March 20, 2017 St. Thomas Newsroom
The Sacred Arts Festival at the University of St. Thomas will present “Creating Sacred Space,” a cross-disciplinary dialogue at 7 p.m. March 28 in the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium. Acclaimed architect John Cuningham and three distinguished scholars – Victoria Young, Jeanne Kilde, and Marilyn Chiat – will examine the construction of sacred space through the lenses of architecture, ritual and social history.
March 2, 2017 | St. Thomas Newsroom
Jeannine Hill Fletcher, professor of theology at Fordham University in New York City, will present “The Oneness of God and the Diversity of Religions: A Christian Perspective” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, in Room 100 (the Great Room) of McNeely Hall on the St. Paul campus of the University of St. Thomas. The lecture, sponsored by the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning, is free and open to the public. “The earliest Christians experienced the reality of God as creator beyond human comprehension, but they also gave witness to the experience of God in Jesus Christ and the Spirit among them,” Hill Fletcher said.
January 19, 2017
The Twin Cities Jewish Community Alzheimer’s Task Force presents “Keeping the Spirit Alive,” a conference for caregivers and those supporting a loved one with Dementia. The conference is free and open to people of all faiths or no faith at all. It takes place Sunday, April 30th at Adath Jeshurun Congregation in Minnetonka. It will include keynote addresses from Marc and Deb Grossfield who will share their personal journey as care partners for their father, Stuart, who has been living with dementia for the past sixteen years. Conference participants will have the opportunity to learn from experts and other caregivers about dementia and how to navigate through what can be a difficult time.
October 28, 2016 St. Thomas Newsroom
Rahuldeep Singh Gill, associate professor of religion and director of the Center for Equality and Justice at California Lutheran University, will present “The Oneness of God and the Diversity of Religions: A Sikh Perspective” on Monday, Nov. 14, at 1:30 p.m. in Room 100 of McNeely Hall on the St. Paul campus of the University of St. Thomas.
October 27, 2016 St. Thomas Newsroom
Anantanand Rambachan, professor of religion and philosophy at St. Olaf College, will present “The Oneness of God and the Diversity of Religions: A Hindu Perspective” Monday, Nov. 7, at 1:30 p.m. in O’Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium on the St. Paul campus of the University of St. Thomas.
October 14, 2016
A Taste of South Indian and Sephardic Jewish Music” (Song of Wonder Concert Preview) is an upcoming fall open house that the newly created and student governed Diversity Activities Board (DAB) at the University of St. Thomas will be holding for the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning and the Muslim-Christian Dialogue Center. Both centers recently moved into the campus house at 2057 Portland Avenue, referred to as Centers for Interreligious Understanding. It will take place on Oct. 26th from 6-8pm.
October 12, 2016 St. Thomas Newsroom
Religious leaders from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist traditions will be panelists in the program “Change and Conflict Within Religious Communities” on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. at St. Luke Presbyterian Church, 3121 Groveland School Rd., Minnetonka.
23 August 2016 1:13 PM
“Discover Islam” and “A Taste of South Indian and Sephardic Jewish Music” (Song of Wonder Concert Preview) are two fall open houses that the newly created and student governed Diversity Activities Board (DAB) at the University of St. Thomas will be holding for the Muslim-Christian Dialogue Center and the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning. Both centers recently moved into the campus house at 2057 Portland Avenue, referred to as Centers for Interreligious Understanding.
“Discover Islam” Sept. 15, 2016, 5-7pm: This event will celebrate Islam and offer an opportunity for dialogue about the religion and its major holiday, Eid-al-Adah. There will be delicious appetizers, live music, and great people to meet. Please stop by and join us! This event is presented by the Muslim-Christian Dialogue Center.
“A Taste of South Indian and Sephardic Jewish Music” Oct. 26, 2016, 6-8pm:
Falling between the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and the Hindu holiday of Diwali, this open house features a preview of the “Song of Wonder” concert, a blend of Judeo- Spanish and South Indian music. It is an opportunity to learn about the Jewish and Hindu celebrations and enjoy Jewish and Indian food. Rabbi Norman Cohen and Satya Balroop will be in attendance to teach and answer questions about their traditions. Please stop by and join us! This event is presented by the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning.
The Song of Wonder concert celebrates the spirit of “wonder” through South Indian and Judeo-Spanish music, folktales, and poetry. Co-created by world-renowned musician Nirmala Rajasekar and David Jordan Harris, Artistic Director of Voices of Sepharad, Song of Wonder also features a trio of distinguished instrumentalists: Carnatic percussion master Thanjavur Murugaboopathi, percussionist Mick LaBriola, and oud player David Burk. Highlights of Song of Wonder include excerpts from the oldest known written Jewish music; virtuoso performances of Indian music; ancient Tamil Sangam poetry; Judeo-Spanish and Hebrew chants from traditional Jewish communities in Bosnia, Turkey, and Morocco; and new musical arrangements flowing from the cross-cultural collaboration of these amazing artists. Please consider attending upcoming full Song of Wonder concert at the Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing, MN on November 12 (click here to purchase tickets).
*Both events will take place at 2057 Portland Avenue at the Centers for Interreligious Understanding (across Cleveland from OEC)
St. Thomas Newsroom July 22, 2016 For Faculty/Staff, For Students, Notices
St. Thomas will raze five buildings on the north side of Grand Avenue between Cleveland and Cretin avenues in early August.
The buildings include houses at 2093, 2097, 2103 and 2167 Grand and an office building at 2117-2119 Grand. The house at 2167 Grand has been used for rental housing and the other buildings housed various offices, including the Muslim- Christian Dialogue Center (2093), the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning (2097) and Parking Services (2117).
Parking Services has moved to Murray-Herrick Campus Center and the Phillips and Muslim-Christian centers have moved to the St. Thomas-owned house at 2057 Portland Ave.
St. Thomas decided to raze the buildings because of their condition, the need for extensive renovation for any undetermined long-term use and an interest in providing more open space for the students housed on those blocks. The areas will be sodded, landscaped and used for green space.
A year ago, St. Thomas razed a house at 2091 Grand.
17 June 2016 8:34 AM
The University of St. Thomas has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Interfaith Youth Core and the Teagle Foundation to assist in developing undergraduate curricular programs in interreligious studies that bridge the liberal arts and pre- professional programs. The grant proposal process was led by Sarah Farnes (Muslim- Christian Dialogue Center), Barbara Gorski (Opus College of Business), Dominic Longo (Muslim-Christian Dialogue Center), and Hans Gustafson (Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning). The funding will allow for the implementation of workshops and events in the 2016-2017 academic year that promote the creation of curricular units fostering interreligious understanding through community and workplace engagement.