Draw the Circle Wide:
Re-Imagining Ritual and Worship at Starr King
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"How are you looking to lead ritual and worship in your ministry?" Rev. Michelle Favreault, Visiting Professor of Liberal Religious Education, asks students in "Leadership, Liturgy and Learning," her course on the art of designing and leading meaningful ritual practices and worship. It includes lecture on the history and traditions of worship and hands-on practical training. Students must design and lead weekly Tuesday Chapel services.
"One of the faculty's intentions this year is to deepen our work in preparing students to do ritual," explains Rev. Favreault, "whether it's a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.) student who will be doing Sunday worship in a congregation, or a social activist in the Master of Arts in Social Change (MASC) program who might be called upon to lead a prayer or interfaith ritual as part of a community event."
 Third-year M.Div. student Tom Bozeman is taking Professor Favreault's course "to learn how I might create, in a more traditional Unitarian Universalist congregational setting, ritual and worship that is deeply impacting, that nurtures, comforts, challenges, and inspires." Tom was "deeply impacted" by the UU ritual and worship experiences of his youth.
Embodied spirituality is an emerging theme in ritual arts, especially among younger seminarians. Marcus Liefert, a third-year M.Div. student, says "I love the experience of the group body; to sing together, move our bodies, listen to each other's voices, feel our essential oneness, and experience a deep sense of togetherness."
 Professor Favreault's two-semester course is one of several ritual arts courses offered this year. In the spring, Yassir Chadly leads "Sufi Dikhr", which engages students in chanting, prayer, meditation, and music. Dr. Rebecca Parker teaches "Saving Paradise," based on her recent book co-authored with Rita Nakashima Brock. While the historical Christian tradition is a major focus of the course, students will also explore "how ritual-makers in contemporary communities and religious traditions can work to counter-oppressions and create just and sustainable communities." Last summer, Dr. Ibrahim Farajajé taught an intensive course in the Jewish and Sufi multi-religious musical tradition called "Maftirim".
"Part of the work of the spiritual leader is breaking down barriers to entry," explains Professor Favreault, "by finding the right language to provide multiple entry points to worship and ritual experience." |
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Photos from student-led Chapel service honoring the victims of the Iraq war.
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Educating
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