotyped representations and expectations that intersect with race, gender, immigration, and cultures”.
      To read the full text of Professor Lee’s article, go here: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/xJT3P7D4yf97vPINKhXx/full.
      Professor Lee is currently teaching IPS 472 (Pastoral Counseling in an Intercultural Context) this Fall semester.  You can reach her at alee27@luc.edu.

IPS Professor AHyun Lee article in Journal of Pastoral Theology

September 12, 2017
      The Journal of Pastoral Theology has just published an article authored by IPS Adjunct Professor, AHyun Lee.
      In the article entitled “What Do I Call You?” Postcolonial Pastoral Care and Counseling: Ambiguous Sense of Self with Perspectives on the Experience of Korean Clergywomen, Professor Lee “explores the ambiguous sense of self with the complexity of the psychological experiences of racial–ethnic minority women, especially Korean immigrant women’s subordinate roles in intercultural contexts”.  Professor Lee interviews five ordained Korean clergywomen to “address the psychological influence of stereotyped representations and expectations that intersect with race, gender, immigration, and cultures”.
      To read the full text of Professor Lee’s article, go here: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/xJT3P7D4yf97vPINKhXx/full.
      Professor Lee is currently teaching IPS 472 (Pastoral Counseling in an Intercultural Context) this Fall semester.  You can reach her at alee27@luc.edu.

Rosemary Hurwitz on the Awakened World Conference and Interfaith Dialogue

Rosemary Hurwitz, 2004 IPS alumna, wrote about her experience at the Awakened World 2012 conference in Italy. She discusses the interfaith dialogue that occurred between lay and religious teachers and authors in many faith traditions.

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The AWAKENED WORLD 2012 CONFERENCE

                    OCTOBER 13-22

The convening organizations of this experience were:
The Association for Global New Thought;
Michael Beckwith, Barbara Fields, CA
The International Interreligious Peace Council;
Jim Kenney, Chicago, IL
The Interreligious Engagement Project;

There were approximately 250 people (4 buses) from all around the world who attended this conference. Representatives, including educators, authors and people from several walks of life from South Africa, Africa, USA, India, China, Japan, and Europe, Israel, Italy spent five days together near Rome at Mondomigliore Spiritual Retreat Center in Rocca de Pappa, Italy.  Three days were spent in the Florence, Italy area at the Hilton Florence Metropole Hotel.  There were press conferences held in both the city halls of Rome and Florence.

The structure of the conference was set up with large group Plenary in the morning, which identified our topics and mutual calls to action.  We then broke into smaller groups with interfaith dialogue facilitated by core leaders and assistants.

The most powerful part of the experience was simply sharing in a global commons of oneness with all of these people from different cultures and faiths; Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and Christians represented and in the large plenary and the small groups which reported back to the large group on our mission and calls to action on the following domains;

  1. Reconciling With the Other
  2. Embracing the Earth
  3. Transforming Society
  4. Rediscovering the Sacred

It will not surprise you to hear many of us wanted the same things, peace, social justice and clean air.  We enjoyed stimulating dialogue and learned more of the Global Commons.  We had a camaraderie that was beyond anything I have ever experienced.

We have a follow up web page and many of us would like to continue to work with specific calls to action on the above domains listed.

 

Connect with Rosemary at rosepetalmusic@aol.com or at www.spiritdrivenliving.com

 

Join the conversation by following @BrianSchmisek on Twitter and @LoyolaIPS on Instagram! Also, network with the Loyola Chicago IPS community on LinkedIn.


Touched by Violence Partnering for Peace Workshop

SCUPE, in partnership with the Parliament of the World’s Religions is offering a one-day long workshop on Wednesday, May 22nd to address this question.

Tio Hardiman, director Cure Violence and Ceasefire, Rabbi Joel Mosbacher who’s work on gun legislation was recently featured in the New York Times, and Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Parliament of the World’s Religions will be the featured speakers.

In this workshop we will:
• Share stories of how we have been touched by violence.
• Explore how our faith traditions may legitimize violence.
• Build partnerships with other leaders touched by violence.
• Learn strategies for dealing with the aftermath of violence.
• Commit to bold actions for peace in and across our communities

The workshop is meant for clergy, lay leaders and professionals in the field. As in all SCUPE events, the expertise and the perspectives of the participants is sought and valued, and dialogical learning from each other, encouraged.

For more information and registration please click here: http://scupe.org/touched-by-violence-partnering-for-peace/