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Articles by Duquesne University ESL Students and Sigma Tau Delta Members
RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AT DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY
Religious Diversity at Duquesne: Welcome
IN ORDER TO KNOW MORE ABOUT MUSLIM COMMUNITY WE HAD INTERVIEWED MOHMMED ALADSANI WHO IS IN CHARGE FOR MUSLIM PRAYER ROOMS
I would like to know something about the goals of the Spiritan Campus Ministry?
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The campus ministry is mostly directed towards the Catholic student. However, we are trying to open our programs, not only to Roman Catholic students but to all students. Our number one priority is building a community. Most of our students are undergraduates who are discovering and claiming their faith for the first time as young adults, this needs a community.
How does change encourage students to get more involved with campus ministry?
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In campus ministry we have three large groups. One is our liturgical life.
Monday through Friday we have two masses everyday at 7:45 and noon. We offer the sacrament of reconciliation every day from 11:30 to noon, we celebrate weddings on Saturdays, we have Expositions and benediction, we have praise and worship music, and we have opportunities for people to sing to read at mass to do all the functions of lay people for the mass.
Next is Faith development so that you can develop your faith there we have Bible study, we have prayer groups, we have Christians in action which is a faith sharing group, and we have these faith sharing groups on campus for students.
Third is our Outreach to the Homeless Ministry. Our Outreach to the local community here and around Pittsburgh, are our mission trips. We try to offer opportunities for students to do these ministry outside of campus.
Could you please tell me how do you see religious diversity at Duquesne University? In relation to my last question, how does the Campus Ministry work with students of other religions?
Here at Duquesne we are a Catholic University and the Spiritians, the founders of Duquesne, we are a missionary. We have lots of students who come from many, many different religious traditions and we try to open ourselves to them, to know them, to love them, and to be available to them.
As a chaplain I'm concerned for all of them and their spiritual welfare so many times it's my job to assist people to make connections with their Mosque, their synagogue, or Temple, their churches to make sure that they are receiving the spiritual care. We have a number of clergy who are not Catholic so I know we have a Protestant Minister, who teaches in the School of Music, we have Orthodox priests two Orthodox priests who teach in the theology Department we have a rabbi who teaches in the medical at the department so we have a lot of different clergy on campus as well.
Religious Diversity at Duquesne: Testimonials
In today's world-faith is absent or challenged everywhere. What about students who declare they have no faith?
There are many students who are profess have no religious tradition but they are very hungry for the spiritual world and they are distrustful of institutions they are distrustful of of dogma and a rules. We address students who come to us it is still meet their hunger we do academically especially if you look at the philosophy and theology classes. The university has become very creative in offering courses that meet the students where they are at allow them to explore religion and explore beliefs so academically we do that very well in campus ministry how we address students who have no religious background mostly they come to us through our service they have a great desire to be of service.
Duquesne University boast about their diverse student bodies, and the resources and spaces for their students to explore and affirm their various identities. Muslims are provided with prayer rooms to worship and pray. in order to know more about Muslim community we had interviewed Mohmmed Aladsani who is in charge for Muslim pryer rooms
When prayer room was established?
Not sure. It was established definitely before 2015.
How many prayer room in Duquesne University?
Two (one of them is only reserved every Friday from 1-2 pm)
How many students come to prayer room in average?
I have no idea. For Jumaah pray 5-10 people.
Do the students find the room useful?
So useful, and we appreciate that although DU is a Catholic school, it respects others.
Religious Diversity at Duquesne: About Me
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