My Neighbour's Faith

My Neighbor's Faith logo


About this series

Four to five times per year, McGill students are invited to join MORSL at a local religious or spiritual site, such as a synagogue, mosque, gurdwara, temple, cathedral, etc. Eligible for recognition on your co-curricular record as part of myInvolvement.

Visits are advertised here on the website, in our newsletter and on social media. Registration (free) is required via myInvolvement for each event.

Bonus: Students who attend any one of the My Neighbour's Faith visits will receive co-curricular recognition through myInvolvement!

History

Multi-faith diagram

In 2008, Sikh volunteer and later MORSL director Manjit Singh developed our "My Neighbour's Faith" program -- a series of monthly visits to various sacred sites around Montreal. A tour of the location and an observation of a religious ceremony is usually followed by a discussion period and refreshments.

 

My Neighbour's Faith Yearly Archive

View past events by year: 2023-2024 | 2022-20232019-2020 | 2018-2019 | 2017-2018 

 

Upcoming:


Visit to the Brahm Bunga

Mar. 23, 2024 (4:30pm-7:30pm)

Event Details

Join fellow students in experiencing a typical Saturday evening at a Sikh gurudwara (also called bunga) in Brossard, on Montreal's South Shore. We will visit the gurudwara, meet with community members and share in a vegetarian meal (langar) around 6:30 PM. You will need Zone A/B tickets ($9.00 for two) to ride the REM.

 


Visit to the Khadija Centre Mosque

Mar. 27, 2024 (4:45pm-9:00pm)

Event Details

Join MORSL and Concordia’s MFSC as we visit the Khadijah Center Mosque. We’ll discuss the tenets of Islam and Ramadan, a month of fasting, communal gathering, and spiritual development celebrated by Muslims around the world. Following the evening prayer, we will join the community as they break their fast with an iftar. 

 


Labyrinth Walk - Mtl West United

Apr. 11, 2024 (1:15pm-5:45pm)

Event Details

Join MORSL and Concordia's MFSC in experiencing a labyrinth walk. Montreal West United Church has hosted an indoor labyrinth walk for many years and has recently built an outdoor labyrinth. Labyrinths are walking meditations found in many traditions; theirs is modeled after the one in Charters Cathedral in France. During this outing, we'll walk the labyrinth and learn about this ancient practice and how it fits with the church's other observances.

My Neighbour's Faith 2023-2024


Visit to the Shambala Centre

Feb. 19, 2024 (4:00pm-7:00pm)

 

Event Details

Come learn about Buddhism at the Montreal Shambala Meditation Centre, a community that's been in Montreal for more than 50 years. We'll be welcomed and invited to join a short meditation, then learn about Shambala and their contemplative practices. We'll tour their centre and finish with conversation over tea and cookies. We will meet at MORSL (3610 McTavish room 36-2) and travel together by metro. Please be on time and bring a metro ticket or pass with you. The Shambala Centre is wheelchair accessible.


Visit to the CIIC

Feb. 4, 2024 (1:00pm-5:00pm)

 

Event Details

Join MORSL for a My Neighbour’s Faith outing to the Canadian Institute of Islamic Civilization. We will enjoy the CIIC’s exhibits and discover the contributions of Islamic civilization to science, knowledge, and philosophy. We will also tour the centre, visit the mosque, and enjoy a discussion about Islamic beliefs and practices. Expand your religious literacy and mark Muslim Awareness Week with us! This event is part of a series of several events on campus marking Muslim Awareness Week.

Schedule:

  • 1:00 – 1:10 Arrival and brief introduction
  • 1:10 – 2:00 Discussion on Islam
  • 2:00 – 2:35 Workshop on how Muslims pray
  • 2:40 – 3:00 Observing Asr prayer
  • 3:00 – 4:00 Tour exhibition “1001 inventions of the golden age of Islam” followed by tea/coffee/snacks (halal)

Carols by Candlelight

Dec. 15, 2023 (5:30pm-9:00pm)

 

Event Details

Join MORSL, Concordia's MFSC and the Presbyterian Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul for a December installment of My Neighbour's Faith. We'll enjoy a pizza dinner served by the church before enjoying a beautiful candlelit concert featuring religious Christmas music. Dress can be casual or business casual as you wish. The deadline to register: Thursday, Dec. 12th at 5:00 PM. 

