As I write this, we are in the midst of holy celebrations for several of our religious traditions. It is the beginning of Passover for the Jews, the remembrance of God’s delivery of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. It is Holy Week for the Christians, commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus. In a few weeks Sikhs will observe Vaisakhi, observed as a New Year celebration by some Hindus and Buddhists as well.

It would seem these have very little in common, as some are somber and others simply celebratory holy days. All of these, however, point toward religious freedom and our passion for service. At the Fish Interfaith Center we are dedicated to these, and often find our interfaith work leads us to many teachable moments about religious difference and freedom within this university setting. It was recently our honor to host Elder Jeffrey Holland, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, speaking in support of religious freedom and interfaith cooperation. This month, we will host a fabulous Vaisakhi celebration on Thursday, April 23 from 6 – 9 p.m. with food and presentations, open to campus and community (RSVP to heatley@chapman.edu).
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How do these current holidays support passion and religious freedom? Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday. The term “passion” narrowly means “suffering,” moving into the week of suffering and death of Jesus. But “passion” also means that which we are deeply dedicated to, that which we are passionate about. Jesus was crucified in large part for what he was passionate about – he was a wildly popular healer who advocated freedom for all people as he inspired the masses and upset the status quo. The Passover in Judaism begins also with escape from suffering – with the passing over of Israelite households when death came upon others, leading to their escape from slavery. The Passover ushers in freedom for a people who then become an example for the world as they pursue religious freedom. Vaisakhi is the celebration of the founding of the Sikh community known as the “Khalsa,” beginning with the loyalty of Sikhs who devoted themselves to being willing to suffer for religious freedom. Sikh men and women are dedicated to courage, dignity, serving those in need, and the simple faith of their founder, Guru Nanak.

We are pleased to support our Mormon, Sikh, Christian, Jewish, Muslim and many more students in the free pursuit of their religious faith, as well as to continually pursue our passion for interfaith awareness and service to all people. Thank you for your support in this important work!