As a Catholic institution, Cabrini has always taken pride in students who have demonstrated a virtuous presence of faith tradition, a topic Eboo Patel, writer of “Acts of Faith,” knows all too well. Patel came to speak at this past Cabrini Day on everything from stories of self, stories that are larger than us, faith identity, interfaith moments and everything in between. He discussed his own personal experiences with his faith tradition and how, like any religion or belief system, those principles influence greatly the way a person lives their life. As an American Muslim, Patel was raised in a religion of core values and morals. Though they are different in many ways, this foundation helped him experience those interfaith moments of being able to see greatness in another religion, for example, with Catholicism. He said that his interactions with both belief systems shaped who he is and what he does in life.
Patel talked about faith commitment and faith identity. These two terms go hand in hand. A faith identity is how you identify yourself through your beliefs, either religiously or not. Your faith can be a part of a person as much as ethnicity or background. It can be a part of a person in both large and small ways, but it is the commitment to one’s faith that influences them on a deeper level. This is the idea behind Patel’s talk, that the faith you have and how important it is to you can affect your personality, actions, life choices, etc.
Patel’s words embody the commitment Cabrini has to the acceptance of all faiths, cultures and backgrounds. Though it is a Catholic College, it works toward being open-minded and welcoming to all who pass through it. Cabrini challenges its students to respect the dignity of every human person, because as Catholic belief mandates, they are all created in the image and likeness of God. This brings us to the debate of whether the presence of a faith tradition not only affects a person’s lifestyle, but an organization’s as well.
Cabrini College was founded on Catholic beliefs, but belief in equality and respect is not just a Catholic one. Faith can shape a person and it often does, but it can also shape a society. When the people who create organizations, schools, companies, programs, etc. all do so with a basis in the values they hold due to their faith, a society becomes universally connected to all the other faiths out there. This continues until it reaches the point that they are not just faith-based values anymore, but common values held by a collective people. So yes, the presence of a faith’s traditions influences the way a person of that faith lives, but they also influence and are influenced by others’ traditions. These make up the stories Patel talked about, both the stories of self and the stories that are larger than just us.
