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Statement from President Grudzen on the Mass Shooting in Buffalo

women hugging after shooting
A crisis even more insidious than the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening our country – indeed, its very soul. The fraudulent “White Replacement Theory” promulgated by right-wing media pundits and circulated by nefarious groups on social media and the internet motivated an 18-year-old boy to commit mass murder in Buffalo, New York. This adolescent had been immersed in white supremacist and racist propaganda for his entire life, growing up in a culture of violence that glorifies weapons and the unregulated right to use them. 

Stochastic domestic terrorism is downplayed or even ignored. Mass shootings, rather than being confronted and stopped, have become normalized and accepted as simply the price to be paid for individual freedoms.

Our country is politically, socially, and economically divided. Our faith traditions are presented with the opportunity, indeed the obligation, to unite us and call out the lies being disseminated by the media, corporations, and politicians that keep us divided. Let us defend and depend upon truth, which, as we are taught in John 8:31-32, will “set us free” from the fear and hatred that consume us. 
 
America is still in a state of denial about the effects of racism within our culture. It is necessary to establish relationships and friendships with those outside our own experience to understand their circumstances and concerns. Our minds and hearts must be open to increased understanding and empathy.

Education is needed more than ever to meet this challenge. GMU remains committed to unity through diversity and strives to promote the truth constantly and consistently for justice and peace in a more equitable world.
 

Jews, Christians, Muslims, Baha’is, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, and Indigenous Nations will all be celebrating their sacred holy days and cultural traditions in close proximity this year. This convergence reminds us of the interconnectedness of our communities and presents an opportunity to recommit to our highest ideals.

Sadly our world is once again scarred by war and violence. Each of our spiritual traditions is rooted in compassion and mercy. There is more that unites us than divides us. The Divine Presence is expressed in all of creation and embodied in all of humanity. It is time to transform our world in hope and love through our religious and spiritual traditions working together for peace and harmony…

Read more of President Grudzen’s Interfaith Message of Hope.

Global Ministries University joins the chorus of educational institutions, political and religious leaders, and faith communities around the world in condemning the invasion of Ukraine. World opinion is on the side of peace not conflict.
War is never the answer. The Ukrainian people face loss of life, mass destruction of their homeland, economic and environmental ruin, and a bleak future of deprivation. The Russian people do not want this war either and are protesting in the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The humanitarian consequences will be devastating. Three million people have been displaced.
Vladimir Putin has violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. In addition, he has breached the treaties Russia has signed and authorized, including the Charter of the United Nations.
GMU endorses the response of United Nations Secretary General António Guterres urging “immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, preventing any actions and statements that may further escalate the dangerous situation in and around Ukraine and prioritizing diplomacy to address all issues peacefully.”
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Like the world in the 1930’s, we stand on the edge of an abyss. We can choose to step back from the brink and stop a dictator’s aggression or we can allow the horrors of war to consume us again.
Pope Francis is calling for a Day of Fasting for Peace on Ash Wednesday, March 2. Global Ministries University adds its collective voice to the global prayers for peace and for the people of Ukraine.

Divine Presence
We pray for the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia
We pray for all those who are afraid; that your comfort surrounds them in this time of great fear.
We pray for all those who have the power over life and death; that they will uphold life and strive for life in its fullest.
We pray for those who promote war; that they will remember that you direct us to turn our swords into ploughshares and seek peaceful resolutions to our problems.
We pray for leaders on the world stage; that they are led by compassion, mercy and justice.
Above all, we pray for peace for Ukraine.

Amen

GMU invites you to share your prayers for Ukraine.
 
 

Voices of Women Building Human Solidarity – Second Free Presentation

This is the second in a series of presentations on “Voices of Women Building Human Solidarity.” In the era of transition that we are experiencing today, we need to explore the enormous capacities of women for breaking through and beyond the divisions that exist in our world: cultural, religious, economic, political, environmental, and technological. This is a critical expression of Pope Francis’ Universal Synodal Process. Global Ministries University, the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue and Islamic Studies at Tangaza University and Harmony Institute of Kenya are co-sponsoring  Building Human Solidarity: The Voices of Women, a series of bi-monthly hour-long sessions on YouTube in which women who are leaders in their fields will share their diverse perspectives.

The second of these presentations took place on May 25, 2022.

View it now on YouTube.

 

View the first webinar on YouTube.


Graduate Seminar: Fratelli Tutti and St. Augustine’s ‘Just War Theory.’ Is the Theory still Valid?

Monday April 11, 2022
10 AM (PDT), 1 PM (EDT), 8 PM (EAT)

Presenter: Rev. Robert Dueweke, OSA

The Russian-Ukraine conflict intensifies with each passing day. Negotiations move at a slow pace while weapons and military assistance from other nations pour into Ukraine. Some commentators talk about “just war.” Russia threatens to use nuclear weapons. This seminar will explore the questions, attitudes, and conditions for building a better world raised in Pope Francis’s encyclical Fratelli Tutti. The question of the validity of the traditional “Just War Theory” in a nuclear era must be challenged.

