DONS ENLIGHTENED BY SUMMER WORLD RELIGIONS COURSE
For students at Loyola Blakefield, summer is not just for rest and relaxation, but an exciting time often marked by journeys of new discovery. This was the case for a group of nine rising seniors who took part in our summer World Religions course offered by our theology department from late July through early August. The summer version of the course, led by Dr. Fred Wise, affords students not only an academic and reflective study, exploring the wisdom and ways of life of some of the great religions of the world including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, but provides direct experience with them as well.
During this five-week course, students toured the Sri Siva Vishnu Hindu Temple in Lanham, fine-tuned their meditation practice under the direction of a nun at the Buddhist Kadampa Meditation Center in Baltimore, pondered the pain of the Jewish people at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and observed Jumu'ah (Friday prayer) during Ramadan at the Dar Al-Taqwa Mosque in Clarksville, where afterward, they were warmly welcomed by the congregants. "In fact, the Muslims were so delighted with our visit, that we were invited back a second time and served a delicious lunch, unavailable as it was during the month of fasting," said Dr. Wise.
Dr. Wise founded the summer version of this course in 2006 to offer a more direct experience with the places and people that represent these religions, while also realizing that a good number of students were in need of freeing up space in their schedule during the school year, and that completing their religion credits in the summer would be an attractive option. "It's a wonderful opportunity for our Dons to discover, through their own experience, the values of diversity, inclusion, and spirituality, all at the heart of Loyola's Jesuit mission."
The students seem to agree. "The course broadened my view of the world and of various cultures, but it also showed me that we're not so different, that most of us have a strong belief in something," said Greg Peterson '17, one of this year's participants. "In a regular school course, we would not have been able to take part in such an up-close and tangible experience as we did by visiting these places and meeting people who practice these religions on a daily or weekly basis."
The students seem to agree. "The course broadened my view of the world and of various cultures, but it also showed me that we're not so different, that most of us have a strong belief in something," said Greg Peterson '17, one of this year's participants. "In a regular school course, we would not have been able to take part in such an up-close and tangible experience as we did by visiting these places and meeting people who practice these religions on a daily or weekly basis."
