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Unity Unexpected, Part II
Stephen Bell, CSP
Editor’s note: In the previous issue of Koinonia, Paulist deacon Steven Bell wrote about his experience in ecumenical community at a month-long summer program hosted by the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Israel. In this article, he writes about the second half of his summer in an interfaith community experience outside of Geneva, Switzerland.
The Ecumenical Institute at Bossey is the international centre for encounter, dialogue and formation of the World Council of Churches. Founded in 1946, the Institute brings together people from diverse churches, cultures and backgrounds for ecumenical learning, academic study and personal exchange. The Institute is located in Bogis-Bossey near the village of Céligny, about 20 miles outside of Geneva.
Last July, Bossey played host to a very risky seminar, one in which Jews, Muslims, and Christians came together to create an interfaith community. The risk was seemingly so great that the seminar proposal was rejected for three years before being given space on the program calendar. Before the conference, the entire staff of Bossey and some locals in Céligny were put on high alert and given security briefings in the event of an outbreak.
The day came for us all to arrive. Twenty-six of us came representing a wide variety of countries, languages, ethnicities. We were African, Romanian, Hungarian, Russian, American, Iranian, Pakistani, Israeli, Palestinian, Dutch, and Peruvian. We were rich and poor, men and women, young and not-so-young, married and single, religious and lay, moderate, liberal, and conservative. We were lodged in a converted farm-house compound called Petit-Bossey, a five-minute walk from the main chateau. Some had single rooms, while others shared rooms with strangers. We were given two days to settle in and take care of any unfinished business with our registration. The schedule called for us on day three to formally gather for the first time in order to discuss the program and begin to get to know one another. However, by day three, the miracle had already manifested.
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Community meals were “a feast for mind, body, and spirit.” |
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Over the first two days, on our own, we gathered, we talked, we laughed, ate, traveled to Geneva, shopped, and relaxed with one another. The chemistry was good; we did not just like one another, we really liked one another. We became an instant family! We had an immediate respect for one another without defensiveness. We each brought a sincere interest in learning about the other and sharing with the other. By the time we met as a group, the facilitators had realized that the exercises planned for us to get to know one another better were unnecessary. We were doing that on our own and we loved it! I discovered that I was in the company of a group of young people who could be poised to run the world! They were amazingly intelligent, superbly experienced, marvelously talented and resourceful, and most interested in learning how to form a community with those of other religions. Being a part of this glittering assembly challenged me to be at my best more than I anticipated. I welcomed the challenge.
It was because of this connection that we were able to engage in the academic portion of the seminar and in debates with great interest while maintaining our level of respect for one another. The academics presented each religion by recalling its origin, giving a brief history, and explaining many of its signs and symbols. While the academia was beneficial in giving us foundational information, the debates generated more energy and interest.
Our group, heretofore known as the PB (Petit-Bossey) Family, engaged with passion over contentious issues that have, even in our lifetime, caused bloodshed. We debated about women’s rights, homosexuality, violence and war, politics, cultural diversity, religious freedom and difference, ecumenical and interfaith dialogue. To be sure, in our “no holds barred” engagement, we expressed ourselves with intelligence, insight, and insistence. Yet, after debating, we gathered together to share a meal. I recall one debate about interreligious persecutions, where the two parties--a Christian female and a Muslim male—both passionate in their opposing positions, were moved to tears during the debate. It was a very tense discussion for all of us. Yet, as soon as the debate ended, both parties shared a hug, left together, and we all ate lunch together. It was the model of engagement par excellence!
Part of the academic process included opportunities to experience the prayer and worship styles of the other. The engagement broadened my own prayer life. We experienced the intense submission of our Muslim brothers and sisters at Fajr prayer (the first of the five daily prayers) that began with a symbolic washing of the face to “wash away” all distractions so that one could totally focus in the presence of “Allah Akbar” who is the Most Merciful, Most Compassionate God. It reminded me to be more intentional about my own preparation for prayer in the presence of God. We experienced the joyful singing of our Jewish brothers at Tefillah, where all the praises of God were chanted through passionate tunes that moved body and soul. It caused me to be more joyous about the praise prayers of my Roman Catholic tradition as well as to engage those prayers with all of my being, not taking any of the words for granted.
We of the Christian community brought forth the wealth of our diversity of prayer in the Body of Christ. We employed Taizé prayer, Gospel-style worship and praise, Roman Catholic liturgy of the hours, and Protestant Word and Worship. It was very well received by our Jewish and Muslim counterparts, even as we were decidedly very explicit about our faithfulness to Jesus Christ. Many remarked how much they learned about the Christian faith from the worship experiences. Such witness taught me the value in teaching others about our differences instead of always reaching for the similarities.
To really integrate this learning experience, we all went to worship services at a Synagogue, a Mosque, and a Lutheran Church. It was both a rousing and educational experience as we were placed in the middle of active communities in their time of worship and afterwards learned about their lives, joys, and continuing struggles for religious liberty and freedom.
The icing atop an already delicious cake, however, was having the opportunity to break bread through authentic meals. Our Muslim and Jewish participants each cooked a grand meal and invited members of their religious faith communities to Bossey to share in the meals and engage with us in our sharing. What a feast for the mind, body, and spirit! G
etting to know the local community over a meal began to expand our experience. The PB Family was no longer just learning among ourselves, and the interreligious friendships extended well beyond our group as we began to spread our new wings over the Genevan diaspora.
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Palestinian and Israeli combining their kitchen duties with song and dance. |
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The staff’s early “high alert” was quickly abated when they experienced the communal atmosphere that we created. In fact, they were positively astounded at the things that they saw! A young, Palestinian woman and a not-so-young Israeli man were in the kitchen washing dishes and singing songs and dancing. Our resident Rabbi and I started singing a Gospel-style version of the Jewish “Ein Kelohenu” prayer. We were joined by two Muslims who wanted to learn how to dance The Horah. This attracted many more of our group. So, there we were, about twelve in number, dancing and singing The Horah in the middle of the Bossey Conference Center for all to see. The looks on the faces of both the staff and visitors were priceless. Apparently our group set a new standard for camaraderie, support, friendship, and respect for future groups, for as we approached the end of our month, every single member of the staff told the facilitators that our PB Family was the best group that they had ever hosted in all of their time at Bossey.
As is quite obvious, I never expected to develop such a great connection so quickly with strangers from vastly different backgrounds. And, I am happy to report that our close friendship did not end with the close of the seminar. Several of our more techno-savvy members decided to create an online space where we would be able to keep in touch with one another and share events and happenings in our lives. It is the place where we all were able to gather to wish our Pakistani sister well when she got married. It is the place where we check in with our sister in Palestine and our brother in Kenya during the recent uprisings there. It is the place where we all have the opportunity to share in the various Christian, Muslim, and Jewish celebrations throughout the year. It is the place that keeps our family going, and thankfully, it shows no sign of waning.
Paulist Deacon Steven Bell will be ordained to the priesthood on June 22 in Washington, DC.
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