Imam Amir Durić (left) and Rabbi Ethan Bair, chaplains at Hendricks Chapel, received national recognition as Interfaith America Innovation Fellows.

Imam Amir Durić and Rabbi Ethan Bair, chaplains at , model how friendship and understanding can transcend and transform adversity. Through the Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Fellowship they co-founded, Bair and Durić have helped the ���ϲ����� campus community unlock the potential of religious and spiritual diversity, and their shared efforts are receiving national recognition.

Rabbi Ethan Bair

Each year, , founded by and known as one of the nation’s premier interfaith organizations, chooses exemplary leaders as Interfaith Innovation Fellows. Out of over 200 applicants across the country, both Durić and Bair were chosen. The Fellowship awards grant funding to leaders with an inspirational vision for social change. Durić and Bair will network with cohort members, learn from one another’s projects, participate in a retreat geared toward professional development and work with mentors at Interfaith America. .

After Bair and Durić first met at a Hendricks Chapel retreat in 2022, they perceived potential not just for their friendship but for the opportunities to continue the interfaith work they both valued.

“Interfaith work has always been a priority for me,” says Bair. “Amir and I really only knew each other for a year before we created this Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Fellowship and applied for our first grant from Interfaith America. I’ve been an ordained rabbi for 15 years and have dedicated myself to interfaith work in every position I’ve held. What’s new is being able to work with an ordained Muslim imam who shares so many of my values. That is a blessing.”

Imam Amir Durić

Durić completed his undergraduate degree in Sarajevo, Bosnia, which is known for its religious and spiritual diversity. In one part of the city, you can locate a mosque, synagogue and cathedral all on one city block. However, when he attended the Hartford International University for Religion and Peace seminary in Connecticut, he observed interfaith dialogue in practice.

Durić remembered visiting campus when two friends (one Jewish, one Muslim) came to speak about a summer project. Their organization in California visited the Middle East to bring together Jews, Muslims and Christians. “I was like, wow, this is really powerful. They are investing time, and resources just to invite people to have a meal together,” Durić says. “So when Rabbi Bair joined ���ϲ�����, I felt we could team up, and that was really a blessing.”

A Friend for Virtue and Creating Connections for Students

According to Bair, in Jewish tradition there are teachings about finding a mentor, acquiring a friend and giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. “There are a few different versions of friends, and the top level is a friend for virtue. I feel like Amir and I are friends for virtue,” Bair says. “Our friendship helps us become better people. We talk about our values, our vision for our own chaplaincies and also for what we can do together.”

Bair and Durić’s friendship extends into their work as chaplains in various ways. As chaplains serving minority religious groups, the pair have a unique opportunity to create more understanding between their respective communities. Bair notes that their partnership and fellowship are focused on creating intentional space between two communities that rarely meet each other. “There are so many unique similarities between Jews and Muslims, such as dietary rules and holidays that follow the lunar calendar,” Bair says. “And, of course, there are differences as well.”

What’s Next?

The imam and rabbi have already implemented the Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Fellowship, which has created support and understanding during an undoubtedly challenging year for their students. Now, the two are seeking to create a Living Learning Community (LLC) where Muslim and Jewish students can live communally in a residence hall. They hope the LLC will build the foundation for shared communities, lasting friendships, understanding and imagination.

Durić and Bair will travel to Chicago for a retreat with the other Interfaith Innovation Fellows in mid-November. In addition to the work they’ll be doing with their Interfaith America cohort, they’ll be working on their second round of Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Fellowships and creating opportunities for their students to build relationships and support their communities through kindness and service.

Both Bair and Durić are grateful for their experience at Hendricks Chapel and the support they receive from both the Chapel and ���ϲ�����. “When we enter spaces that are not Hendricks Chapel, I recognize how challenging it is what we’re doing. And yet, I am very comfortable here and I feel so much support for the kind of work and relationships that we build. The entire team of Hendricks is supportive and it’s an example of helping across the boundaries of religion, of worldviews, of race, of whatever we can think of,” Durić says. “Hendricks Chapel is an example of how it looks when we elevate ourselves and go beyond those boundaries that often limit what we can do.”

Professor Arnold writes: “My new book “” (���ϲ����� Press) helps us all to better understand the significance of the shift from Columbus to Indigenous Peoples Day. The enduring values of Indigenous Peoples all over the world, but particularly those of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), have had a profound influence on US culture through democratic principles, women’s rights, lacrosse and foodways. However, these connections have been obscured by the legacy of domination of Indigenous Peoples and their lands by settler-colonialism, which is symbolized by Columbus. Concern for our future has led immigrant people back to those who originally welcomed them. Moving to Indigenous Peoples Day signals a respect that has been sorely lacking throughout our history.”

“The ballot box is sacred space and voting is a spiritual act. When we elect representatives or discern referendums, we proclaim our personal beliefs and shape our public surroundings, all which shapes communities far after the polls close. To be a voting citizen is itself an act of faith, for we all depend on each other, and together we trust that our actions can indeed make a difference.”

To get an idea of Brian’s work, you can read his opinion piece in the Huffington Post titled

If you’d like to learn more or schedule an interview with Rev. Konkol, please reach out to Vanessa Marquette, media relations specialist, at vrmarque@syr.edu.

More about Rev. Konkol:
Konkol is responsible for guiding, nurturing, and enhancing religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical life at the University and across its extended community. As a member of Chancellor Kent Syverud’s Executive Team, Konkol provides direct support and input for university-wide strategic initiatives and overall operations for the institution.

Konkol has a diverse and global background, including overseas ministry service for nearly a decade while serving in South America and South Africa. He is an ordained Lutheran minister, a Faculty Associate in the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at ���ϲ�����, Faculty Chair of the Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Ministry, and Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

“As our world witnessed a reformation of religious identity and practice five hundred years ago, we may now be experiencing an era that historians five hundred years from now will eventually regard as another reformation. The dividing lines of religious affiliation and action are increasingly gray, dotted, and blurry, which some might observe as a crisis, but others may celebrate as an opportunity. Instead of hoping for a better past and grieving an uncertain future, I believe those committed to religious life have an opening to meet this present moment with renewed clarity, creativity, and calls to action.” You can read more in his Huffington Post opinion piece titled,

If you’d like to learn more or schedule an interview with Rev. Konkol, please reach out to Vanessa Marquette, Media Relations Specialist, at vrmarque@syr.edu.

More about Rev. Konkol:
Konkol is responsible for guiding, nurturing, and enhancing religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical life at the University and across its extended community. As a member of Chancellor Kent Syverud’s Executive Team, Konkol provides direct support and input for university-wide strategic initiatives and overall operations for the institution.

