On Thursday, Sept. 14, the Office of Campus Ministry hosted the second annual Interfaith Prayer and Picnic with the President. The theme of the prayer service was “A Season to Grow Together.” The event, which was held in the Lincoln Center Outdoor Plaza, included prayer, reflection and a luncheon following the service.
The prayer service included presentations from several student groups, including the University Choir and Empire Dance Club. The event also included readings and songs from several different faiths. It celebrated the four seasons, inviting attendees to reflect and share their thoughts with one another.
The prayer service opened with a dance performance by students in Fordham’s Ailey School. Meredith Brown, FCLC ’24, was one of four students who participated in the opening number.
Brown said, “The piece in an essence is about leaning on one another and interconnected relationships. It is about how we all use each other to get through the mundanity of life. Also, how in our own faith, we use one another to progress forward.”
Naia Neal, FCLC ’25, was another member of the opening number.
Neal added, “I was at the event last year, and it was so beautiful watching all of the performances. Now that I am a part of it, I am really excited to be a part of the show and be a part of the mission.”
The other members of the dance group included Kelli Charles Thomas, FCLC ’25, and Jaron Givems, FCLC ’25.
Following the prayer service, several Fordham faith-based groups hosted a fair with various activities. The fair gave the Fordham community an opportunity to recognize and connect with the resources offered by Fordham ministry groups.
Erin Hoffman, director of Campus Ministry at Fordham Lincoln Center, took a leading role in planning the Interfaith Prayer and Picnic. Hoffman chaired the committee and oversaw the planning of the event.
“It really takes most of the summer,” Hoffman said. “As soon as we had the date set in late spring we decided on the theme and went from there. We bring in different collaborators and different partners, so it takes quite a while to bring everything together. To think about the theme, the structure, the content, who is going to be involved, bringing in the dancers, the jazz ensemble and all of those pieces; it is a lot of little details.”
This is the second annual Fordham interfaith prayer service. Hoffman said that the event was held to celebrate diversity in Fordham’s religious beliefs.
“Going back many years, it was something that had been on my wishlist,” she said. “Having been part of the Lincoln Center community, and starting to see the diversity of backgrounds and beliefs that make up this campus especially, we really wanted to start the year in a way that brought all of that together and that celebrated the diversity of beliefs and unified us as a community. There were lots of other people on campus who felt similarly.”
Hoffman added, “Last year with the start of a new president and a new chapter at Fordham, the time was right to begin it.
The support was there institutionally and financially. When we started it last year, we were not sure if it was going to be something we just did once or something we continue annually. It was met with such positive reception from our community and the university as a whole that we would like to continue to do it annually.”
The prayer service was well attended by Fordham students, faculty and staff. Members of the Fordham community gathered from both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. Notable attendees included President Tania Tetlow, Dennis Jacobs and Keith Eldredge.
Hoffman said that the event is important because it gives the Fordham community an opportunity to pause and reflect at the beginning of a new year. She is very proud of the collaboration between Fordham departments to make the prayer service possible.
Hoffman said, “We are the only Jesuit University, out of the network of Jesuit universities in the United States, that starts the year with an event of this size and scope. That is something that I am particularly proud of; I am very grateful to spearhead the whole operation. The success of it is dependent on so many people and on the collaboration of so many people, and I think I have been really touched to see the excitement with which people have stepped up to be a part of it.”
