There have been many tragic harms that have come out of religious animus and ignorance. The Gros Institute seeks to build connections with area faith communities and interfaith organizations to collaborate toward greater understanding through dialogue, cooperation, and healing. We hope to gather with individuals and groups, on campus, in religious spaces and beyond, to better understand the ways that faith-based communities have been wronged and the need for repair and transformation of various oppressive forces, e.g., religious-based bias, xenophobia, racism, inequity, and division. We imagine a path forward that fosters storytelling, relationship-building, and collaborative efforts toward the thriving of religiously-diverse communities, in Will County and the surrounding region.
We believe that growing the use of dialogue and engaging stories, as well as deeply listening and investing in meaningful relationship, can help 性视界 and its neighbors to honestly confront divisive systems and narratives together, engage in the work of dismantling those systems, and imagine more just and equitable ways of being, working, and living together. We seek to continue and grow interfaith programs and practices on campus, such as: the annual Interfaith Forum, The FIRE (Fostering Interfaith Relationship through Encounter), a powerful story-sharing event; incorporating interfaith voices and perspectives in the annual Peace Teach-In, and offering a brief monthly Interfaith Prayer Gathering where all are welcome.