Global Ministries University invited Father Rober Dueweke, OSA, a representative of the Augustinian religious community at the United Nations, to lead this GMU graduate-level seminar on the Just War Theory and its recent critique by Pope Francis in Fratelli Tutti.

 

 

 

Exploring Global Issues for a World in Crisis

Cohort begins April 6, 2022 at 7 PM EDT

A collaborative effort between Global Ministries University and the People’s Catholic Seminary, “Exploring Global Issues for a World in Crisis” offers an overview of contemporary social justice issues including the prophetic call to do justice, and Catholic social justice teachings; develops pastoral strategies for addressing: reproductive justice as a human rights issue; changing the conversation between Pro-Choice and Pro-Life on reproductive rights; discrimination based on racism, sexism and homophobia; violence and peace-making; environmental justice and economic exploitation.

Facilitator: Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan

Bridget Mary Meehan holds a doctorate in ministry from Virginia Theological Seminary, (1987) and a Masters in Religious Studies from Catholic University of America (1980). She is the author of 20 books including Praying with Women of the Bible, The Healing Power of Prayer and Living Gospel Equality Now.

Dr. Meehan is a co-founder of People’s Catholic Seminary (2017) and Global Ministries University (GMU) 2001. She teaches courses in contemporary theology and spirituality online. The cost is $75.00 (plus $25.00 application fee) for six power-packed sessions.  Each session will begin at 7PM Eastern Time and will be one hour in length. 


New Course in Creation Spirituality

Rev. Margie Schneider, D.Min., a GMU graduate, is currently conducting  a course in Eco-Art & Creation Spirituality. The May 2022 cohort is now complete but future sessions are being planned.

This course explores and awakens students’ natural creativity through participation in seven eco-art activities, performed within nature and seen through the eyes of Creation Spirituality and its four paths. Such exploration and awakening can surface the authentic self, thereby enabling inner healing. They can also engender a deep sense of sacredness and an appreciation for the oneness of all things, leading to the discovery of a deep and lasting set of values – including a passionate desire to care for the earth, and to address the sacred connection one should have with her, with all her creatures, and especially, with the Creator.

You can also take single courses at GMU as well as pursue a graduate degree or certificate.

 

Find Out More!
Apply Now!

 

GMU sponsored a free seminar on October 4 at 4 pm (PDT) 7 pm (EDT),  the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology, for students, graduates, and all interested parties.

We discussed the role of ecology in peace building in the Middle East using information from EcoPeace Middle East

We also discussed the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, and the role of religious leaders in addressing the climate crisis.



International Interfaith Conference: Building Human Solidarity in Light of Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Fratelli Tutti

Artwork by Ginny Graf
Executive-summary-FT-ConferenceDownload

GMU co-sponsored an international and interreligious conference in Kenya and Indonesia,“Building Human Solidarity in the Light of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter: Fratelli Tutti“ with the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue and Islamic Studies (IRDIS) and the State Islamic University, Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, Indonesia (UIN). Other sponsors included the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), the Harmony Institute, Umma University, the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, and the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI)

Learn More.
 

Community Chaplaincy Program

The Community Chaplaincy program is a unique preparation for grassroots change. It offers a team teaching approach to critical and timely topics among which are body wisdom, trauma, grief, deep listening and resilience – topics relevant to all and much needed in society, local and global. The Community Chaplaincy Program challenges participants to look deeply within; to grow in depth and wisdom, empowering her to profoundly hear and respond to individuals or groups in need. ~ Terri K., MS, MCHES, CWC

Learn more about GMU’s exciting new program here.

GMU’s Response to the COVID-19 Crisis:

The Mirror of Our Minds: Paths to Wholeness in the Era of Coronavirus

This Free Zoom session was held on Wednesday July 1, 2020 at 4 PM PDT (7 PM EDT) with psychologist Manuel Yaniz PhD. Learn more .

Podcast of Psycho-Spiritual Discussion
on Mental Health Issues Associated with
Coronavirus COVID-19

Spirituality in the Age of Coronavirus

Inspiration and Hope from the Parliament of the World’s Religions

Prayer for healing anxiety in uncertain times ~Bridget M Meehan

Marita Grudzen presented “Spirituality A Way to Sustain and Connect in the Era of Covid-19,” A Forum of the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco on Thursday May 28, 2020, 1:00-2:30 pm (PDT)

Global Ministries University is an online international contemporary theological learning platform that is inclusive, supportive of creative thinking, and honors the sacred in all religions and spiritual traditions. 

 

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