The Center for Spiritan Studies is hosting a special event and reception to open a dialogue about the ways in which communities can move from forced multiculturalism toward becoming intentionally intercultural.
The Rev. Anthony J. Gittins, C.S.Sp.
Intercultural Community Living will be held Thursday, April 14, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Africa Room in the Union. A reception will follow immediately after.
“Intercultural Community Living is about discovering what kinds of changes and interpersonal skills are necessary if we are to live in peace and mutual respect,” said the Rev. James Chukwuma Okoye, C.S.Sp., director of the Center for Spiritan Studies. “Do we merely tolerate others different from us, or do we learn to make ex pluribus unum—one from many?”
Dr. Ronald C. Arnett
The Rev. Anthony J. Gittins, C.S.Sp., professor emeritus of theology and culture and the emeritus Bishop F.X. Ford Professor of Missiology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and Dr. Ronald C. Arnett, chair of the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies and the Patricia Doherty Yoder and Ronald Wolfe Endowed Chair in Communication Ethics, will discuss the interpersonal skills necessary for multicultural communities to thrive during the event.
Gittins and Arnett will address this topic in relation to formerly homogeneous religious bodies that now embrace members from around the world, and from a more local perspective by considering traditionally ethnic communities that are becoming increasingly multicultural.
The event is open to students, faculty, staff and the public. RSVP to attend the lecture. For more information, email spiritanstudies@duq.edu or call 412.396.4824.