Christus Rex members sit outside the Taj Mahal during their trip to India over winter break. Photo submitted.

The 15 events of Interfaith Week began Monday, allowing students to gather for discussions, presentations, films and food.

The week is a collaborative effort between UND’s Wellness Center and community and campus organizations. Events including “Lunch with A Muslim,” “Taste of Faith” and “Free Thinkers Dinner” allowed students to learn about faiths and beliefs through food. Panels and discussions invited participants to interact with members of  various faiths.

In coordination with the Pursuit of Wellness, a month long Wellness Center event that encourages students to participate in events on campus, Interfaith Week covered one of the Seven Dimensions of Wellness.

“One of the dimensions of wellness is spiritual,” Assistant Director of Nutrition and Wellness Programs Karina Wittman said. “It’s just more of an awareness, to enhance our multidimensional wellness … to realize what opportunities are out there.”

The Wellness Center adopted “It’s All About Conversation, Not Conversion” as its unofficial slogan.

The week allows different beliefs, religious or not, an equal opportunity to share their message and background. Wittman says this is important for the campus and Grand Forks community.

For Christus Rex Pastor Chad Brucklacher, the week allows the community to get to know its neighbors.

“This week is about celebrating diversity,” Brucklacher said. “That’s what we’re trying to do in the discovery process. (Discover) the uniqueness of your neighbor and how we’re the same. It’s always fun to connect these different groups together and say ‘What can we do together that can help educate and become more of our community?’”

Wittman also hopes students see the events as an invitation to celebrate their faiths.

“It’s just to let students realize if they are part of a smaller group or religion on campus, they’re not alone,” he said. “There are tons of other students who are out there, who maybe don’t have a stronger voice, but there’s a place for everybody at the table, a place for everybody in the conversation in the room, and just to be open to new ideas and opinions.”

India trip

Over winter break, members of Christus Rex visited India to work with the church’s ministry.

The trip, led by Brucklacher and Director Kathy Fick, took seven UND students and one high school student through parts of Southern India, including the capital city, Delhi.

Brucklacher had the idea for the trip two years ago and was able to make it happen.

“In India, one of the ministries in the church is to do interfaith dialogue,” Brucklacher said. “This might be helpful to them to see the sharedness of the divine mystery … (and to discover) what the Lutheran Church in India was up to.”

The group visited schools and participated in an English

Plus program with students. Through their outreach, Brucklacher hopes not only help the community, but also to share the gospel.

“I think it is through education and projects that will really make a difference in the lives of people,” Brucklacher said. “The Lutheran church has particularly started schools to reach out to the caste system of India.”

This Sunday, Christus Rex invites students and community members to hear and see all that took place on their trip to India. An authentic Indian lunch will be catered by Passage to India and students will share their trip experiences, complete with photos and video.

Paula Kaledzi is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].