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St. Odilia
Prairie Ammas
Buddhist Meditation Groups
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Our Mission
* Educate the community about different faiths
* Increase understanding and respect among people of different faiths
* Foster cooperation among local faith communities to solve common community problems
* Help individuals in search of a spiritual home to find one

 

Center For Interfaith Projects Newsletter

From time to time, the Center will provide information about new or alternative spiritual communities and groups in the FM area. In this issue, four are featured. The Center recognizes that people's spiritual needs vary greatly, something that may help explain not only different denominations within most religious traditions, but also the continuing emergence of new spiritual movements. The communities and groups we feature support openness to dialogue and a commitment to values compatible with our interfaith mission.
St. Odilia's Catholic Church
St. Odilia's American National Catholic Church. differs from the Roman Catholic Church in its rejection of Papal Infallibility, its ordination of women priests, permission of priests to marry, its GLBT inclusiveness, its performance of same-sex marriage, and its congregational model of decision-making. It is similar to the Catholic Church in its belief in a Triune God, affirmation of the Nicene Creed, belief in the Salvific Act of Christ, Marian theology, and seven sacraments.The ANCC also affirms the value of interfaith dialogue. The priest who leads St. Odilia's services is Lew Troska. The congregation worships at 670 4th Avenue North, Fargo, ND. Sundays at !2:00 noon. For information, please call 701 281-3023 or email: [email protected] Web:www.stodiliafgo.org
 
Prairie Ammas
Formerly called Womenchurch, the new name for this female gathering was inspired by a monastic community of women called "Desert Ammas" (spiritual mothers): they lived in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria in the 4th and 5th centuries CE. Their lives serve as a model to set aside quiet time to step out of the busyness and frenetic nature of our culture to spend time resting in the divine silence. The members of Prairie Ammas operate without hierarchy and no one wears royal vestments. This community warmly welcomes all women who seek a place to pray with other women in an atmosphere of love and respect, using inclusive language and women-centered metaphor. Refreshments are served. Time: 2-4p.m., the first Sunday of each month. Place: Prayer Center of Presentation Center (Sacred Heart Covenant) 1101 32nd Ave S., Fargo.
Contacts: JoEllen Smith  701 237-3612
Sister Andrea Arendt 701 237-4857
 
Two Buddhist Meditation Groups
Prairie Sky Sangha. This is a peer-led group that practices and discusses mindfulness both as a form of meditation and as a way of being present in everyday life. The cultivation of mindfulness is the heart of Buddhist practice, but one does not have to be a Buddhist in order to join in and benefit from this weekly cultivation of mindful living. Prairie Sky Sangha meets Tuesdays at 7:15 p.m.. On the first and third Tuesdays of the month participants will do sitting meditation for 45 minutes, walking meditation for 10 or 15 minutes, and then guided lovingkindness guided meditation for another 10 or 15 minutes. On the second and fourth Tuesdays the group does sitting meditation for 30 minutes and then discusses a short chapter from Pema Chodron's Comfortable with Uncertainty. Place: Lotus Studio of the Spirit Room, 111 Broadway, Fargo. Contact information: Mary C. Struck: 701 235-9604.
Shambhala Meditation. At the heart of Shambhala meditation are the Tibetan Buddhist teachings of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Chogyam Trungpa (1940-1987) is widely admired as a meditation master, teacher, and artist. He was author of many books on Buddhism and the path of meditation, including Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, Crazy Wisdom, and Shambhala: the Sacred Path of the Warrior. Chogyam Trungpa founded Naropa University in 1974, located in Boulder, Colorado, the first accredited Buddhist University that combines contemplative studies with traditional Western scholastic artistic disciplines. Dawn Morgan leads this group on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at the Spirit Room. It includes Shamatha and Tonglen meditation, sitting and walking meditation, group readings, and discussion of precious Lojong slogans. One does not have to identify as Buddhist to belong to this group and to benefit from its practices. 701 234-9605
 
Upcoming Event: Interfaith Panel on Religion and Domestic Violence
At this writing, three women have agreed to be panelists and to discuss the problem of domestic abuse from the perspective of their faith traditions. They are Rabbi Janeen Korbrinsky (Temple Beth El), Pastor Laura Stancher (Trinity Lutheran Church), and Esra Atta (Islamic Society of Fargo-Moorhead). This event is co-sponsored by the Rape and Abuse Center of Fargo-Moorhead. Date: Saturday, November 24, 2-4p.m. Place:Christian Life Center at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead.
  
The Center welcomes your ideas for interfaith panels, building bridges, and overcoming religious prejudice. Also,  
 

David Myers
Center for Interfaith Projects
701 388-7368