Konkol has a diverse and global background, including overseas ministry service for nearly a decade while serving in South America and South Africa. He is an ordained Lutheran minister, a Faculty Associate in the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at ���ϲ�����, Faculty Chair of the Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Ministry, and Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

Michael Steele

To consider these questions, faculty, students and staff, along with the Central New York community, are invited to this year’s with speaker Michael Steele on Monday, April 4. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in the K.G. Tan Auditorium, National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building.

Steele will reflect on his life of faith and leadership. Both a former seminarian and former elected official, Steele is well positioned to explore this topic.

The event is sponsored by the in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

In 2002, Michael Steele became the first African American to hold statewide office in Maryland when he was elected lieutenant governor.  In 2009, he became the first Black chair of the Republican National Committee.  He is now a senior fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

As lieutenant governor, Steele’s priorities included fostering cooperation between government and faith-based organizations. As head of the RNC, Steele led the GOP to a pickup of 63 House seats in 2010. A self-described “Lincoln Republican,” Steele was committed to grassroots organizing and party building at the state and local levels.

Currently, he is a political analyst for MSNBC and has appeared on shows ranging from “Meet the Press” to “Real Time with Bill Maher” to “The Daily Show,” as well as many others. He is an author and hosts the podcast “Man of Steele.”

Born at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Steele was raised in Washington, D.C. Upon graduating from Johns Hopkins University in 1981, he entered the Order of St. Augustine where he studied for the priesthood. He is a graduate of Georgetown Law Center (1991), an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership and a University of Chicago Institute of Politics Fellow.

“We are very excited to host Michael Steele,” says Phil Arnold, associate professor and chair of the Department of Religion. “His voice has been one of the clearest coming from an African American GOP leader on the political challenges of our time. The Borgognoni lecture will allow us to appreciate how his views are connected with his Catholic faith.”

Brian Konkol, Dean of Hendricks Chapel, says, “We are honored and delighted to welcome Michael Steele to ���ϲ����� for the 2022 Borgognoni Lecture in Catholic Theology and Religion in Society. Through his lived experience at the diverse and dynamic intersections of faith and public service, Steele will invite us to consider the emerging implications of our affirmations, which makes this a special opportunity in the midst of important times.”

Margaret Thompson, professor in the Department of History, says, “Michael Steele is excited to have the opportunity to talk about the relationship between faith and public service in his own life, and how faith has shaped his values and his political vision. In these often tense and polarized times, we believe he is an ideal person to reflect openly and deeply on these matters, and to contribute to ongoing conversation within our own campus and the larger community.”

Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, says, “Michael Steele has played a pivotal role in some of the nation’s most pressing political conversations about the composition and direction of our two major parties and has demonstrated the courage of his convictions. I’m keen to hear his reflections and delighted that he is visiting us.”

The annual Borgognoni Lecture in Catholic Theology & Religion in Society is supported by funds Monsignor Charles L. Borgognoni (a.k.a. Father Charles) established in 2007 in memory of his parents, Joseph and Amelia Borgognoni, to promote the study of Catholic theology and religion in society. During his 30 years on campus, he served as the Roman Catholic chaplain of St. Thomas More Chapel, raised $1 million for the construction of the John G. Alibrandi Catholic Center, and also served as the chaplain to the University football and basketball programs. He was a visionary, teacher, mentor and friend to students and faculty alike. Augmented with a leadership gift from Judith Pistaki Zelisko ’72 and many additional contributors, the Borgognoni Fund exemplifies the affinity Father Charles felt for ���ϲ�����.

Kenny Fries, Perel and Quintan Ana Wikswo

Three queer Jewish disabled writers and artists each discuss their work on Aktion T4, a prime crucible of disability history, during a Zoom virtual event on Monday, Oct. 18, from 3-4:15 p.m. ET. Aktion T4 was a eugenics project in Nazi Germany that targeted people with mental and physical disabilities.

The speakers are Kenny Fries, Perel and Quintan Ana Wikswo. The event will be moderated by Julia Watts Belser.

The panelists will explore the following themes and question:

• How to avoid a sentimental or aesthetic depiction
• How to avoid reinscribing trauma
• Because Aktion T4 has no survivors, how do writers and artists become “vicarious witnesses,” which memory studies scholar Susanne C. Knittel describes as not “an act of speaking for and thus appropriating the memory and story of someone else but rather an attempt to bridge the silence through narrative means”?

.

Julia Watts Belser

This event is free and open to the public. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, live captioning and image descriptions will be provided.

Requests for other accommodations can be made by Monday, Oct. 11, by completing the accommodations request field in the Zoom registration form.

Questions about this event can be directed to oipo@syr.edu.

This event is sponsored by the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach (OIPO) at the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at ���ϲ����� through the Collaboration for Unprecedented Success and Excellence (CUSE) Grant Program, with additional support from Atrocity Studies and the Practices of Social Justice; College of Visual and Performing Arts; Department of History; Department of Religion; Department of Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition; Disability Studies; Hendricks Chapel; Jewish Studies; LGBTQ Studies; LGBTQ Resource Center; and ���ϲ����� Hillel.

Professor Thompson discussed how religious exemptions to vaccinations like the one for COVID-19 work. She said, ‘Whether the religious belief is “sincerely held” is a primary metric used by employers when determining whether to grant the requests.’

Thompson commented on the controversy over whether or not President Biden should be denied communion based on his stance on abortion. She noted, “There really is a tension between bishops and that tension has always existed in the USCCB, it’s always been there. It’s just a question of what is predominant.”

Mark Brockway

Does “faith-based” include people without a religious faith? is a faculty fellow in religion and political science at ���ϲ�����. Brockway wrote a research-based piece for The Washington Post’s politics blog, Monkey Cage, in which he discusses how secularists are organizing and how their activism could begin to influence the Democratic Party.

He writes, “In May, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships  secular groups to discuss the needs of nonreligious Americans of various stripes. The meeting is a historic, but not unexpected, sign of secular Americans’ growing voice in politics.  and are .”

Read the full piece in .

The Assumption of Mary into Heaven (often shortened to the Assumption) is, according to the beliefs of the Catholic Church, Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life.

Contact Hendricks Chapel at 315.443.2901 for more information.

• At 8 a.m., ashes will be distributed at the SU Catholic Center, 110 Walnut Place;
• From noon-12:30, an ecumenical service with the distribution of ashes will be held in Hendricks Chapel, in the main chapel;
• From 1-3 p.m., ashes will be distributed at Hendricks Chapel, outside on the steps;
• At 4 p.m., ashes will be distributed in Hendricks Chapel, in the main chapel;
• At 5:30 p.m., ashes will be distributed in Hendricks Chapel, in the main chapel;
• At 7 p.m., ashes will be distributed at the SU Catholic Center, 110 Walnut Pl.

The 1-3 p.m. “Ashes to Go” session on the steps outside Hendricks, will include Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York. For more information, contact Hendricks Chapel at 315.443.2901 or the SU Catholic Center at 315.443.2600.

