I hope you are having an excellent start to the fall quarter. The beginning of a new academic year coincides with some of the world’s major religions observing holy days. As we return to campus, I ask our university community to honor our values by embracing our diverse heritage.
For 125 years, DePaul has welcomed people of all faiths and ethnicities. Today, more than ever, we strive to create an accepting and nurturing environment where people of every faith and spirituality feel at home. Supporting our diverse multi-faith community is a key component of our university culture and our mission. Every member of our community can help facilitate a culture of respect, understanding, and civility for all religious holidays throughout the entire year.
In that spirit, I request you make the appropriate accommodations to enable students, faculty, and staff to fully express their faith. Please maintain flexibility and understanding throughout the academic year so that we can fully honor and respect the traditions of others.
If you would like guidance or have any questions, the Division of Mission and Ministry has a number of resources available and is happy to help. For example, a calendar of major religious holidays and suggested accommodations is available on the
Mission and Ministry website. Our Religious Diversity staff also provided details about the upcoming Jewish and Muslim services below.
Thank you for your respect and kindness as our diverse religious communities celebrate upcoming holidays and others throughout the year.
Jewish High Holidays and Jewish life at DePaulThe Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, begins on the evening of Sept. 25. High Holiday celebrations at DePaul will be held in person, with services led by Dr. Jen Goldberg and DePaul University students. Together and individually, DePaul’s Jewish community invites you to attend as we reflect on this past year and gather strength and hope for the next. Social justice values will be woven into traditions and liturgy for meaningful and inspiring pluralistic services.
Rosh Hashanah services will be held the evening of Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m. and the morning of Sept. 26 at 10 a.m. Yom Kippur services will take place in the evening on Tuesday, Oct. 4 and during the day on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
(Please note, while there is no service at DePaul on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the holiday extends through sundown on Sept. 27. Observant community members take both days, Sept. 26 and Sept. 27 off, as well as Yom Kippur on Oct. 5.)
Members of the DePaul community, as well as family and friends, are invited to join DePaul's Jewish community in celebrating these special holidays. As is the custom, services are provided free of charge to DePaul students, faculty, and staff. However, due to capacity restrictions, participants are asked to register for a
ticket through DeHub.
DePaul also welcomes Chicago community members to join our High Holiday services. We respectfully ask community members who wish to attend the services to consider making a donation
in support of Jewish Life at DePaul here.
DePaul’s Division of Mission and Ministry and its Jewish Life staff and students remain committed to providing on-going support and care to DePaul's Jewish community whether virtually or face to face. For more information on High Holidays, or for general questions regarding Jewish Life and the Jewish community at DePaul, please contact DePaul's Jewish Life Coordinator Dr. Jen Goldberg at
j.goldberg@depaul.edu.
Muslim Eid celebrations and Muslim life at DePaulEid ul Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) is the major holiday in the Muslim community with the feast commemorating the sacrifices made by the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) for the sake of God. This year the Feast was celebrated on July 9, and as always, it comes at the end of the Hajj season, when millions of Muslims from around the world travel to Mecca for the pilgrimage journey of their lifetimes. Ashura, which is especially important for Shi'a Muslims, for whom it represents the eternal importance of standing up and sacrificing for justice in the face of oppression, was observed early in August.
DePaul Muslim Life staff and students are excited to start this new academic year with a full array of educational, spiritual, and social programs offered in person, as well as some options for online participation. Our Muslim community’s activities on campus include the Friday Jumu’ah prayer services on the Lincoln Park Campus, which take place throughout the academic year at 1:15 p.m. in the Muslim Life Center, Room 329 in the Lincoln Park Student Center. The annual Fast-a-thon, Ramadan and Eid ul Fitr celebrations in the spring are also centerpieces of Muslim Life at DePaul. All are invited to join in these celebrations.
Please contact Imam Abdul-Malik Ryan, the assistant director of Religious Diversity and Pastoral Care who also serves as chaplain for Muslim Life at
mryan42@depaul.edu with regard to questions about religious accommodations, information about prayer spaces on campus and weekly programs, classes and activities available for Muslim students, or others interested in Islam or Muslims at DePaul.
Please note that the format or venue for all ministry events at DePaul will continue to depend on the ongoing public health situation. We thank you for your understanding.