Tomorrow is a BIG day. There is a lot happening and I do hope that many of you can take part. Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent. It is the beginning of the church’s liturgical year. We have begun a great Bible Study entitled Established Forever which is an in-depth look at the Psalms that we hear during Advent. Our study meets weekly between the 8 am and 10:30 am masses in the Upper Room in the parish hall at 9 am. We would love to have you join us.
In conjunction with this, each week our liturgies for Advent will focus on the psalms. I hope that you can come and enjoy our liturgies as we build toward Christmas. The psalmist reminds us that we have a God who can indeed be with us in difficult and trying times and our God is one who will indeed rescue us from all that enslaves us. Join us weekly at 8 am or 10:30 am as we focus on the Psalms during Advent.
Tomorrow also is the day of a major event I have planned as a part of my thesis work. My thesis is entitled: ‘Conversation not Conversion: To be faithful to the baptismal covenant today, Christians must be engaged in interfaith relationships.’ This work is an examination of the notion that Christians can find a deeper expression of their faith by being engaged in respectful relationships with people of other confessions. Tomorrows event is called: Children of Abraham: a youth led discussion of their faiths from the perspective of Christians, Jews and Muslims and it takes place at Assumption University (400 Huron Church Rd) on the campus of the University of Windsor at 3 pm. (There is a parking lot on Huron Church Rd) I am thrilled to be bringing this symposium to Assumption tomorrow. More thrilled am I to be merely a facilitator. While we are being hosted by Dr. Norman King, the The Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Religion and Conflict, this event will be led by three dynamic young panellists. Pier Teicher, Kieran Maddock, and Zeinab Dabaja are all students who are living their faiths and are very engaged with the world in which they live. They gave and interview on Friday to Tony Doucette on CBC’s the Early Shift. (If you did not hear it you can listen to it here.)
We are also thrilled to have three fantastic respondents; also students and also very busy people. They are also people of great faith. You would do well to not miss this event. Our day will be punctuated by a great reception at the Freed-Orman Center hosted by Assumption University’s Center for Religion and Culture.
Meet our Speakers:
Kieran Maddock is 23 and is completing a degree in Earth and Environmental Science and Communication Studies.
After completing his graduate studies, he hopes to find work in the reclamation and remediation of contaminated sites, and hopes to one day work with Engineers Without Borders or a similar organization to bring skills and knowledge to developing nations in the hopes of helping to provide a clean environment and clean water to those living there. Kieran was raised Anglican and has continued is his faith as an adult. He seeks to serve God, the church, and all people as best as he is able in all that he does, and strives to live in humility of the innumerable blessings that we, as humans, have been given. Kieran is always seeking to learn more about faith, his own and that of other peoples’ and religions, to the end that we might all work together to bring about the peaceful and just world that is at the heart of all religions. He is both honoured and excited to participate in this gathering of the youth of the Abrahamic faiths, and truly hopes that we can come to better understand one another, and to form great bonds between all of our communities as children of Abraham.
Perry Teicher is 26 and is currently pursuing a JD/MBA at the University of Michigan Law School and the Ross School of Business.
Perry previously served as the first Fellow at Repair the World, a New York-based organization focused on making service and volunteerism central parts of American Jewish life. From 2007-2009, Perry served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kazakhstan as part of the Organizational and Community Assistance Program. Perry also sits on the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s NextGen Steering Committee. Perry is a graduate of the Organizational Studies program at the University of Michigan (LSA, OS/Political Science ’07).
Zeinab Dabaja is 20 years old.
She is a College student studying Journalism at St. Clair College’s MediaPlex. She graduates in April 2012. She has a love for writing and passion for activism; speaking out for the things she believes in. She is very grateful for this opportunity today. She not only feels she is representing Islam as she speaks today, but feels she is representing FAITH in general, “as a person of faith”. She has friends from various religions, faiths, backgrounds and cultures. Diversity is a big part of her life and is what makes life beautiful, in her eyes. Zeinab’s ultimate dream is to travel one day worldwide and create documentaries on the different cultures of the world, helping people see “the beauty in what is different”. This relates to why she is here to speak with us today, because there is beauty in our differences, the fact that we are similar in so many ways “AS PEOPLE OF FAITH”. She is honoured to be here and speak with us today
Email me at canonkevingeorge@gmail.com for further information on any of these great gatherings tomorrow
It's Just Kevin's Corner 
Very much looking forward to attending