All Are Welcome at CRSL!

CRSL Newsletter

September 17, 2024

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CRSL Welcomes You!

Dear new and returning students, staff and faculty,

As always, it is a joy to greet new students when you arrive - I feel so enriched just from getting to meet

a few of you in our orientation programs and gatherings.

A mentor of mine once said “September is the most forgotten month.” He was referring to September in New England, of course, during which time the light tends to be particularly beautiful and the air particularly clear, but our schedules and obligations are particularly eventful and

busy! In this spirit I try to remember that a little goes a long way, and even to pause

for three minutes outside on a sunny day is itself a gift that not everyone everywhere has access to.

I also find at this time of year I remember the experiences I had starting my undergraduate college (I was 3,000 miles away and there were no cell phones then,

and it rained my entire first two semesters. If you want to have conversation about homesickness—lets talk! ) and that all of us here on campus are starting something. Dion Diaz, our staff custodian, who keeps our chapel so that how it looks reflects how

we want it to feel, takes his vacation with his family at the end of August. When he returns, he too, is starting a new year, and his work and rhythms will be affected by the changing patterns--in weather, traffic, and even in vibes on campus.

Please be on the lookout for communications from us, and we hope to see you at our upcoming Generating Justice and Joy S’mores Welcome Event. See below for more info about the CRSL!

With warmth and in a spirit of remembering,

Matilda and the CRSL staff

The Reverend Matilda Cantwell is the Smith College Chaplain and Director of the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life

Generating Justice & Joy and CRSL Welcome Festival

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Firepit, Athletic Fields

Join our CRSL Generating Justice and Joy Welcome Festival. We will build community and share hopes (and Smores) around a campfire. Please arrive promptly at 6:00 p.m. for the activity, but if you need to join later you are still welcome. Spiritual but not religious, atheist, agnostic, all students are welcome!

Generating Justice and Joy is a community gathering program sponsored by the CRSL, often in collaboration with students and/or other Smith Departments. Rather than have a vigil every time a disruptive event or tragedy occurs, GJJ is a gathering in recognition that we all need a place to share concerns and learn what is on the hearts of our fellow community members. GJJ is a "Brave Space" and always includes the elements of interaction, dialogue, and activity or/and healing ritual and sharing dialogue among participants. We generate with the understanding that gathering in solidarity is an active, not passive activity, and that doing so can elicit joy, and joy inspires us toward connection, justice, and hope.

A Prayer For You

For all those afraid and feel unsafe, for all those who have been targeted because of their region, ethnicity, or cultural group, for all those who have lost loved ones to violence. Many may be among us. May we do one thing, small or large, every day to contribute to a peaceful world in their name.

The Center for Religious and Spiritual Life Staff

Connect with us for your religious, spiritual, and community-building needs!

Matilda Cantwell, Director and College Chaplain

Kim Alston, Program & Communications Manager and Muslim Student Advisor

Maureen Raucher, Operations, Finance, Outreach Manager, Christian Student Advisor

Bruce B. Seltzer, Jewish Student Advisor

Anna Ostow, Mindfulness & Social Change Facilitator

To learn a little bit more about the CRSL, click here:

If you would like to talk about a faith or spiritual path you don’t see on our website or social media, see this form! https://forms.gle/wqiZutYZfbeq3RCw5

If you will be asking for an exemption or an excused absence from academic commitments because of religious observance, talk to your professor right away or as soon as you can! If you think you or your professor could benefit from brainstorming with us, see this form https://forms.gle/qaydWQoxzAQs9guL9

Did you know we are not a church? Our Center is housed in the Helen Hills Hills Chapel. However, we are not Christian-centered - we offer a place for all.

Do you think our welcome means only to our building? Places of worship should extend beyond the four walls. We can come to programs, teas, classrooms, lawns, and gardens! And we acknowledge beauty of the Botanic Gardens and Paradise Pond, and we praise the ground which has been holy to so many, including the indigenous inhabitants who cultivated it before colonial settlers claimed most of it as their own.

Are you in need of support for religious practice or dietary requirements? See one of our staff members listed here and we will probably help!

Do you think there are some faith or spiritual paths we ignore or disregard? We do not necessarily offer leadership or even referrals for all spiritual paths. However, if there is a path or tradition you would like to connect with, we will do our best to help locate resources or help start a group.

Upcoming Events

Sponsored by the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life

Generating Justice & Joy

Fall Dates 2024

Thursday, September 19, October 17 & November 14

6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

An opportunity for non-sectarian community reflection on current events. The name Generating Justice and Joy reminds us that it is only through gathering and organizing that we can build the power to bring justice forward, and also reminds us that in being together, we can generate the joy that is the lifeblood of being alive. All are welcome!

Spiritual Insight Time

Wednesday, September 18

12:15 - 1:15 p.m.

Chapin Lawn

Come to SIT (Spiritual Insight Time) Lunch Hour with the College Chaplain Matilda Rose Cantwell and College Religious Advisors. Have conversation, ask questions, request and five others blessings and prayers, pause and connect. All are welcome, come at any time. We'll have a short structured program at 12:15 p.m. and the rest of the time is open. (Matilda's small dog, Lucita [pronounced Loo-seet-uh] will attend some weeks as per her request to receive Smithie love, and to share some of her personal spiritual practices. Rain location HHH Chapel, 125 Elm St.)

Center for Religious and spiritual Life

Fall Events 2024

Jandon Center Day of Mindfulness

Saturday, September 21

9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Smith College Conference Center

49 College Lane, Northampton, MA 01060

Guided by Monastics of Blue Cliff Monastery

Sitting and walking meditation, group sharing, and a dharma talk. Light vegan lunch provided. All are welcome, priority given to Smith Community Members.

Peace in Ourselves, Peace in the World

Weekly Programming

Join us for Jummah!

Fridays at 12:30 p.m.

Hampshire Mosque in Hadley

Meet in front of the Helen Hills Hills Chapel at 12:25 p.m. Van will leave by 12:30 p.m. and return to campus no later than 2:30 p.m. Bring a prayer rug and complete your ablution beforehand. We have extra prayer rugs in the Blue Room at the Chapel if you need one! To attend email crsl@smith.edu. All are welcome!

Mindful Mondays with Anna Ostow

Mondays 12:15 - 1:00 p.m.

Campus Center Room 205

If you are looking for a place to make connections and practice self-awareness, come check out our drop-in Mindful Mondays, every Monday in-person in Campus Center 205, 12:15 - 1:00 p.m. We serve a hot, simple vegetarian meal, and practice mindfulness with light meditation, embodiment practice, and discussion. Absolutely zero experience is necessary and all students are welcome. Please contact aostow@smith with questions.

Soup Salad Soul

Fridays 12:10 - 1:00 p.m.

Helen Hills Hills Chapel Sanctuary

Come get cozy and enjoy a hot delicious vegetarian soup made by awesome student cooks while taking part in reflective, student-led discussions on spirituality and life! Students of all religious, spiritual, and non-religious/non-spiritual backgrounds are welcome. Limited to Smith OneCard holders. For details on food and other general accessibility questions, email ostow@smith.edu or mcantwel@smith.edu.

Shabbat

Fridays at 5:30 p.m.

Kosher Kitchen

Celebrate Shabbat with the Smith College Jewish Community (SCJC) with services followed by dinner at the "K", the Kosher Kitchen, attached to Jordan House. Meet new students and Rabbi Bruce. All are welcome!