“This is a planning meeting to see if we have enough common research interests to create a compelling case for writing large grants,” says religion professor . “The collaboration gives each department access to funding opportunities on the other side of the Atlantic.”

The symposium will explore future research collaborations on two different subjects. One, the study of latent normative texts, focuses on the ways people use old texts, typically sacred books, to justify contemporary political and legal positions. For example, some use the Hebrew Bible verse from Leviticus 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination,” to condemn homosexuals. People use references in other texts to justify defending racism, war and land claims, Watts says.

James W. Watts

“People use ancient scriptures to defend practices and institutions that seem threatened by progressive changes in social norms and legal expectations,” Watts writes in the grant application. “Normative texts can also be used to promote social change as a return to lost values and principles, that is, as ‘reform’ or ‘revival.’”

The collaboration with CERES could create historical and contemporary case studies that offer insight and guidance about how to evaluate and manage such attempts to revive old normative texts. “This is a theme we want to look at on a comparative level,” Watts says.

The American-German team also will research changes in physical spaces, such as native temples turned into churches or churches transformed into mosques. The study of space and place includes large-scale national claims to cities (like Jerusalem) and territory (such as the partition of India, Native American land claims, and Israel and Palestine).

Religious spaces play a prominent role in politics and international affairs, Watts notes. “We hope to gain the ability to describe some larger patterns and begin to think in terms of responses and policy decisions about things,” he explains. “You begin to think about how the transitions can be handled gracefully rather than with conflicts.”

The collaboration builds on the expertise of several scholars. Watts, for example, leads the , which investigates how books and texts function as material objects of social power. In 2015-16, he was a Käte Hamburg Kolleg visiting fellow at Ruhr University. His work with CERES spurred conversation with his German colleagues about a longer-term collaboration.

’s works on how the 500-year-old Doctrine of Discovery still shapes legal decisions about native land claims. Arnold, associate professor and chair of the religion department, is founding director of the Skä·noñh Great Law of Peace Center on Onondaga Lake, which highlights the significance of that sacred site for the Onondaga Nation.

, Bishop W. Earl Ledden Professor of Religion, addresses the relevance of early Christian theology on contemporary ecological thought in her new book, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018). And religion professor edited (Springer, 2016). It includes essays on new or changing religious organizations in Singapore, Bangalore, Seoul, Beijing, Hong Kong and other locations.

Ten CERES faculty members will join ���ϲ����� faculty at the March 4-5, 2019, symposium. A $5,000 CUSE Seed Grant, awarded in April, also supports the project. SU’s religion department and CERES this semester initiated a graduate student exchange program.

“The Delmas and CUSE grants will make it possible for us to embark on this rare experiment in research collaboration between religion departments,” Watts says. “We expect it will expand our understanding of how both places and texts change with the societies that cherish them.”

The parliament includes representation from dozens of religious, spiritual, moral and ethical traditions. Its intent is to bring people together in the spirit of peace, education and a shared commitment to diversity and inclusion. This year’s parliament runs from Nov. 1-7 in Toronto, Canada, presenting an opportunity Hendricks Chapel has embraced.

The 13 delegates from Hendricks Chapel, who represent a diverse group of religious and spiritual practices, are committed to bringing a deeper understanding of interfaith cooperation back to ���ϲ�����.

“Where else can one find all the world’s religions coexisting in one space, having vital conversations as to how we can honor each other’s humanity,” says Rhonda Chester, the United Methodist Ecumenical chaplain.

Chester attended the parliament in 2015. She describes it as a transformative experience. During a forum on women’s empowerment, Chester met a daughter of Malcolm X and took the opportunity to get up onstage to deliver an impromptu blessing.

Apart from the official, Chester says she looks forward to the unexpected interactions and opportunities, and knows that the experience in Toronto will be educational and profound.

“It encourages me,” Chester says. “It helps me to come back and encourage my students who experience all kinds of things. And I can relate to them, really listen to them and provide them with the spiritual care that really brings about healing.”

Most of the cohort from Hendricks Chapel will be experiencing the parliament for the first time. For Jikyo Bonnie Shoultz, a Buddhist co-chaplain, and Junjie Ren, the vice president of the Student Buddhists Association, this will be a special opportunity to connect with a part of Buddhist history.

At the very first conference in 1893, a Buddhist master from Asia was invited to speak about Buddhism to a North American audience for the first time. Shoultz says that many practitioners of Zen Buddhism in North America can trace the lineage of their masters back to those who attended this first parliament.

Shoultz says she is excited to connect to this aspect of her tradition and to explore all of the opportunities for interfaith collaboration that will happen at the conference.

“You have to be open to the idea that you don’t know everything, that you absolutely want to learn,” Shoultz says. “I think that’s really what it’s about.”

For Ren, a junior geography major, the conference presents an opportunity to deepen his commitment to spiritual life. He describes his beliefs as fluid and varied, and is excited to learn from a diverse group of religious and spiritual leaders.

As a member of the Spiritual Life Council, an organization for student religious leaders on campus, Ren says he also hopes that he and the other students who are attending the conference can draw inspiration from their fellow student spiritual leaders.

“I want to go and see what other young people are up to, outside of my immediate circle,” Ren says. “What are they up to? What are they thinking?”

The opportunity to support and send a cohort to the parliament was, according to Hendricks Chapel Dean Brian Konkol, a direct expression of the chapel’s historic mission, vision and values.

“The Parliament of the World’s Religions seeks to cultivate harmony in order to sustain a more just, peaceful and sustainable world,” says Konkol. “Our support of this effort is rooted in our conviction that an education informed by multiple points of view, life experiences, ethnicities, cultures and belief systems is essential to academic excellence.”

Following the Parliament, the Hendricks Chapel cohort will make a presentation to the University community in order to share what they learned and build upon efforts to foster an inclusive campus community. More information on that session will be announced at a later date.

For more information, contact Hendricks Chapel at 315.443.2901 or chapel@syr.edu.

There will be no vigil Mass held on campus this year.

Contact: Jeremiah Deep
Hendricks Chapel
315.443.2600
jedeep@syr.edu

The series is facilitated by Muslim Chaplain Amir Duric and will be held on Tuesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. in Room 114 of Bird Library. It is sponsored by ���ϲ����� Libraries, Muslim Student Life at SU, the Muslim Students Association and Hendricks Chapel. All of the programs are free and open to the public.

Topics and the presenters are:

• Oct. 2—introduction;
• Oct. 9—”Ten Commandments of Islam,” presented by Imam Muris Neimarlija;
• Oct. 16—”Women’s Rights in Islam,” presented by licensed counselor Anisa Diab;
• Oct. 23—”Sunni-Shi’a Dichotomy and Politics in Early Islamic History,” presented by Ahmet Celik, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Religion in the College of Arts and Sciences;
• Oct. 30—”Legacy of Muslim Civilization,” presented by Imam Amsal Memic;
• Nov. 6—”The Role of Mosque and Community in the Life of Muslims,” featuring a mosque visit and a presentation by Imam Mohammed Alfiki; and
• Nov. 13—”Faith in Practice and Conclusion,” presented by Al-Amin Muhammed, an advocate for the homeless and poor.

