PLEASE RSVP by clicking on the word REGISTER found above; we request that everyone RSVP--you will have the opportunity to say that you are coming to campus in person or viewing the livestream.

The Martin Gang Institute for Intergroup Relations, the Center for Religion and Spirituality, and the CSJ Center for Reconciliation and Justice invite you to an interfaith dialogue both in person and online.

For centuries, women across faith traditions and cultures have carried out important roles in the dissemination of the faith, as caretakers of their spiritual traditions, and as roles models of how to live their faith in practice, even as those same faith communities do not always recognize their contributions.

What is lost when the role of women in our faith communities is ignored, devalued, and their expression and/or understanding of the divine is diminished or even silenced?

Join us for this important panel of Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim women who will reflect on the role of women in their tradition, historical examples of women that inspire, and hear about their own personal experiences as women of faith.   We invite you to consider how a dialogue about the role of women in the various faith traditions might enliven your own understanding of God, your community, and your own role.

Please RSVP by clicking here.

Reading
Before participating in the Forum, we ask you to read Nostra Aetate, a short but significant Vatican II document on the relation of the Catholic Church to non-Christian religions. Click here to access this document.

Program

2:00 - 2:40 PM - Interfaith at LMU, a tour of sacred sites on Campus (in-person only)

3:00 - 4:15 PM – Interfaith Forum, online and in-person in Seaver Hall 200 

4:15 – 5:00 PM – Reception for those attending in person

Panelists

• Melissa Balaban, CEO and founding president of IKAR (Hebrew for “essence”)

Melissa Balaban is the CEO and founding president of IKAR. Prior to IKAR, Melissa was Assistant Dean at the University of Southern California Law School.  She was Directing Attorney of Public Counsel’s Child Care Law Project, a senior consultant for a national human resources consulting firm, and an adjunct professor at Loyola Marymount MBA program. Melissa is a graduate of UC Berkeley and the University of Southern California Law School. She was the 2017 recipient of the Trailblazer Award from NewGround, a Muslim Jewish partnership for change and the Outstanding Professional Achievement award from the Jewish Communal Professionals of Southern California. Melissa is married to Adam Wergeles, a lawyer, and has two grown daughters.

• Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, OBGYN

Dr. Laila Al-Marayati has been a long-time activist in the American Muslim community, writing and speaking extensively on issues of concern to Muslim women and Muslims in general with particular focus on religious freedom, women’s rights in Islam, reproductive health and sexuality, and spirituality. She spearheaded the Muslim Women’s League’s efforts on behalf of rape survivors from the war in Bosnia in the early 1990’s and was a member of the official US Delegation to the UN Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995.  As an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, Dr. Al-Marayati served for two years on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. Of Palestinian-American descent with an extended family in Gaza, Dr. Al-Marayati is the chair of KinderUSA (Kids in Need of Development, Education and Relief), a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides health, education and other forms of assistance to Palestinian children and their families living in the West Bank, Gaza, and refugee camps in Lebanon.  She has participated in a number of medical missions abroad serving refugees in Europe, indigent populations in Mexico and Peru, and others in the Middle East.  Dr. Al-Marayati is an Associate Clinical Professor and Division Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Her professional career has focused on service to women of all ages, especially those in marginalized communities with particular expertise in caring for women who have undergone female genital cutting. She received her MD from UC Irvine and a BS from UCLA and completed her residency at LA County-USC Medical Center.

• Sister MaryAnne Huepper, CSJ, Associate Director of the C.S.J. Center for Reconciliation and Justice, and LMU Trustee

MaryAnne is associate director of the CSJ Center and a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. She has served in the field of education in diverse roles: as an elementary teacher, principal, high school teacher, college administrator, adjunct instructor for Marymount College and the University of San Francisco. MaryAnne served the Diocese of Orange as an instructor for the Pastoral Ministry Institute and the Deaconate Program and as a member of the Commission for Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs. Before coming to LMU she was director of the Center for Spiritual Development in Orange.  MaryAnne has served at St. Joseph Health (now Providence-St. Joseph Health), as a trustee in two hospitals and as a board member of a hospital foundation. MaryAnne continues to provide presentations for programs of ministry formation. She serves currently on the LMU Board of Trustees. MaryAnne has undergraduate degrees in Art History and Religious Studies from Loyola Marymount University and a master's degree in Sacred Theology and Religious Studies from Katholieke Universiteit (Leuven, Belgium).

• MODERATOR:  Kienan Taweil, Interim Associate Director of LMU Campus Ministry, Muslim Student Life, and Interfaith Initiatives

Kienan Taweil earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Loyola Marymount University in 2019. During his time as a student, he was Co-Founder and Co-President of LMU’s Muslim Student Association. Prior to his current role in Muslim Student Life, he served as a student Program Assistant in the newly established office. Kienan works to promote the faith formation of the Muslim students on campus through Islamic pastoral support. He also develops programs that promote spiritual growth, personal development, diversity, leadership, interfaith understanding, and community involvement. He leads weekly Friday-Jummah Prayer services on campus and regularly engages in interfaith work. Coming from a multi-ethnic and multi-faith family inspires Kienan to promote interfaith dialogue built on understanding and love for our neighbors. In his free time, Kienan enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and watching movies. A Los Angeles native of Syrian and Hungarian heritage, Kienan is also an avid reader who enjoys reading about politics, history, and theology.

FOR THOSE WHO WILL BE VIEWING LIVESTREAM  

Please click on the following Zoom link to join the livestream.  

Join Zoom Meeting 

https://lmula.zoom.us/j/89875071407  

Meeting ID: 898 7507 1407