Schedule:

5:30 PM: Gather inside the entrance of the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul (3415 Redpath St.)

6:00 PM: Pizza Dinner

7:30 - 9:00 PM: Carols by Candlelight Concert



A visit to the Sufi Centre of Montreal

Nov. 11, 2023 (4:45pm-9:00pm)

 

Event Details

Join MORSL and Concordia's MFC as we visit the Sufi Centre of Montreal. Sufism is a mystic body of practice in Islam. Sufis seek to embody the way of past prophets and practice Divine remembrance, meditation, and service to others. We will gather at Concordia's Multi-faith and Spirituality Centre located at 2090 MacKay St. at 4:45 PM and travel to the Centre together. The worship event we attend will be from 6-9 pm, with dinner served at the end at 8:30 PM. Dress should be business casual (no jeans with holes or very casual clothing). Both men and women are expected to have their shoulders and legs covered. We recommend wearing a head covering for women, but this is not required.
A visit to the Temple Emanu-El Beth Sholom

Sep. 29, 2023 (6:30pm-9:30pm)

 

Event Details

Join McGill Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and the Concordia Multi-faith and Spirituality Centre for a special installment of My Neighbour's Faith as we visit a Reform synagogue and community. We will attend the Friday evening service on Erev Sukkot, the start of the Jewish holy days of Sukkot. We'll meet at the Multi-faith and Spirituality Centre in the Z Annex, located at 2090 MacKay, at 6:45 PM, and walk to Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom together. To attend, please register on myInvolvement by Wednesday, Sep. 27 at 5:00 PM. More details, including an information packet, will be sent to participants via email.

My Neighbour's Faith 2022-2023

A visit to the Montreal ISKCON Temple

Mar. 19, 2023 (4:00pm-8:00pm)


Event Details

Come join us for our "My Neighbour's Faith" visit event this winter semester! We'll visit the Montreal Krishna Temple (ISKCON) near the Olympic stadium. During this visit, you’ll get to experience prayers and worship, including readings from the Bhagavad Gita (bilingual). We’ll learn briefly about Hindu faith, and hold a Q&A session with community members. Later, we will join the community for a specially-prepared, sanctified vegetarian feast!

A visit to the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh Temple

Feb. 9, 2023 (5:00pm-8:00pm)


Event Details

Join MORSL this week for a "My Neighbour's Faith" visit to the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh Temple in Lasalle. We’ll experience worship and prayers, learn about Sikhism, and hold a Q&A session with community members. We’ll also join the community for a vegetarian dinner. Earn CCR credit, strengthen your religious literacy, and branch out into connecting with the greater community!

Carols by Candlelight A visit to the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul

Dec. 17, 2022 (6:15pm-9:30pm)

 

Event Details

Join MORSL for an interactive visit to the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul to learn more about religious Christmas traditions and enjoy a beautiful candlelit concert. We'll also enjoy a pizza dinner served by the Church of A & P before the concert.

Visit to the CIIC Mosque

Nov. 11, 2022 (12:00pm-2:30pm)

 

Event Details

Come join us for the third My Neighbour's Faith event this Fall! We'll walk from MORSL to The Canadian Centre of Islamic Civilization. You'll get to experience worship and prayers and learning activities and interact with community members during a Q&A session. Participating students will earn CCR credit!

Visit to the Montreal Bahá'í Shrine

Oct. 20, 2022 (5:00pm-7:30pm)

 

Event Details

Come join us for the second My Neighbour's Faith event this Fall! We'll walk from MORSL to the nearby Montréal Bahá'í Shrine. Join us for an in-person immersive experience in Bahá'í Faith's history and local community. The shrine is the only Bahá'í Shrine in Canada and is also a carefully preserved historical site. It is regularly open to people of all faith and secular backgrounds and is a place of quiet meditation and prayer.

 

Synagogue visit to Congregation Shaar Hashomayim

Oct. 1, 2022 (9:00am-1:00pm)

 

Event Details

We are excited to announce that MORSL's "My Neighbour's Faith series" is back! For this event, students went on a special visit to Congregation Shaar Hashomayim where they participated in the Saturday Shabbat Service and lunch as part of an embodied experience of this community's life.


