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Bellarmine Magazine_Spring2013

serviCe, PArTnershiP & fAiTh FAITH TRADITIONS OF BELLARMINE STuDENTS Catholic and Orthodox Mainline Baptist Other Christian Other No preference/unknown 46% Protestant 9% 17% faiths 18% 7 % 3 % trying to understand the mind of God. That Dr. Sullivan, who is from Louisiana, puts interfaith Seder last year that Hillel sponsored would be impossible. They used the analogy it this way: “The story I tell students all the was a very eye-opening event. Coming from that it is like walking down a hallway. There time is, I’m a Cajun. If you come to dinner a Catholic background, I was able to see how are open doors along the way, but from the at my house and you’re Chinese, I will try to many of the traditions at Mass take root in hallway you can only see a small portion of make my jambalaya as appealing as I can to Jewish practices. I did not know there were the rooms. … You can only pick one room, you – but I am not going to make chow mein. so many connections and parallels that Jews and you never know until you are inside “‘All are welcome’ doesn’t mean ‘Any thing and Christians have in common.” if there is a big ugly orange couch hiding goes.’ Ecumenical and interfaith work is For several years, Ari Ballaban ’10 helped in there. … You just have to do as much as based on, ‘I know who I am; I would like to lead the Seder. The son of two rabbis, he came possible to make sure you can live with that know who you are. I don’t want to change to Bellarmine from Cincinnati to immerse ugly couch. It matches up with choosing a who you are; I don’t want you to change himself in a different sort of environment. vocation because you can’t really know what who I am. But let’s talk about that.’ And I “I appreciated that it was a religious campus you won’t like about it until you are living think that is how we live our mission and – a campus with respect for religion,” he says. it. You just have to pick something that you our identity most authentically, when we But he actually met Dr. Sullivan when he know is awesome enough to make up for the help people understand what it means to approached her to see if he could use the ugly orange couch, and you have to pray a lot.” be a Catholic institution.” chapel to practice the bagpipes. She has decided to pursue justice work. That has been the experience for Rebecca “He said, ‘I’m probably the only Jewish “I really do not think I would have figured Harpring, a Roman Catholic sophomore bagpiper you’ll ever meet,’” she recalled. that out were it not for campus ministry from Louisville. “My involvement in campus “And he said, ‘Before you ask – yes, I know and Melanie.”  ministry has helped deepen my faith and Amazing grace.” He ended up leading the Michael Smith, a senior theology major nourish my spiritual journey. I have also been inaugural Martin Luther King Day march from Elizabeth, Ind., who plans to become able to expand my understanding of others’ to the chapel that year and every year he a minister in the Assemblies of God (Pente- religious beliefs, which in turn has shaped my was at Bellarmine, she said. costal) church, sings tenor with the Chapel own spirituality,” she says. In particular, “the While Mr. Ballaban did not initially intend Musicians and is a work-study student in to become a rabbi, through conversations the campus ministry office. “Melanie has with Dr. Sullivan and others on campus, he taught me so much about the Catholic faith eventually realized that he did have a call FAITH-BASED GROuPS and has really opened my eyes to new things to ministry. He is now in his second year at and given me a more developed approach ON CAMPuS Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. to my faith practice,” he said. “I have been “I came (to Bellarmine) for an opportunity involved in many theological discussions that Catholic Students Association to really diversify my perspective. And I have been a great help alongside my classes.” Hillel Foundation for Jewish Campus Life definitely think it was through my experience Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Bellarmine of very intimately learning Deepening faith InterVarsity Christian Fellowship that I better developed my own.”more about other religious perspectives, While some might be concerned that ecu- Muslim Students at Prayer When he graduated, Dr. Sullivan invited menical work will somehow “water down” BU Wesley (Methodist) Mr. Ballaban to speak about his experiences Bellarmine’s Catholic tradition, Fr. Crews Kinesis (Presbyterian) with campus ministry following the Bac- and Dr. Sullivan say that the opposite is true. calaureate Mass. He stood up and said this: Earthen Spiritualities “Learning about other faith traditions helps “Where else but at Bellarmine University you to put your own faith in perspective, Peer Ministry could a young man work with a Catholic and usually serves to strengthen it,” says Hindu Students campus minister to discern a call to be a Fr. Crews. rabbi?” 32 BELLArMinE MAgAZinE


Bellarmine Magazine_Spring2013
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