The University of Manchester’s Parents, Carers and Guardians Network celebrate Eid with engaging activities, partner with Champions Basketball Club to promote family well-being through sport, and host another Lunch & Connect session to support parents and carers, fostering inclusion and community across the university.
As the seasons transition from winter’s cold embrace to the budding warmth of spring, Christians worldwide embark on a profound journey of faith, reflection, repentance, and renewal known as Lent. This ancient tradition spans the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday, commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness.
Eid-ul-Fitr (Eid in Arabic means ‘festival’ or ‘feast’, and Fitr means ‘breaking the fast’), celebrated by over 2 billion Muslims worldwide, is the culmination of the sacred month of fasting, Ramadan. Of the two Eids in Islam (the other being Eid-ul-Adha) – Eid-ul-Fitr is my personal favourite. Perhaps because the joy of celebration comes after a month of devoted fasting and prayer.
When students move away from home for the first time, many of them are looking for a community of faith. They are searching for more than a ready-made group of friends, or a set of ideological beliefs; they are trying to find a place where they really belong. This quest for belonging extends to staff members too, as they transition into new environments and seek a similar sense of community. From my own experience of pastoral conversations as a university chaplain at Holy Name Church on Oxford Road, here are three pieces of advice I would give to anyone looking for a community of faith during their time at the university.
I’m looking forward to starting a month-long spiritual retreat – right here, between campus, home, and a few of my favourite local mosques. That’s what Ramadan is for me. Like 2 billion Muslims around the world, I’ll fast during the daytime, and wake during the nights for congregational worship and private prayer; whilst practising gratitude & generosity, as part of the yearly soul-bootcamp, in hopes of becoming a better version of myself.
For Christians, the season of Lent begins mid-February where believers will fast for 40 days, just as Jesus did when He was in the wilderness overcoming all temptation. It is a season of preparation; preparing our hearts to be transformed to be more like His, to know and follow God’s will for our lives
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