 

My Neighbour's Faith 2019-2020

Muslim Awareness Week at Temple Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom

Jan. 31, 2020 (7:45-9:00pm)

As part of MORSL's "My Neighbour's Faith series", students are invited to join us for a special event hosted by one of our community partners, Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom during Muslim Awareness Week. Come see how this community is reaching out to build connections across faiths, as we listen to Ms. Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed address the congregation as a guest speaker during Shabbat services. McGill Channel Event and Facebook Event.

This is a wonderful opportunity to engage in interfaith learning which also goes towards your co-curricular record!

 

Carols by Candlelight A visit to The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul

Dec. 15 2019 (4:45-8:30pm)

 

Event Details

We have been graciously invited to meet the organist Jonathan Oldengarm, tour the church, and enjoy a communal dinner before the beautiful Carols by Candlelight Service. This is a wonderful opportunity to engage in interfaith learning and musical celebration which also goes towards your co-curricular record!

 

Visit to Kahnawá:ke

October 25, 2019

 

Event Details

This event saw students visit Kahnawá:ke to learn more about local Indigenous perspectives on faith and spirituality. We visited the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center, the St. Francis Xavier Mission, and the St. Kateri Shrine, in order to learn more about our Kanien’kehá:ka neighbours. Participants learned about traditional spiritual beliefs, indigenous Christianity, and the ongoing legacies of colonialism.

Student Reviews

"I really appreciated the first part of the day, where the guide showed us around the museum and city. He was just great and I learned a lot of interesting things!"

"I will need to relook at my own assumptions of what indigenous people 'should be' and how a reserve should look like."

"I think I will make an effort to keep learning about Indigenous peoples and try to find a ways to stop benefiting from their oppression."

 


 

My Neighbour's Faith 2018-2019

Visit to the Shambhala Meditation Centre

Nov. 14, 2018

 

Event Details

Join MORSL for a guided visit of the Centre, a sample meditation session and an opportunity for Q&A with experienced meditation practitioners.

 

Carols by Candlelight A visit to The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul

Dec. 16, 2018

 

Event Details

Caroling is an important element of the Christmas season for many Christians. Join MORSL for an interactive visit to the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul to learn more about this rich cultural tradition as well as the meaning and celebration of Christmas and a beautiful candlelit caroling concert.

 

Visit to Chabad House

Feb. 23, 2019

 

Event Details

Join MORSL for a My Neighbour’s Faith visit to Chabad House to learn more about one of the Jewish groups active at McGill! On Saturday, February 23, participants are invited to experience Saturday prayers, participate in a Q&A, and enjoy lunch with the community. Free, but please register online for this amazing interfaith experience!

 

Visit to the Bahá'í Shrine

Mar. 20, 2019

 

Event Details

Did you know that Montreal is home to the only Baha’i shrine in the Western Hemisphere? Join MORSL for a My Neighbour’s Faith visit to this sacred site, where we’ll discover the Baha’i faith! On Wednesday March 20 – Baha’i Naw Ruz (new year’s eve) – students are invited to the shrine for a tour, a video, and a Q&A. Snacks will be provided! We will meet at 1550 Avenue des Pins West (next door to the shrine) at 5:45pm, and the visit will run until 8pm. Free, but you must register on this form to participate in this amazing interfaith experience!

Student Reviews

"I went to the My Neighbour’s Faith workshop and it was lifechanging."

 


 

My Neighbour's Faith 2017-2018:

Visit to a Unitarian Church

Mar. 11, 2018

 

Event Details

Learn more about the Unitarian Church is a welcoming, inclusive faith community offering individuals and families many ways to nurture spiritual exploration and participate in social justice.

 

Visit to a Sikh Gurdwara

Feb. 28, 2018

 

Event Details

Learn more about Sikhism on a guided visit, with a Punjabi meal and a chance for questions and discuss with community members!

 

Visit to an Anglican Church

Feb. 16, 2018

 

Event Details

We welcome McGill students of any religious or non-religious background to experience a blend of contemporary worship in a traditional setting!

 

Visit to Assuna Mosque

Nov. 16, 2017

 

Event Details

Join us at Assuna Mosque (by metro Parc) for a short intro to Islam, a prayer service, and a dinner with discussion! Thursday, November 16th at 3:30pm. Meet on-site. RSVP required at morsl [at] mcgill.ca.
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