Day 3- Breaking down Barriers and Borders through our spirituality

To kick off our third day of POWER Summit, some of us took an optional field trip to the Minnesota History Center in downtown St. Paul to check out an exhibit called Open House: If These Walls Could Talk. Located in an actual reconstructed house, the exhibit tells the stories of various residents living in a house on the East Side of St. Paul during the past 100 years. Through interactive exhibits, we learned about the diverse immigrant families that called that place home through the years while getting a piece of Saint Paul history. It was fascinating to see how immigration has changed so much in the last century and to read about the unique, yet similar struggles and triumphs that each family experienced while living there. It got me thinking about all the different families that have lived in my own house, and where they came from, as well as encouraging me to think deeper about my own roots and family history.

Back at the Carondelet Center, we continued the day with a panel of speakers from four different spiritual backgrounds- Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and the Buddhist tradition. Each speaker inspired the group with their personal stories and experiences working for social change. They described how their spirituality sustains them and inspires them to continue their important work. Though all four claim very different beliefs, the same message of social justice and compassion echoed in their words. The panel helped us realize the universality of these beliefs, and it was clear that no matter what barriers and borders that we may build up between different religions, in the end we are all truly looking for peace and justice. Bree, of the Buddhist tradition inspired us all when she told us that our lives are like a crayon, when the crayon is all used up it is not gone, but rather the mark we made on the world with our crayon will live on. It is up to us to figure out what that mark is going to look like, and what difference we are going to make in the world.

Next, we got in our Learning Circles to reflect on and discuss what we heard in the panel. We learned more about each other and our personal histories as we shared our religious beliefs, experiences and struggles. We discussed the ways in which each of us are sustained by our spirituality and how that spirituality helps us break down various barriers and borders in our lives.

After a short snack break, Sister Brigid McDonald spoke about the weekly Peace Vigil on the Lake Street bridge to prepare us for our outing later that night. After listening to her stories about the peace movement, we were inspired by her energy and started making protest art right away! We carpooled over to the bridge and had a great time putting our words and ideas throughout the week into action through nonviolent protest. And in a way, we even broke down the border of St. Paul and Minneapolis! After the Peace Vigil, we headed over to St. Albert the Great Church in Minneapolis for a potluck dinner and an evening of storytelling and sharing about the Peace Vigil's ten years of resistance to war. It was a truly inspirational ending to a busy day!

After the storytelling, we all headed home to get some rest for tomorrow- the last day of POWER Summit, where we will be declaring our action steps, sharing our creative expressions and having a big celebration. I can't wait!

- Carolyn