Interfaith and Ecumenical

The Student Spirituality Panel is annual event hosted at the beginning of the year in which the community joins together for an evening of conversation to learn about the robust religious diversity that exists on Loyola's campus. It is a wonderful opportunity to listen for students to learn from others with different faith backgrounds and strengthen their religious community.

The Foods in Our Faiths annual event series invites students, faculty, and staff to share food from their unique faith-related traditions and share about the significance of food to their diverse customs and practices. This event presents an opportunity for the Loyola community to create space for open dialogue and storytelling, reflect on what is important about one's faith, and build community among members of different faith traditions. 

Each year on the first Thursday in February, we begin our spring semester with an Interfaith Hope and Renewal Prayer Service (HARPS) to serve as a blessing for the Loyola community. HARPS recognizes the diversity and richness of various faith traditions represented at Loyola and in our surrounding communities. We gather in prayers, readings, reflections and blessings from various faith traditions to inspire hope and renewal at this time of the year. 



The Interfaith Retreat is an opportunity to learn more about the commonalities and unique aspects of diverse faith traditions at Loyola and beyond. Students will participate in creative activities, morning yoga, and meaningful dialogue, with the goal of celebrating different faith traditions and building bridges across people of diverse spiritual background. This retreat will provide students with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of both the religious experiences of others and their own religious identities. Learn more about our retreats.

Chosen Generation is a choir with a mission to bring praises to our evergreen campus! CGC hopes to bring the Loyola and Baltimore Community as a whole the sounds of love, joy, and soul through Christian/Gospel music. 

Visit The Bridge to learn more about Chosen Generation Gospel Choir.

Follow CGC on Instagram @lumchosengeneration

Heart of Zen Meditation Group is dedicated to making the core practice of Zen, namely meditating in silence and stillness, available to all, regardless of religious affiliation or secular orientation. While this practice is traditionally understood as a means of awakening and cultivating the twin Buddhist virtues of wisdom and compassion, participants are more than welcome to interpret the practice and these virtues in terms of their own faith or worldview.

Learn more about Heart of Zen.

The InterVarsity Christian Fellowship mission is to be a community of individuals who are experiencing the transforming power of a real and active God as we seek to follow Jesus through studying scripture, praying, and worshiping in order to live bold lives of faith that shine out on campus. InterVarsity's goals are to grow in love for: God; God's Word; God's people of every ethnicity and culture; and God's purposes in the world. 

Visit The Bridge to learn more about InterVarsity at Loyola.

Follow InterVarsity Loyola on Instagram @iv_loyola

The Jewish Student Association (JSA) seeks to create a group of students that come from Jewish backgrounds or are just looking to learn more about the Jewish religions in hopes of (openly) creating a more religious diversity at Loyola, while also giving people a fun and enjoyable place to celebrate their religion and the religion of their peers.

Visit The Bridge to learn more about JSA Loyola.

Follow JSA on instagram @jsaloyola

The Muslim Student Association (MSA) is a student organization sponsored by the Campus Ministry, which advocates for the needs of Muslim students attending Loyola. MSA is open to all students who are genuinely curious about learning about Islam, its practices, and Muslims worldwide. MSA will be celebrating Ramadan and Eid with Campus Ministry annually, so Muslims on campus can celebrate together and create a sense of belonging on this campus. MSA will partner with various on-campus and off-campus resources to give back to the Baltimore community.

Visit The Bridge to learn more about MSA Loyola.

Follow MSA on Instagram @loyolamdmsa

The Interfaith Advisory Board (IAB) advises and partners with the Assistant Director of Ecumenical and Interfaith Ministries, in continuing to keep Loyola a place of belonging for our religiously diverse community.

• Saima Sitwat, Assistant Director of Ecumenical and Interfaith Ministries
• Dr. Irem Demirkan, Associate Dean, Associate Professor of Management
• Dr. Whitney Hobson, Assistant Director for Social Justice and Staff Psychologist
• Tiffany Kinnard, Dean of Students
• Corey Lauver, General Manager of Parkhurst Dining
• Erin Misiorek, Program Coordinator for Student Engagement
• Dr. Jason Parcover, Assistant Vice President for Student Well-Being
• Dr. Rodney Parker, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer
• Raven Williams, Dean of Student Success
• Megan Rook-Koepsel, Julio Fine Arts Gallery Director
• David Tiscione, Director of Title IX and Bias Compliance
• Mallory Wareham, Access Services Librarian
• Dr. Becky Walker, Assistant Teaching Professor of Theology
• Charles Borges S.J. , Associate Professor
• Dr. Elliot King, Professor, Advisor, Jewish Students Association (JSA)
• Dr. John Keiss, Associate Professor of Theology & Peace and Justice Studies
• Dan Schlapbach, Photography Program Coordinator, Professor of Visual Arts

As a Jesuit institution, Loyola welcomes a diverse religious population including a variety of the Christian denominations, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Loyola invites all students to actively engage and explore their own religious traditions/ spiritual identities. There are a number of interfaith and multifaith sacred spaces on campus where students, faculty, and staff can go for worship, prayer, and meditation. Additionally, there are multiple places of worship and prayer a short distance from Loyola where students can find space of belonging, grow close to God, and expand their faith communities. For a full list of sacred spaces on and off campus, please visit Campus Ministry's Sacred Spaces for Worship, Prayer, and Meditation page.

In Campus Ministry, we recognize the holiness of the entire year, but we also wish to draw special attention to those days celebrated by the various faith traditions on our campus and around the world.

We encourage you to use Loyola's Office of Equity and Inclusion Calendar of Religious Holidays and Celebrations to be aware of the holy days being observed throughout the year.

If you have questions or would like to discuss the observance of a holy day at Loyola, please contact Saima Sitwat at ssitwat@loyola.edu.