To register or to request special accommodations, contact Duric at aduric@syr.edu by Friday, Sept. 28.

Katelyn Bajorek, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, participated in the series during the Spring 2018 semester. “I was drawn to the series out of a desire to better understand a religion with which I had previously had little contact and which I considered to be often misunderstood,” she says. “In following the series, I learned about Islam not only through the weekly meetings with Mr. Duric, but through experience in listening to prayers, reading excerpts from the Qur’an, and visiting a local mosque. I highly recommend this series to anyone interested in deepening their knowledge of Islam in a welcoming and friendly environment.”

Associate professor Roy Gutterman is director of the at ���ϲ�����’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and an expert on communications law and the First Amendment.

Gutterman says:

“The court more or less expanded the rights under the free exercise clause of the First Amendment to deny services based on religious beliefs. The underlying government action in this case was viewed as the government disparaging on the baker’s religious views.

“This case, the court acknowledged straddles the line between two separate clauses under the First Amendment, both speech, because these artistic cakes represent a form of artistic expression and religious beliefs because the baker’s religious viewpoints object to gay marriage.

“The court’s decision focuses on religion, rather than expression. The decision reflects the conservative bent on the court, though two liberal justices (Karan and Breyer) joined with the majority.

“One of the phrases that Justice Kennedy’s opinion notes is the government must be ‘neutral and respectful’ of all religions. This is a valuable take away, but it means all religions. The court’s other note of caution here is seeing how these rules may play out in future or similar cases, which is always a challenge.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Communications and Marketing

T 315.443.1184   M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

820 Comstock Avenue, Suite 308, ���ϲ�����, NY 13244
news.syr.edu |

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Bishop Borys Gudziak ’80

Borys Gudziak ’80—bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Vladimir the Great of Paris, director  of external  relations for the Greek Catholic Church and president of the Ukrainian Catholic University in L’viv, Ukraine—will speak on Tuesday, May 8, from 5-6:30 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium.

Gudziak, a native Syracusan, will receive an honorary degree from the University at the Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 13, in the Carrier Dome.

In his Tuesday lecture, titled “Ukrainian Catholic University: 21^st-Century University in a Post-Communist Land,” Gudziak will explore his experiences as president of the university over the past 25 years, including detective stories, conflicts with the former KGB, revolutions, the killing of one of its young faculty members and the university’s rise to success.

A reception will follow in the Founders Room in Maxwell Hall.

is an associate professor of history and political science in the Maxwell School at ���ϲ�����. In addition to his impact on the global religious realm, Thompson says in subtle ways, he contributed to social change as well.

Thompson says:

“Billy Graham probably preached to more people than anyone in world history. He was not a learned theologian, but he preached from the heart and his message had a tremendous impact around the world.

“In subtle ways, he contributed to social change–refusing to appear before segregated audiences in the American South well before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. His life was not without controversy; to his own acknowledged shame, he can be heard on the Nixon White House tapes concurring in some of the president’s anti-Semitic comments. After Watergate, he carefully refused to take positions that were partisan.

“As an Evangelical who was not a Fundamentalist, he reached across lines of demarcation –traveling to the Soviet Union, engaging in ecumenical dialogue with Catholics, etc. He was a major figure of the second half of the 20th century.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Communications and Marketing

T 315.443.1184   M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

820 Comstock Avenue, Suite 308, ���ϲ�����, NY 13244
news.syr.edu |

���ϲ�����

Ashes will be distributed at times from 8 a.m. through 8 p.m. at both Hendricks Chapel (main chapel) and at the Catholic Center, 110 Walnut Place. Times and locations are as follows:

• From 8-8:25 a.m., ashes will be distributed at the Catholic Center;
• At noon, an ecumenical service with the distribution of ashes will be held in Hendricks Chapel;
• From 4-4:25 p.m., ashes will be distributed in Hendricks Chapel;
• From 5:30-6 p.m., ashes will be distributed in Hendricks Chapel;
• At 7 p.m., Mass will be celebrated and ashes distributed at the Catholic Center.

For more information, contact Hendricks Chapel at 315.443.2901 or the Catholic Center at 315.443.2600.

The program is facilitated by Muslim Chaplain Amir Duric, and will be held on Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. in Room 004 of Bird Library. The series, which is sponsored by ���ϲ����� Libraries, Muslim Student Life at SU and Hendricks Chapel, is free and open to the public.

The schedule is as follows:

• Jan. 31—Introduction
• Feb. 7—Six Main Beliefs
• Feb. 14—Five Pillars of Islam
• Feb. 21—Social Dimension of Islam
• Feb. 28—Muslim Culture in General
• March 7—Practical lecture and discussion at a ���ϲ����� mosque

To register, contact Duric at aduric@syr.edu by Friday, Jan. 26.

Brian and Kristen Konkol with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu

From 2008-12, Konkol and his wife, Kristen, served in South Africa as country coordinators of the Young Adults in Global Mission program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He also taught at a local seminary and assisted in parish ministry alongside isiZulu-speaking congregations, and she taught classes in exercise science, managed a research lab and helped to start a local soccer academy. Kristen Konkol now teaches in the Department of Exercise Science in SU’s and is working on a holistic sport initiative.

The Konkols both earned doctor of philosophy degrees at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. And it is where they welcomed their first child, a son, in 2010. Their daughter was born shortly after moving back to the United States in 2012.

For the first time as a family, the Konkols will visit South Africa this holiday season. Dean Konkol has been invited to guest preach at the iconic St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town on Sunday, Jan. 7, during the weekend of the Epiphany, a Christian feast day commemorating the visit of the wise men to the baby Jesus.

Known as the “People’s Cathedral” for its deep commitment to the struggle against apartheid, St. George’s is the oldest cathedral in Southern Africa and the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town. Renowned theologian, human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu led several historic marches against apartheid from the steps of St. George’s during his time as the diocesan archbishop from 1986-1996.

Reflecting upon the liturgical theme of the Epiphany, Konkol plans to deliver a sermon on the importance of listening in transforming conflict into peaceful and sustainable livelihoods.

St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, where Brian Konkol will preach on Jan. 7

Throughout his work and ministry, Konkol has drawn a great deal of inspiration from St. George’s spiritual, cultural and political significance. St. George’s is a model of what he believes the role of Hendricks Chapel to be in the ���ϲ����� community.

“From its Anglican roots to its interfaith reach, St. George’s not only impacts those inside its walls, but the well-being of those around it, regardless of religious or spiritual identity,” he says. “Their principled and sustained commitment to the common good serves as a living example for Hendricks Chapel and countless other communities around the world.”

