Students and faculty of all faiths gathered to listen in on this year’s Spirituality Panel hosted by Loyola’s Campus Ministry Department. The panel featured six students representing a variety of religions including Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Catholicism, and Christianity. The students discussed and answered questions about their experiences of practicing their faith on Loyola’s campus. The Assistant Director of Ecumenical and Interfaith Ministry Saima Sitwat believes events like these allow for the religiously diverse student body to have a safe space.
“Loyola is a Jesuit Catholic University, but just like our country, the campus is also becoming increasingly diverse every year…There are many non-Catholic students on campus and their needs need to be met as well… when I say needs, I mean in terms of worship, in terms of practicing their faith and creating a community of belonging for them,” Sitwat said.
The Spirituality Panel happens annually and it has opened up the floor for many conversations about interfaith on campus. As of 2017, Campus Ministry collectively agreed they needed to shift gears regarding interfaith resources due to the growing student body. They decided to create a new position within the department: the Assistant Director of Ecumenical and Interfaith Ministry.
This subsection of the department would be responsible for spearheading programs aimed to help grow the interfaith community and educate others about spirituality at Loyola. Sitwat mentioned that she wanted to “re-envision the panel” for this year and dedicate time for open conversation surrounding faith and spirituality.
“The spirituality panel has been part of that work which was to increase visibility for our students,” Sitwat said.
Similarly, panelist and volunteer member of Campus Ministry, Ben Napolitano ‘26, highlighted these events are crucial to Loyola’s growing community. Also, he believes these events can be a leaping point to bigger conversations.
“It’s important to remember that within the Jesuit framework of our university, there is a plurality of voices. Loyola is an increasingly diversifying campus and events like these can be a good touchstone for students who don’t necessarily come from a huge interfaith and ecumenical background,” Napolitano said.
Additionally, Napolitano quelled some misconceptions about faith at Loyola. He emphasized that the students he surrounds himself with have helped with his journey with faith at Loyola.
“A lot of people come in here very afraid of Catholicism or feeling as though it’s the standard on campus, which isn’t necessarily true. It’s not true in my experience. I think there’s a pretty prevalent misconception that this is going to be a very Catholic experience when I have found that it’s not. Student engagement is also a big reason why that’s not true. I really work to make sure that students feel safe and supported in all aspects of the architecture of the Loyola philosophy” Napolitano said.
Campus Ministry is working to further interfaith resources on campus, including building various interfaith worship spaces for students to use. It will continue to host events and encourage students to talk about the intersections of faith. To learn more about Campus Ministry events, visit https://www.loyola.edu/department/campus-ministry/ or The Bridge.