Category: Religion and Belief

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