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Faith is a Beautiful Thing
Dear Colleague:
We have students at Saint Louis University from 50 different states and more than 90 foreign countries. It's quite a variety.
These women and men study in 65 different undergraduate majors and 74 different graduate and professional programs.
Our students also represent a myriad of ages: from the 18-year-old entering freshmen to those older returning students in our Graduate School or in the School for Professional Studies.
In short, the community that comprises our University is a diverse one. And this diversity enriches us all.
It's important to note that this diversity among our students, as well as our faculty and staff, also extends along religious lines. Members of the SLU community represent many different faith traditions -- Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism among them.
That's why our 10th annual Interfaith Celebration, celebrated this year on Feb. 8 in our beautiful St. Francis Xavier College Church, was so special.
It was a time for the University to come together as one.
We gathered in hope, faith and peace, to recognize our diversity and to reflect on our hopes and dreams for our future. Students gave presentations on the theme of hope from a variety of faith traditions.
Faith is a beautiful thing; it's a marvelous gift from God. This service allowed all members of the University community a time to reaffirm their faith surrounded by their fellow students, friends and colleagues.
This year's service began with a sounding of the shofer, a ram's horn, by Rabbi Hyim Shafner. The horn was used in biblical times to call people together or to sound a warning during times of danger. It can be a warning to people to "wake up out of their lethargy," to evaluate their lives and their conduct.
At the beginning of this semester, I want us to remember the shofer and what it means symbolically. For those experiencing spiritual or personal lethargy, let's remember the horn as a call for renewal and a call to set ourselves on a new path. With hope, all things are possible.
I want to congratulate this year's Interfaith Celebration Committee. They are Carol Boerding, Ben Asen, Dr. Vijai Vivek Dixit, Mary Beth Erickson, Valerie Karras, Rev. John Lottes, Sr. Joan Range, Marilyn Howley Smith, Kristi Williams, Winie Wong and Kim Woods.
Congratulations on a job well done!
Lawrence Biondi, SJ
University President
Lawrence Biondi, SJ
University President
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