Brian and Kristen Konkol, who last visited South Africa in 2016 to co-teach an undergraduate course, are excited to bring their children to this special place where their lives have been deeply impacted.

“We want our children to see that the world is both large and small, and they are a part of it, and have a responsibility to serve for the sake of it,” he says. “This all should be a reminder that we are a global community—not just a collection of diverse people but a totality of connections that stretch around the world and bind people together.”

On Friday, Dec. 8, the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception Mass will also be held at the Catholic Center, at 12:10 p.m.

Contact: Gayle Stookey
Hendricks Chapel
315.443.2600
gmstooke@syr.edu

James Watts

, professor in the Department of Religion in the , has written a new book about the ritualizing of the Pentateuch–the first five books of the Jewish and Christian bibles. “The Pentateuch depicts itself as a physical object from the start,” he says. “It’s not just the text that’s important, but how you use the object.”

Watts, a scholar of the Hebrew Bible and ancient Near Eastern textual traditions, wrote “” (Wiley Blackwell, 2017) as a Käte Hamburg Kolleg visiting fellow at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany. He spent a year there as part of an international research group at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES).

His new book and the fellowship reflect his interest in the symbolic or “iconic” uses of books and other texts. The same concept underlies the  at ���ϲ�����, which Watts co-founded in 2001.

Biblical studies typically focus on the interpretation rather than how people use the physical books of the scriptures, the bibles and Torah scrolls, Watts explains. His book aims to provide “an understanding of how scriptures function traditionally and today.” Readers and students will learn “how the contents of the Pentateuch established and modeled those forms of textual rituals throughout Jewish and Christian history,” he adds.

According to the Book of Exodus, the second book of the Hebrew Bible (Christians call this the Old Testament), God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. But the Bible never describes anyone reading this list of laws. Instead, Moses reads a Torah scroll to the Israelites. “The Tablets of the Commandments are for possessing,” Watts explains. “They are an icon. They are the physical evidence of the covenant with God.”

Their meaning, he says, is similar to that of documents like driver’s licenses, passports and property deeds. “Those are iconic texts,” he explains. “There’s identity and rights attached to them. You rarely talk about people reading them. It’s all about possession and display.”

Because the Pentateuch (Torah) was the first part of the Bible to become scripture, its model set the precedent for how subsequent forms of Jewish and Christian scriptures would function.

In October, Watts delivered the keynote address at the “Books as Sacred Beings” international conference at Seoul National University. The conference was organized by the Society for Comparative Research on Iconic and Performative Texts, which grew out of the Iconic Books Project. Watts will also present “Ritualizing the Size of Books” and respond to studies of the Ten Commandments at the American Academy of Religion/ Society of Biblical Literature Nov. 18-19 in Boston.

Brian Konkol

About two weeks after starting his new role as dean of Hendricks Chapel, the Rev. was walking to a meeting. He ran into Leah Fein, Hillel’s campus rabbi. The two started walking together; about a minute later they encountered Amir Duric, the Muslim chaplain, heading the same way.

Konkol admits his first thought was about a pastor, a rabbi and an imam walking into a bar–the premise for endless jokes. “I actually wanted us to find the nearest watering hole and walk in, just to have some fun with it,” he shares. They didn’t, but he also quickly recognized the metaphor created by the clergy trio.

“That walk symbolizes the mission of Hendricks Chapel,” he says. “We accompany. We journey alongside others, recognizing and embracing our diversity, to educate and bring us all a bit closer to the dream of a common good.”

Konkol, a native of Amherst Junction, Wisconsin, is an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He previously served as chaplain of, and taught in, the Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies program at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. He also ministered at a Wisconsin church and in Guyana and South Africa.

He will be installed as the seventh Hendricks dean at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the chapel. The ceremony is open to the public and all are invited. Ahead of that celebration, Konkol discussed his hopes for Hendricks. Here are excerpts of that conversation, edited for length and clarity.

The Rev. Brian Konkol

The Rev. Brian E. Konkol will be installed as the seventh dean of Hendricks Chapel in a ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 4 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. The University community is invited and encouraged to attend.

A community tailgate, open to all, will precede the installation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle.

Konkol assumed his role as dean on July 15. He came to ���ϲ����� from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where he served as chaplain of the college since 2013. In that role, he provided strategic leadership to the Office of the Chaplains and was a faculty member of the Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies program. He also served as the faculty liaison to the men’s basketball team.

Since coming to ���ϲ�����, Konkol has worked to strengthen the role of the chapel as the spiritual heart of the campus and a model for diversity and inclusion of philosophies and religions. He is reviewing and instituting recommendations from the Hendricks Chapel Study Committee to enhance the chapel’s role and impact in the community.

Konkol’s impact is already being felt across the campus community. In addition to spearheading efforts surrounding hurricane outreach relief, he was appointed to the Universitywide Council on Diversity and Inclusion and recently spoke at the Carrier Dome for a community worship service. He served as guest anchor for the weekly ‘Cuse Cast, was featured by The Daily Orange and has presented on various topics in partnership with the athletics department, residence life, Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, Orientation Leaders, Orange Seeds, Mental Wellness Peer Educators and the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC), among others.

In addition to his presence outside the walls of the chapel, Konkol’s influence within Hendricks is immediately observable. At the beginning of the fall semester, he instituted the weekly Hendricks Chapel Dean’s Convocation. The idea of the convocation emerged from the ���ϲ����� campus community and is intended to be a weekly gathering place for all people that features a diversity of religious, spiritual and philosophical perspectives. The convocation highlights the Hendricks Chapel Choir, University Organist and various musical guests, and hundreds of people from across the campus and wider community now regularly attend the weekly gatherings.

Konkol, an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has a diverse and global background of service, ministry and teaching. Prior to his appointment to Gustavus Adolphus College, he served as co-pastor of Lake Edge Lutheran Church in Madison, Wisconsin, with responsibilities surrounding multicultural engagement and public advocacy.

From 2008-2012, he served in South Africa as country coordinator of the Young Adults in Global Mission program of the ELCA. He also assisted in parish ministry alongside isiZulu-speaking congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, lectured at the Lutheran Theological Institute and participated with the World Council of Churches and Lutheran World Federation in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

From 2003-2007, Konkol interned with and later served a parish with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Guyana, where he also lectured at the Lutheran Lay Academy and co-hosted the nationally televised broadcast “Word for the World.” He served on a variety of community organizing committees, many of which focused on ecumenical and interfaith cooperation, poverty, children and youth development, and ecological sustainability.

Konkol is originally from Amherst Junction, Wisconsin. He is a graduate of Amherst High School and earned a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from Viterbo University, La Crosse, Wisconsin. He earned a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and master of theology and doctor of philosophy degrees in the School of Religion, Philosophy, and Classics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

He is a sought-after preacher, frequent presenter at conferences and a prolific writer. His book, “Mission as Accompaniment: A Response to Mechanistic Dehumanization” was released by Fortress Press in June.

