The Class of 2023 took time for spiritual enrichment on Thursday, November 7th, during the annual Freshman Religious Field Trip. 

The day began by splitting the class in two, one half visiting Congregation Brith Sholom, a Jewish synagogue, and the other touring the Respect Graduate School Center for Islamic Studies, both in Bethlehem. In these more intimate sessions, students were able to ask questions and engage in dialogue about the Jewish and Muslim traditions, respectively. In the words of Suleyman Eris, President of the Respect Institute and father of Selim (‘21), “It was a beautiful experience for us to welcome such bright young people and have a conversation with them. We very much enjoyed it.”

For one half of the freshman class, Rabbi Michael Singer provided an in-depth tour of Brith Sholom and deeper insights into various strands of Judaism. Meanwhile, students at the Respect Graduate School witnessed a Muslim prayer session led by Imam Beytullah Colek. In addition, students had the opportunity to engage in dialogue with staff of the Respect Institute, including President Eris and Dr. Wagner, Vice-President and eminent scholar of various faith traditions. Said one student, “My favorite part of the trip was when they showed their prayer at the graduate school. Not only was watching them beautiful, but the room we were in was simply astounding.”

In their World History I classes the following day, students from each group had time to share insights with their classmates about their respective visits. Several, including Simon Ndi, Nabeel Rifai, and Aleena Anas, shared how much they enjoyed interacting with scholars at the Respect Grad School, and many others reflected positively about the experience overall. 

After these Thursday-morning sessions, the entire class visited the Hindu Temple Society, where students learned about major religions of India, including Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism. After offering thanks and ringing the traditional bell--cleansing the temple of negative energy--students enjoyed a tasty lunch of pizza, samosas, and strawberry and mango ice cream! 

The trip’s final stop was DeSales University, where students learned about the school’s implementation of Salesian values into its Roman Catholic ethos. After an introductory speech from Father Kevin Nadolski, Vice President for Mission, students visited Connelly Chapel to learn more about Catholic beliefs from Fr. Dan Lannen. This visit was coordinated by Magdalene Riggins, a De Sales alumna and current Director of Campus Ministry. 

Ultimately, this trip served as a useful stepping stone for students into their unit on world religions in World History I. It also provided yet another example of the various ways in which Moravian’s second-year FIRE program seeks to supplement classroom lessons with real-world learning and interdisciplinary inquiry. 

On Monday, November 18th, scholar of religion and lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Rice University in Houston, Dr. Craig Considine, will visit Moravian and engage with students in dialogue about various interfaith issues, specifically involving relations among Christians and Muslims in the United States. Following from their recent experiences on the religious field trip, our freshmen should be ready to interact effectively with Dr. Considine on Monday and to engage more deeply with various faith-based issues moving throughout the year.