“If we truly see ourselves as interconnected, we must endeavor for others as we endeavor for ourselves,” writes Executive Director of Aspen Institute's Religion & Society Program Simran Jeet Singh. If "endeavor for ourselves" and for greater self-discovery is inherently wrapped up in "endeavor for others" and for greater interpersonal engagement, then, as Pope Francis proclaims, “our great challenge is to create a culture of encounter which encourages individuals and groups to share the richness of their traditions and experience; to break down walls and to build bridges.” Cultivating a culture of encounter, grounded in curiosity and wonder, strives for a world in which “we can also speak with those who think differently, as well as those who hold other beliefs, who do not have the same faith.” Advancing common public goods in such a world embraces the reality that great minds do not – and need not – always think alike but requires them to think alongside one another in order to address the urgent matters of our day.


Join us for this daylong workshop at the University of St. Thomas, free and open to all, to explore what it means to create a culture of curiosity, wonder, and encounter. Learn from practitioners, scholars, and leaders about developing skills to engage religious diversity, cultivate curiosity through storytelling, listen with empathetic understanding, navigate difficult conversations, participate in religious and nonreligious spiritual practices, and to develop greater self-awareness for leadership in religiously diverse societies.

Free and open to the public. Registration Required. Lunch included. Ages 16+. Open to all religious, nonreligious, and spiritual identities, worldviews, and ways of life. Join us for good food, rich conversation, and deep engagement.

free of charge

Registration Closed (please email jpc@stthomas.edu with qusestions) 

Organized and hosted by the Interfaith Fellows Program of the Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies at the University of St. Thomas and the Minnesota Multifaith Network in collaboration with the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community at St. Olaf College and the Interfaith Institute at Augsburg University. 

Cosponsored by Minnesota Multifaith Network and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of St. Thomas, in collaboration with the Office for Mission, Residence Life, Center for the Common Good, MA in Diversity Leadership program, and Campus Ministry Office at the University of St. Thomas. Funded, in part, by generous grants from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota.

Institutional PartnersAugsburg University, Bethel University, College of Saint Benedict & Saint John’s University, Collegeville Institute, Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing, Luther Seminary, Normandale Community College, St. Catherine University, St. Olaf College, University of St. Thomas

 

 

   

Informationclick here for parking directions; click here for map of Iversen Center for Faith

Workshop Schedule

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2023
Saturday, May 6th
8:15 AM

Registration & Check-In

staff

Hoedeman Sacred Art Gallery, Iverson Center for Faith, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus Click here for map

8:15 AM - 8:45 AM

8:45 AM

Welcome & Introduction

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Iverson Center for Faith, Schoenecker Multipurpose Room C (LL16 ABC) University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus Click here for map

8:45 AM - 9:30 AM

9:40 AM

Morning Breakout Sessions (click here for descriptions)

Rev. Michael Le Buhn Jr., M.Div., Allina Health West Region
Najeeba Syeed, Augsburg University
Jane Ulring, Augsburg University
student leaders, St. Olaf College & University of St. Thomas

All breakout sessions take place in Murray-Herrick Campus Center accessible adjacent to the Iverson Center for Faith by interior corridor

  1. Room 203: “Engaging Religious Diversity on your Campus” led by students (students only)
  2. Room 201: “Cultivating Curiosity through Storytelling and Active Listening for Empathetic Interfaith Engagement” with Jane Ulring
  3. Room 205: “Navigating Difficult Conversations: Communication for Interfaith Peacebuilding” with Najeeba Syeed
  4. Room 204: "Liberative Leadership in Diverse Societies” with Rev. Michael Le Buhn Jr., MDiv.,

9:40 AM - 10:45 AM

Michael Le Buhn Jr., Najeeba Syeed

Jane Ulring

10:45 AM

Coffee Break

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Hoedeman Sacred Art Gallery, Iverson Center for Faith, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus Click here for map

10:45 AM - 11:00 AM

11:00 AM

Keynote Address: The Light We Give: Sikh Wisdom for Cultivating Empathy and Justice

Simran Jeet Singh Ph.D., Aspen Institute

Iverson Center for Faith, outdoor Amphitheater, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus Click here for map

11:00 AM - 12:15 PM

Simran Jeet Singh, Ph.D.

12:15 PM

Lunch & Discussion

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Simran Jeet Singh Ph.D., Aspen Institute

Iverson Center for Faith, Schoenecker Multipurpose Room C (LL16 ABC) University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus Click here for map

12:15 PM - 1:30 PM

1:30 PM

Afternoon Breakout Sessions (click here for descriptions)

Jen Kilps Ph.D., Minnesota Multifaith Network
Rev. Michael Le Buhn Jr., M.Div., Allina Health West Region
Najeeba Syeed, Augsburg University
Jane Ulring, Augsburg University

All breakout sessions take place in Murray-Herrick Campus Center accessible adjacent to the Iverson Center for Faith by interior corridor.

  1. Room 203: “The Role of the Body in Religious and Nonreligious Spiritual Practices" with Jen Kilps, Ph.D.
  2. Room 201: “Cultivating Curiosity through Storytelling and Active Listening for Empathetic Interfaith Engagement” with Jane Ulring
  3. Room 205: “Navigating Difficult Conversations: Communication for Interfaith Peacebuilding” with Najeeba Syeed
  4. Room 204: “Liberative Leadership in Diverse Societies” with Rev. Michael Le Buhn Jr., M.Div.

1:30 PM - 2:35 PM

Jen Kilps, Jane Ulring

Michael Le Buhn Jr., Najeeba Syeed

2:35 PM

Coffee Break

staff

Hoedeman Sacred Art Gallery, Iverson Center for Faith, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus Click here for map

2:35 PM - 2:50 PM

2:50 PM

Concluding Plenary Reflections

Student Interfaith Fellows, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota
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Iverson Center for Faith, Schoenecker Multipurpose Room C (LL16 ABC) University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus Click here for map

2:50 PM - 3:30 PM