Konkol and his wife, Kristen (Tews) Konkol, are the parents of a son, Khaya, and a daughter, Tobi.

The Hendricks Chapel Choir on stage at a recent Dean’s Convocation

The idea of a weekly convocation emerged from the ���ϲ����� campus community and was instituted by the Rev. Brian Konkol, the new dean of Hendricks Chapel, at the beginning of the fall semester. The convocation is intended to be a weekly gathering place for all people that features a diversity of religious, spiritual and philosophical perspectives.

Each convocation features congregational singing, led by University Organist Anne Laver; at least one choral anthem featuring the Hendricks Chapel Choir, led by Director Peppie Calvar; and a guest artist. The convocation’s artistic elements combine with a reading and message based on the week’s theme, delivered by Konkol or an invited guest.

This semester, Konkol has spoken on the themes of beginnings, belonging, purpose and finding joy in the midst of struggle. Hendricks chaplains and staff—who represent a diversity of traditions—have reflected on the themes of inclusion, strength, unity and service.

This Sunday’s convocation will focus on the theme of memories, and will lead into a candlelight vigil hosted by the ���ϲ����� Remembrance Scholars to begin the University’s annual Remembrance Week.

The Dean’s Convocation has quickly taken root in the University community. The first gathering took place on the last Sunday of August and was attended by 40 people. A recent gathering was attended by nearly 300. Those gathered include students, staff, faculty and community members from across the religious, spiritual and philosophical continuum. “The convocation celebrates our commonalities and also acknowledges our differences. As a Christian, I believe it all shows that people can both develop strong personal beliefs and also grow in a deep commitment to grace and hospitality,” Konkol says.

The convocation is a modern-day expression of the chapel’s longstanding mission,” Konkol says. “Since its dedication in 1930, Hendricks Chapel has defined and embraced its role as the physical and metaphorical heart of ���ϲ�����,” he says. “From its central presence on the Quad, the chapel speaks to our core yearnings of meaning, purpose, dignity and hope.”

“Also, as ‘a home for all faiths and a place for all people,’” the chapel—and the purpose which guides it—serves as a distinctive and significant reminder that our collective future depends upon whether or not people that navigate life differently can strive for a common good,” Konkol says.

“I think the Dean’s Convocation provides our students, our campus family and our community an opportunity to unite in a world that constantly seeks to divide us, despite our various religious and spiritual beliefs and the various degrees to which we each choose to devote ourselves to those beliefs,” Calvar says. “Dean’s Convocation reminds us of our shared values, of things each of us can agree upon and rally around.”

As an ongoing collaboration between Hendricks Chapel and the (Calvar and Laver are both VPA faculty members), the Dean’s Convocation also gives audiences opportunities to hear student and faculty performers and ensembles from the Setnor School of Music on a weekly basis.

“Dean’s Convocation is a wonderful way for our students to share their music with the wider campus community,” Laver says. “Musicians are always looking for ways to be relevant, and this gathering has provided the perfect opportunity for our student musicians to experience how meaningful their contributions can be.”

Sasha Turner, a first-year graduate student in voice pedagogy in the Setnor School of Music, has been a member of the Hendricks Chapel Choir for five years. “The Sunday evening Dean’s Convocation is a really exciting event to be a part of, because it is dedicated to creating a space for any individual to be a part of,” she says. “I think especially now, in 2017, with everything going on, it is important to build community in whatever way we can. For me, Dean’s Convocation is a dedicated time in my week to set aside all of the complications of life solely for the purpose of coming together with friends and colleagues, to be present together in thought and to make beautiful music.”

Konkol’s hope is that each week, those who attend Dean’s Convocation carry its impact with them as they depart through the chapel doors and head into a new week. “My hope is that every person who attends experiences something beautiful and leaves with the understanding that we need each other to become ourselves,” he says.

For details about the weekly Hendricks Chapel Dean’s Convocation, call 315.443.2901 or visit hendricks.syr.edu.

Theoharis co-directs the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She has spent the past two decades as an organizer working alongside the poor and marginalized. She has advised grassroots groups, including the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the Vermont Workers Center, Domestic Workers United, the United Workers Association, the National Union of the Homeless and the Kensington Welfare Rights Union. Theoharis is also co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

The event is sponsored by the First Universalist Society of Central Square and its Social Justice Committee, the Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State, Alliance of Communities Transforming ���ϲ�����, Camden Area Unitarian Universalists and the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) Labor Studies Working Group in the Maxwell School.

Kaya Oakes

The lecture, titled “Nones, Dones, Seekers and Doubters: Navigating Religion in a Secular Age,” is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow the lecture. For more information, contact the in the at 315.443.3863.

The lecture is made possible by the Borgognoni Fund, held in the religion department.

Oakes plans to provide “a post-election update to the swing of a lot of people away from religious practice to being Nones.” The growth of the Nones—people who do not affiliate with any religion—represents one of the most important religious trends of the day. A quarter of U.S. adults do not affiliate with any religion, according to the Public Religion Research Institute, which found in 2016 that the number of unaffiliated young people increased from 10 to 39 percent since 1986.

Religiously unaffiliated voters, especially young ones, played a role in the 2016 presidential election, Oakes says in telephone interview. “The (Bernie) Sanders phenomenon was mostly young voters. He is a boomer None,” she says. “Younger voters attached themselves to Sanders and (Donald) Trump because they are considered outside the party. Neither is particularly religious.”

The largest group of Nones are former Catholics, Oakes notes. “There is cause for the church to worry,” she says. “We don’t know how many will boomerang when they get older and come back to the church. Statistically, not many ex-Catholics come back, but many are wondering if Pope Francis will influence them.”

Oakes addresses the growth of the Nones in her most recent book, “The Nones Are Alright: A New Generation of Believers, Seekers and Those In-Between” (Orbis Books, 2015).

“Religion often fails to meet us where we arrive, hauling the complex baggage of modern life,” she writes in the introduction. “And, perhaps, many young Americans are culturally moving into a way of being beyond organized religion. … Passionate, committed and loving people want to meet other passionate, committed, and loving people, and oftentimes they don’t meet them in church.”

A review in the independent praises Oakes for moving past the data to tell the stories of young people. The book is “not a harsh indictment but a sober analysis,” the review says. “Entrenched institutions are more often responders than harbingers of change.”

Oakes writes about her own experience as a “revert” to institutional religion in “Radical Reinvention: An Unlikely Return to the Catholic Church” (Counterpoint Press, 2012). Oakes is a senior correspondent at Religion Dispatches, a contributing writer at America: The Jesuit Review and a contributing editor at . Her work has appeared in many other print and online outlets, including Sojourners, Commonweal, Narratively, Foreign Policy, The Guardian and Religion News Service, and on the public radio show and podcast “On Being.”

