“To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast which a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour till it was all leavened.” Luke 13:20
Greetings!
This short parable guides the Catholic Chaplaincy as we seek to live into the promise of community, growing, changing, and rising together. Our God of Surprises works within us and within our world in life-giving, mysterious, and often invisible ways – transforming so much flour with just a wee bit of yeast.
Like the dough, our faith needs to be worked and the students in the Catholic Community at Tufts (CCT) are doing just that: asking hard questions about spirituality, meaning making, racial justice and what our tradition has to say about the profound inequities further revealed by the pandemic. For this reason, we define our Catholic community by our commitment to creating spaces for students to engage authentically with one another, themselves, and God.
The wider University Chaplaincy is grounded in an intentional interfaith ethic; our work begins from a place of genuine curiosity and trust. When I think of the transformation we see in our communities and in the students engaged in this work, I think of the woman in the parable. She trusts in the process and as the dough rises, she witnesses the new reality it creates. How powerful to think of this Kingdom of God in our midst, unexpectedly expanding our hearts and creating the conditions for deep and far-reaching nourishment.
I look forward to connecting more with you. Please join us for the first community Mass together, in-person at Goddard Chapel on Sunday, September 4, at 5pm. Our annual Welcome Dinner with follow at 6pm. We gather for Mass every Sunday at Goddard Chapel at 5pm, and you are always most welcome.
Sean Moushegian, E21, Former President of the Catholic Community at Tufts
"I’m frequently reminded of our identity – the Catholic Community at Tufts (CCT). No arbitrary choice of words, community describes our essence – both what we are and was what we aspire to be. CCT has the shape and form that it does because of the individual contributions of its members, present and past. Learning from each member of our community – members new, old, and even those who have graduated – is essential to maintaining a robust, adaptable and enriching Catholic community for us all. Welcome!"
Please reach out to student leaders with any questions.
Co-President
Katie Furey, A23
Co-President
Emile Naccasha, A23
Treasurer
Clare Coffman, A24
Treasurer
Caitlin Duffy, A24
Interfaith Student Council Rep
Emma Jennings A24
Beatitudes Coordinator
Sebas Fernandez, E24
Social and Spiritual Coordinators
Clare Coffman, A24
Social and Spiritual Coordinators
Caitlin Duffy, A24
Hospitality Coordinator
Jason Evers, A23
CCT retreat on Cape Cod
Be-Friend: Interfaith Friendship Program for Fall 2021
“Friendship is intimate and ordinary. It can also be revolutionary.” - Dana Robert
This semester-long interfaith friendship project is designed for participants to go deep and to talk about the things that matter: our values, our sense of purpose, and our questions about life. You will learn the skill of active listening while experimenting with shared spiritual practices from different religious and philosophical traditions. Participants will be paired in dyads and will commit to spending an hour together each week as well as an extra half hour in private reflection. Several of our chaplains have contributed to the program offering a diverse array of spiritual practices, including nature walks, meditation exercises, listening to music, deep reading—of poetry, art, the world, our lives and one another. All Tufts students, staff, and faculty, are welcome to join (please note: students will be paired with fellow students, and faculty and staff will be paired together).
Contact Catholic Chaplain Lynn Cooper if you have any questions. Undergraduates, graduate students, staff, faculty, and alumni and are all invited to participate. The program will begin the first week of October. You can sign up for Be-Friend here.
