Office for Spirituality

Building Community One Meal and One Relationship at a Time

Sharing a meal around the table is commonplace in our society. Who we invite – or who we do not invite – to the table holds meaning. Today when people do not know each other, broad assumptions and judgements are made, often based on minimal truth and little understanding. As a result, individuals and communities can become disconnected and remains suspicious of one another.

Peace Meals offers a path forward to build community and understanding across lines of religious and cultural division by gathering at the common table for food, friendship, and hospitality. Peace Meals gathers people from different faith traditions and religious identities who commit to meet together six times to share a meal and honest discussion, with the goal of building greater awareness and understanding of each other’s worldviews, questions, concerns, and hopes.

In these sessions students will have the opportunity to experience the richness of constructive conversations across lines of difference and be trained to facilitate them. Learning to participate and lead conversations such as these, in groups or one-on-one, remains a core competency for effective leadership in professional, civic, and community settings.

Open to all UST students of all religious identities or no religious identity.

• Peace Meals gatherings: Every other Tuesday, February 14 to April 25, 2023 during convocation hour (11:45am-1:15pm)
• Please  Register Here
• Registration deadline February 14, 2023

This program is facilitated by Sarah Chamseddine and sponsored by  the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning and the Office for Spirituality at the University of St. Thomas.  

Questions? Contact Sarah Chamseddine at skchamseddine@stthomas.edu or Hans Gustafson (hansgustafson@stthomas.edu)