Nearly 100 students, faculty, and University employees took part in the inaugural Multi-Faith Thanksgiving Celebration in the Heights Room, at noon, on November 20. Sponsored by Campus Ministry and University Mission and Ministry, the program included the offering of prayers, reflections, and songs from Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, and Protestant traditions to create, in the words of the program, a “joyful celebration of our diverse roots and shared values.”
Rev. Howard McLendon, a Baptist minister, coordinated the planning of the event in his capacity as interfaith campus minister. “In the past we came together as an interfaith community when there was a natural disaster or a crisis,” he reflected. “I see our Thanksgiving celebration as a real move towards embracing Boston College’s growing religious diversity and pluralism.” Respect for diverse traditions was the hallmark of the event, from prayers offered by representatives of a range of faiths to the menu of the concluding buffet lunch, which respected dietary customs of Muslims and Jews.
Gathering before processing into the Heights Room are, from left to right, Ibrahim Dayib ’09, president of the Muslim Student Association; McLendon; Mary Sweeney, SC, campus minister; Nancy Khalil LGSE ’07, of the Muslim Student Association; Rabbi Ruth Langer, associate professor of theology; and Linda Reams, of the Office of Undergraduate Admission.