Her recent work focuses on connections between religion and social activism. published in June at Religion Dispatches, highlighted the contradiction between Catholic social teaching at Catholic colleges and universities that fight unions for adjunct instructors.

“Kaya Oakes brings an insightful and engaging eye to the spiritual state of our society today. Her ideas are conveyed with passion, wisdom and more than a little wit,” says , chair of the Borgognoni Fund’s faculty steering committee. Thompson is based in the Maxwell School, where she serves as associate professor of history and political science and as a senior research scholar of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

The Borgognoni Lecture, now in its sixth year, is made possible by the late Monsignor Charles L. Borgognoni (a.k.a. Father Charles), longtime Roman Catholic chaplain of the St. Thomas More Campus Ministry. Before his death in 2007, Borgognoni established a fund in memory of his parents, Joseph and Amelia, to promote the study of Catholic theology and religion in society at ���ϲ�����.

The Borgognoni Fund also relies on the generosity of friends and alumni, including Judith Pistaki Zelisko ’72, a member of the College of Arts and Sciences’ board of visitors, and Charles Borgognoni ’76, nephew of Father Charles, both of whom spearheaded fundraising efforts.

For more information about the Borgognoni Fund or to contribute, contact Christopher Lukowski at 315.443.0354 or clukowsk@syr.edu,

Winona LaDuke

The in the College of Arts and Sciences is presenting “An Evening with Winona LaDuke” on Wednesday, March 29, at 5 p.m. in Shemin Auditorium. A leading environmentalist and political activist, LaDuke is revered for her work with food sovereignty, renewable energy, sustainable development and indigenous paradigms.

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Hayley Cavino G’09, the DK Project’s program coordinator, at 315.443.8750 or hcavino@syr.edu.

LaDuke’s appearance is made possible by the DK Project in conjunction with The Skä•noñh—Great Law of Peace Center, the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, the Native American Studies Program, the Native Student Program and the Department of Religion.

The DK Project began exploring the possibility of LaDuke’s visit last fall. Many members of the project have admired her prolific scholarship and unwavering activism.

Cavino says her visit is timely, given growing concerns over climate change, renewable energy and indigenous values and rights.

“Particularly during last summer, these issues came into focus at Standing Rock [in North Dakota], with the Dakota Access Pipeline,” Cavino says.

LaDuke has written and lectured extensively about the conflict, calling it an “unpredicted history lesson for us all.” LaDuke resides on the White Earth Reservation in northwestern Minnesota. A two-time vice presidential candidate on Ralph Nader’s Green Party ticket, she is program director of Honor the Earth, raising awareness of and support for indigenous environmental justice, and is founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, one of the nation’s largest reservation-based, nonprofit organizations. She also works to protect indigenous plants and heritage foods from patenting and genetic engineering.

A prolific writer, LaDuke has authored six books, including the novel “Last Standing Woman” (Voyageur Press, 1999); has co-authored more than a dozen other titles; and has published dozens of essays and articles. She earned an M.A. degree at Antioch University.

“This is more than hosting a talk by Winona LaDuke, although the information will be incredibly and critically important,” Cavino adds. “This is about fostering relationships. At ���ϲ�����, Winona will reconnect with people she has known for a long time—some of whom have lived here for generations; others, for a relatively short amount of time. She will also meet an array of new people, including students.”

Founded in 2009, the DK Project is a campuswide initiative that promotes a more open, inclusive and democratic institution. For more information, visit .

The memorial will begin with a 49th day memorial service at 11 a.m. at the , 266 W. Seneca Turnpike, ���ϲ�����. The service will be followed by a 12:30 p.m. luncheon sharing of memories in the Kilian Room, 500 Hall of Languages.

Smith’s respect for and practice of Buddhism make the 49th day memorial service appropriate, says Shinge Roshi Roko Sherry Chayat, a longtime friend of the University who knew Smith well.

“Buddhists believe that when someone dies there is still a consciousness or an energy force that continues after the physical body disintegrates,” she explains. “That consciousness takes a new birth after 49-day period of transition. Although he was a Christian, he was very drawn to

Huston Smith. Photo by Heidi M. Kettler.

Buddhism and he would appreciate that he would be remembered in this ceremonial way.”

Chayat, abbot of the Zen Center of ���ϲ�����, says Smith was very supportive of the creation of the Zen Center. She also worked with Smith to bring the Dalai Lama to campus in 1979.

The 49th day service will be held at the Zen Center’s Carriage House. Guests are asked to arrive at 10:45 a.m. and are asked to call the center at 315.492.9773 to R.S.V.P.

Smith was an early champion of religious pluralism and interfaith respect. He remains well known for his 1958 book “Religions of Man,” later revised, expanded and renamed “The World’s Religions.” The two versions have sold more than three million copies. It remains a popular introductory textbook and is often on the syllabus for ���ϲ�����’s Religion 101 course, according to , chair of the religion department.

Lunch will include videos of Huston Smith. That will be followed by anecdotes shared by Smith’s friends and colleagues, including Chayat, Arnold and others.

“Huston made profound contributions to the comparative study of religion, which have marked our department, ���ϲ����� and the wider community,” Arnold says. “This memorial event allows us all to express our respect and admiration for him and his legacy.”

The Feb. 7 dialogue, on “Marginalization, Faith and Secularism,” will be held from 6-8 p.m. in the Noble Room of Hendricks Chapel.

Each two-hour gathering will include a shared meal, facilitated dialogue and a time of mindful meditation. It will be co-facilitated by chaplains, staff and students.

“We are delighted to continue our ongoing commitment to create inclusive and welcoming spaces wherein students, faculty, staff and community members can break bread and share their perspectives about faith, secularism and some of the challenging issues of our times,” says Diane R. Wiener, director of the Disability Cultural Center and part-time faculty member.

This series is cosponsored by Hendricks Chapel and the Disability Cultural Center, and is made possible through the Co-Curricular Departmental Initiatives program within the Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience.

Other gatherings will be held on March 7, focusing on “Anti-Semitism Today”; and April 4, focusing on “Remembering/Honoring/Responding to Pulse, Orlando.”

American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and inclusive food will be provided for each gathering. Requests for accommodations or food queries should be made at least seven days in advance by contacting sudcc@syr.edu.

Huston Smith (Photo by Heidi M. Kettler)

It was only through visits with then-Onondaga Chief Leon Shenandoah and Onondaga faith keeper Oren Lyons ’58, H’93 that he understood “the significance of this totally new area of world religions,” Smith wrote in “A Seat at the Table: Huston Smith in Conversation with Native Americans on Religious Freedom” (University of California Press, 2006).

