Nov. 30, 2001

Chaplains Give Comfort to Campus

Faiths Unite to Bring People Together after Sept. 11

By Greg Licamele

GW’s Board of Chaplains meetings typify many gatherings around campus. From classes to basketball games to offices, faiths come together, unknowingly or not, to study, cheer, or work. In the weeks since Sept. 11, the members of the Board of Chaplains have been called upon to provide strength, comfort, and understanding for what some see as an attack not only on buildings and America, but on faith.

“Sept. 11 boiled down to an attack on faith, faith in God, faith in goodness of people, faith in our own personal sense of security that we live with day by day,” says Vineet Chander, Hindu/Buddhist minister. “As representatives and leaders of faith, but also servants of our various congregations, we have been called to see if we can take from this a strengthening, rather than a weakening of faith. We come together as a board and help one another do that.”

The board consists of faith leaders from all walks of life: the Newman Catholic Center, Protestant Campus Ministry, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Hillel Jewish Center, Hindu/Buddhist Ministry, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Muslim Student Association, International Protestant Ministry, and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. The board meets regularly to discuss programming, such as the recent Religion Week. The chaplains readily admit a new and renewed faith environment existed this year for Religion Week and the activities within their congregations.

“It’s been important to realize the context that we’re in and how we can articulate those things that unite us and that we share the commonalities that are stronger than that which divide us,” says Rev. Laureen Smith of the Protestant Campus Ministry. “We’ve always had a strong commitment to our sense of unity here, even though we have diverse traditions.”

Smith says administrators and faculty members have contacted her since Sept. 11 to seek advice on how to meet the needs of students who might be struggling with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks and subsequent challenges.

“In many ways, the faculty are the first contact with the students in dealing with this,” Smith says. “I’ve talked to a lot of faculty about the resources available to them and some of the things they can say to their students.”

“Students have needed some kind of care because they are away from their parents, they are away from what’s comfortable to them,” says Sarah Raful of Hillel. “It is nice for me and the staff of Hillel to be that source of support and comfort, whether they want us to be their older sisters or parents, or someone to guide them in the right direction.”

A sense of shared purpose permeates Board of Chaplains meetings and many ministers see faith dialogues moving well beyond their table.

“I think we have had overwhelming support on campus from the Board of Chaplains and from the GW community,” says Mohamed Salem Omeish, GW’s Muslim chaplain, adding that his congregation has been asked to discuss its faith on different occasions since Sept. 11. “We feel this is probably the first time there has been an interest to know about Muslims and Islam and to understand the community more and to see how each group can work together to preserve the unity and the community.”

The Board of Chaplains works to preserve the unity of the community, but sometimes events such as Sept. 11 challenge the ministers.

“You have to be there for the ones you’re called to serve,” says Father Rob Panke of the Newman Catholic Center. “[Only later do] the challenges that you’re struggling with on an interior level come out and then you need to call someone.”

Elder Argyle, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, says people must move forward and ministers need to help in that process.

“I don’t think you let those things take over your life,” he says. “You can’t stop living and wait for things to happen.”

Smith says there’s no normal to get back to and the challenge that confronts people of faith is how to live amid the pain, misery, and difficulty that surrounds the world now.

“That’s always been true of the human condition of all faiths and all times and all cultures,” Smith says. “We are no different than anyone else all over the world. It’s about living in the midst of it, having hope amid hopelessness, faith amid the doubt, having everything all of our traditions talk about.”

Chander challenges people to return to something higher than normal amid the doubt and fear in our world today.

“Let’s not go back to life as it was, but let’s go to life as really it can be and look within ourselves and help each other look within ourselves to find the faith,” he says. “Maybe we can re-ignite the faith we didn’t even know was there or didn’t know could be so strong.”

 

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