Author Archives: Matilda Cantwell

A Message from the Director

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Matilda Cantwell
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Dear Friends, Last spring Smith conducted a national search for the new leader of the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, and I put my hat in the ring, so to speak, after serving as Interim Director for a year, … Continue reading →

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Conveying True Welcome

Posted on November 22, 2017 by Matilda Cantwell
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In these times of discrimination against immigrants, people of color, those seeking refuge, and so many other groups, in addition to a rash of gun violence and natural disasters which have displaced and traumatized whole communities this fall, it is … Continue reading →

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Vigil for Natural Disasters and Climate Change

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Matilda Cantwell
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On Tuesday, September 26, students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered on Chapin Lawn to stand in solidarity with those affected by recent natural disasters in Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominica, Texas, Florida, and many other places. We also wanted … Continue reading →

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Rituals and Transitions:
Spring at the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Matilda Cantwell
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Our website highlights several recent perspectives on the season and how the holidays in different religious traditions incorporate spring. I have always found it to be so profound how the religious traditions; celebrating their own stories and events; are so … Continue reading →

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Sacred Space and Beloved Community

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Matilda Cantwell
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The Yoga aphorisms of Patanjali from the third century state “what we truly worship we make sacred.” This philosophy rings very true for me. I believe it applies to “worship” in the broadest sense: quiet, alert walks in the woods; … Continue reading →

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Mourning, Intersectionality, and Hope
Part II: Don’t Be Selective

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Matilda Cantwell
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We have been focusing our  vigils on  shedding light in places where the inquiry and fervor of the media does not go. To vigil means to “pay attention” and to be “watchful.” Members of our diverse community are often directly affected … Continue reading →

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Mourning, Intersectionality, and Hope
Part I: #OurThreeBrothers

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Matilda Cantwell
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At the end of February, three young immigrant men, two of whom were Muslim, were tragically killed in Fort Wayne, Indiana under unknown circumstances. They were murdered “execution style” in an abandoned building that was “under surveillance” by police for … Continue reading →

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MLK & Justice, Identity, and Social Change Initiative (Part 2)

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Matilda Cantwell
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After the opening remarks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the American Friends Service Committee hosted two panel discussions on racial justice. I was proud to moderate the first panel of student fellows for the Justice, Identity, and Social Change Initiative … Continue reading →

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MLK & Justice, Identity, and Social Change Initiative (Part 1)

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Matilda Cantwell
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Over January Term (or J-term), two students participated in a fellowship for with our Center as part of our Justice, Identity, and Social Change (JISC) initiative. These students, Raven Fowlkes-Witten and Lucy Tucker, serve on our JISC advisory board. The … Continue reading →

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The Justice, Identity, and Social Change Initiative:
Spiritual Life Meets Social Justice

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Matilda Cantwell
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  It feels like the World is burning. This is what Sensei Ryumon Baldoquin, Community Religious Adviser, said at our first “Peace Meal,” a gathering for dialogue and discussion of difficult problems. Certainly in the last few weeks, with the … Continue reading →

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