Smith described a visit to the Onondaga Nation during which he met leaders of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy (the Haudenosaunee). When the official meeting began, Lyons told Smith he could not join the chiefs in the longhouse, a sacred place. Smith felt not rejection, but “a surge of exultation” at the incident. “It was simply thrilling that there were still people on our planet who think that there are things sacred enough that the profane—meaning those for whom these things are not equally sacred—would desecrate the substance itself with their presence,” he wrote.

Huston Smith (R), on the set of the popular TV series “The Religions of Man” in 1955. Smith later wrote a book of the same name, updated to “The World’s Religions,” which remains a popular religion textbook.

Smith’s appreciation for indigenous traditions profoundly changed the way the scholar thought about religion, says Philip Arnold, chair of the religion department. “He was trained, like all graduate students in religion, to acknowledge only the great world religions and their influence and see primitive religions in thinking about early formation of ‘civilized’ traditions,” he says.

As Smith got to know the Onondagas, he learned their practices were “a living thing and were so sophisticated,” Arnold adds. “He had sold millions of copies of his book by then. He didn’t have to do anything, but he decided to shift and include these traditions. That says a lot about Huston and his ability to continually be inspired.”

Smith was the son of missionary parents in China. He was ordained a Methodist minister but chose teaching over preaching, saying he had no desire to “Christianize the world.” Throughout his life, Smith immersed himself in religious practice (including experiments with psychedelic drugs) to experience different forms of spirituality.

An early champion of religious pluralism and interfaith respect, Smith is perhaps best known for “Religions of Man,” which he revised and expanded in 1991 and renamed with the gender-inclusive title “The World’s Religions.” The two versions have sold more than three million copies. It remains a popular introductory textbook, and is often on the syllabus for ���ϲ�����’s Religion 101, Arnold says.

Huston Smith’s popular textbook, “The World’s Religions.”

The book, widely considered the most important study of comparative religions, includes one of Smith’s core ideas, that all faith traditions express the Absolute. He urged mutual respect among people of different faith traditions, writing, “If, then, we are to be true to our own faith, we must attend to others when they speak, as deeply and as alertly as we hope they will attend to us.”

James B. Wiggins, Eliphalet Remington Professor of Religion Emeritus, recalls Smith as a popular and influential professor. “He approached his studies in a way that was quite remarkably different from what was big at the time in the setting of academic religion,” says Wiggins, who chaired the religion department from 1980-2000.

“He became a practitioner of at least six religions,” he explains. “He went to the sites where they practiced and did his best to learn and participate in different ways of being religious. He became convinced, as a Christian, that there were many different paths up the mountain and he wanted to personally experience as much as he could, to travel as a Buddhist or Muslim or Hindu or whatever.”

Smith was interested in finding out what religions had in common, Wiggins says. “Each was and is a different path to the ultimate truth,” he explains. “Doctrine and dogma were not high on his list. Practice was what was to be studied and learned.”

Smith, Wiggins adds, “was one of the most gentle and thoughtful colleagues I ever had. My regard for him couldn’t have been higher.”

Smith wrote more than 10 books, including volumes on Buddhism, Islam, the Native American Church and a memoir, “Tales of Wonder: Adventures Chasing the Divine” (HarperOne, 2010). His final book, with Phil Cousineau, “And Live Rejoicing: Chapters from a Charmed Life” (New World Library), was published in 2012.

He was also widely known for the five-part Bill Moyers PBS series “Wisdom of Faith.” Each of the 1996 shows opens with this Smith quote: “If we take the world’s enduring religions at their best, we discover the distilled wisdom of the human race.”

Smith is credited with introducing Americans to the Dalai Lama and facilitated the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader’s 1979 campus visit. In the 1990s, he helped the Native American Church get legal status for its sacred peyote rites. Although the Supreme Court ruled against the Native Americans, the case led to later rulings seen as supporting religious liberty.

Huston Smith, in a photo dated 1973, the year he began teaching at ���ϲ�����.

He believed that for the United States to have freedom of religion, people need to know about other religions. “We’ve always had this tension in American culture between trying to understand and engage others and having a real commitment to our own traditions,” Arnold explains. “Huston was able to navigate that in really important ways. We haven’t taken up his work as much as we should.”

Smith, former Thomas J. Watson of Religion and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, taught at ���ϲ����� from 1973-1984. He previously taught at the University of Denver, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After retiring from ���ϲ�����, he was visiting professor of religious studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

He received an honorary degree from ���ϲ����� in 1999 and last visited campus in 2005 for a screening of “A Seat at the Table,” which features Smith in conversation with eight Native American leaders.

A 49th-day memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Zen Center of ���ϲ�����, 266 W. Seneca Turnpike. The service will be followed by a 12:30 p.m. luncheon in the Kilian Room, 500 Hall of Languages.

Smith’s death has spurred praise from friends and colleagues worldwide. “Happy eternity, Huston Smith, you are always loved,” concludes a piece in the Hindu magazine Swarajya.

John W. Borchert

“The class is going to raise critical questions about the power of digital technology as it intersects with religious practice,” says John W. Borchert G’13, a Ph.D. student in the in the College of Arts & Sciences. “As students and thinkers in this class, we have a chance to be highly conscious of what shapes religion online.”

Borchert’s class, “Digital Religion” (REL 320), will include readings from media scholars of the early and mid-1990s predicting the potential of religion online. “They were either overly optimistic or dystopic,” he explains. “Religion online would save the world and bridge all the gaps, or it would destroy everything.”

The course is “a chance to see how certain theoretical approaches may help understand this,” he adds. “We get to create our own methodological lenses.” Students will consider how digital technology changes religious practice and how religious practice changes digital technology. They’ll also ask: What is religion online? What is online religion? How has the study of religion and the digital changed as technology changes?

Examples of digital religion include fully rendered 3D temples and churches, prayer and confession apps, digital shrines and offerings, virtual graveyards and online pilgrimages. These intersections between digital and specifically religious practices raise questions about whether the barrier between the digital and the non-digital experience dissolves, Borchert says.

Screenshot of the digital app, Mecca 3D. (Courtesy: Mecca3D.net)

For college students who have been raised and shaped by digital culture, “This is a time to pause and think about digital practices and how they shape human beings and how those human beings change shape,” he says. “Technology is not imposed on human beings. It’s something humans create and cultures shape and reshape and make it do work for them.”

Borchert has been studying religion and digital culture for about 10 years. “Online ritual is fascinating to me,” he says, noting that via the app Mecca 3D “you are able to walk the Hajj in Mecca. (Participating in the Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, required of every adherent at least once in his or her lifetime.)

People can also participate in virtual Puja, a Hindu prayer ritual, and the Tibetan Buddhist leader Dalai Lama has said that in spinning a virtual prayer wheel, the computer’s hard drive can mimic the prayer wheel, Borchert explains.

“The point of the class is not to go on a field trip, but to be highly conscious of the ways technology makes religion available to whom and when,” he says.