USC INTERFAITH RETREAT
October 15-18, 2020
Welcome to the 2020 USC Interfaith Retreat! This page houses all of the important information related to the retreat, including the Zoom link to our keynote speaker sessions, and a list of our video sessions and optional watch parties and worship services. If you have any questions throughout the retreat, please contact Liz Murphy, retreat manager, at em_574@usc.edu.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Access for all live sessions is via this Zoom link: https://usc.zoom.us/my/uscorsl
KEYNOTE / SYNCHRONOUS SESSIONS / ZOOM
- Thursday, October 15, 1:00-2:00 pm
- Welcome to the Retreat! Introductions and Orientation
- Speakers:
- Vanessa Gomez Brake, USC Associate Dean of Religious & Spiritual Life
- Sable Manson, Assistant Director for Student Leadership & Development at the USC Dornsife Joint Educational Project
- Friday, October 16, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
- Guided Buddhist Meditation
- Speaker: Venerable Woo Sang
- Saturday, October 17, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
- Vote Your Faith
- Speaker: Jim Burklo, USC Senior Associate Dean of Religious Life
- Sunday, October 18
- 1:00 – 2:00 pm: Keeping the Faith in Trying Times
- Speaker: Varun Soni, USC Dean of Religious Life
- 2:00 – 2:30 pm: Reflection Session: Sending Forth
- Speakers: Vanessa Gomez Brake and Sable Manson
- 1:00 – 2:00 pm: Keeping the Faith in Trying Times
RECORDED / ASYNCHRONOUS SESSIONS / YOUTUBE
Choose your own adventure! You are encouraged to “attend” these asynchronous video sessions at your own pace during the four days of the retreat. Watch them when you want, and in any order you want.
We invite you to share your thoughts and reflections from the session in the Facebook group AND/OR join a watch party. Details below.
- Retreat Box Tour – Sable Manson
- Faith Transitions: Navigating Changes in Beliefs – Sheila Salinas Navarro
- Faith Allyship – Raynooka Kabir, Eddie Mack & Nick Wrobleski
- Nature and Spirituality – Rev. Jim Burklo
- Blessings: Giving, Receiving, Being – Liz Murphy
- White Sunday – Taulau Tupua
- Religious Hybridity and Pluralism – Ollie Lim
- Living Your Faith on Campus – Jas Jeffries
- Christian Contemplative Practices – Rev. Jim Burklo
OPTIONAL WATCH PARTIES!!!
We will host three *optional* watch parties. These will be spaces where we watch one or two of the recorded retreat sessions together, creating a venue for us to live chat and share reflections with one another. Same zoom link!
- Friday, Oct. 16, at 10 a.m. PST / Hosted by Liz
- Saturday, Oct. 17, at 10 a.m. PST / Hosted by Sheila
- Sunday, Oct. 18, at 10 a.m. PST / Hosted by Vanessa
CONTINUING CONNECTIONS
A private Facebook group will be our main tool for continuing connections throughout the retreat. We will post daily reflection prompts, which we invite you to respond to. We also encourage you to post your own reflections, questions, and ideas as they come up for you during the retreat. We hope this space will create a sense of deeper community, despite our physical distances. If you have not yet received an invitation to this Facebook group, please contact Liz Murphy at em_574@usc.edu.
LIVESTREAM WORSHIP SERVICES
We encourage you to visit a few houses of worship over our retreat period (and beyond!) to learn more about other faith traditions. Below are a selection of services, but you are welcome to attend other online events of your choice, as well. The following links are listed in alphabetical order.
- Baha’i’s of the United States
- Daily Prayer Sessions – 10:30 am PST
- Bhatki Live – Hindu temples throughout the world
- Livestreamed events at various times
- IKAR Spiritual Center (Jewish)
- Kabbalat Shabbat – Friday, Oct. 16, at 5:30 p.m. PST
- Shabbat Morning Service – Saturday, Oct. 17, at 10 a.m. PST
- International Society for Krishna Consciousness
- daily services at various times
- Islamic Center of Southern California
- Jum’a Prayer and Sermon – Friday, Oct. 16, at 1 pm PST.(Recordings available of previous services, as well)
- San Francisco Interfaith Council
- Links to live-streamed services happening all over California
- St. James In the City
- Episcopal Church Mass – Sunday, Oct. 18, at 10:30 a.m. PST
- Sikh Dharma International
- Links to many different live streamed events
- Unitarian Universalist – Throop Pasadena
- Worship Service with Liz Murphy – Sunday, Oct. 18, at 11 am PST
- Vedanta Society of Southern California – pre-recorded services
- Women’s Mosque of America – pre-recorded services