Innovative Interreligious Initiatives Aligned with UAPs

In St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, the Department of Interreligious Studies (DIRS) has been actively involved in innovative interreligious activities which align with the Universal Apostolic Preferences and the JESEDU-Rio2017 Action#2 on Irreligious Education.

The Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) recently promulgated by Fr. Arturo Sosa, the General of the Jesuits, can be summarized in brief as follows:

1. Spirituality
2. Walk with the Poor
3. Accompany Youth
4. Care of the Earth

It was a pleasant surprise to note that at the Department of Interreligious Studies (DIRS) of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai these preferences were being fulfilled.

Right from the start after taking over the DIRS in 2014 together with a team of interested students we decided that in tune with the changing times something “out of the box” is the need of the hour. This innovative mindset was predominant in discerning the choice of programmes, their implementation and evaluation. Quite a few students expressed their atheistic inclinations and seemed least interested in religion leave aside dialogue between religions. When I raised the question about what would be a common cause for which we could work together the obvious choice was to save the planet.

In the course of time we gradually articulated our vision as Cocreate Cosmic Compassion. Compassion is common to all religious traditions. Cosmic compassion embraces all of creation including humans. We became aware of our calling to foster integral ecology in response to the cry of Mother Earth and the poor. Hence our mission is collaboration as co-creators of a harmonious universe. This integral vision and mission included faith, justice, inculturation, interreligious dialogue and ecology, the major thrusts of the Society of Jesus since the 1970s. The Integral Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP) of context, experience, reflection, action, evaluation was followed as far as possible for most of the programmes like courses, exposure visits, interfaith prayer services etc.

In his Encyclical Laudato Si Pope Francis advocated for an Integral Ecology in response to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

“We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature” (no.139).

Hence UAPs 2 and 4 are treated together as one below under the title of Integral Ecology. These are not hard and fast exclusive groupings as there is a natural flow from one to the other. Most of the activities are connected with one or more of the UAPs. The spirituality communicated is integral and holistic rather than a fragmented, compartmentalized one and pervades all the UAPs. The Ignatian world view as expressed in the key meditations of the Spiritual Exercises like Principal and Foundation, Two Standards and Contemplation to Attain Love served as the implicit backdrop for the various programmes. The students were trained to be contemplative in action and to find God in all things.

Here are a few activities of the past five years related to the UAPs, which I would like to share:

Interfaith Spirituality (UAP 1)

Interfaith Prayer Service.-

Since there is a large number of students and staff from diverse faiths the approach to spirituality adopted is integral and interfaith. Rather than be Catholic that tends to be restrictive, we opted for an inclusive “catholic” or universal approach in which the whole universe was included. The inaugural InterFaith services and Masses on 31 July and 3 Dec. from 2015 onwards were jointly organized by the AICUF (All India Catholic University Federation) and the DIRS. The active participation of students and staff (both teaching and working) in the various prayers, sharing of experiences, singing of action songs etc was laudable. For instance, for one of the Interfaith services on the theme of “Inclusion” the sharing by a visually challenged student, a transgender student and a tribal student was remarkable. The themes chosen integrated issues of local, national, global and cosmic relevance.

Ash Wednesday Mass.-

The Ash Wednesday service at the start of the Lenten season of Reconciliation highlighted the fact that we are stardust and to stardust we will return. “The stars were compassionate enough to explode and die so that we could be born as stars today” this quote on the backdrop in the chapel heightened the sense of interconnectedness.

 Joy of Self Discovery.-

The ‘Joy of Self Discovery’ Honours courses, which were held in a spiritual atmosphere, focused primarily on self-awareness through embodied meditation and sharing in a compassionate community. The participants were particularly touched by the exposure visit to places like the slums or Asha Daan (a home for the destitute run by the nuns of Mother Teresa) which opened up unexplored areas of the psyche. From the initial shock and repulsion at the apparently inhuman state of the patients to feeling accepted and trusted by them led to a painful, precarious and precious inward journey to come to terms with vulnerability of the other and self.

These are only a few activities related to the UAPs which have been implemented at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai over the past five years to view more activities you can download the following document.