Gannon University strives to be a community where students can develop their faith and serve others. The university’s mission calls for a commitment to both the specific Roman Catholic tradition as well as the diversity of faith traditions present in students and faculty.

Want to celebrate your faith at Gannon? Here’s 10 ways we celebrate ecumenism here on campus 🙂

10. Check out Friendship Green, our on-campus green space on West Seventh Street we share with our friendly neighbors at the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint Paul.

9. At 11 a.m. one Thursday per month, the Chaplain’s Office hosts an ecumenical worship service titled Gathering in Praise – sometimes with a free lunch afterward 🙂 This month, Gathering in Praise is themed “Herstory,” in conjunction with Women’s History Month.

8. Gannon has the Kirk House as a living option for students looking to live in Christian community. Associated with First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, the Kirk House residents participate in various community activities such as house retreats, community meals, prayer, meetings, leadership, service and fun. It provides an environment of spiritual challenge, growth and support and helps students connect to one another in faith.

7. Speaking of the First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, Gannon cooperates with the Pittsburgh-based Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO) – an interdenominational campus ministry organization that connects colleges and local churches (in this case, GU and First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant 🙂 ) Gannon staff members R.C. Griffin, associate director of Campus Ministry, and Cheylan Fosmer, Kirk House co-director, are affiliated with the CCO.

6. Interfaith sharing groups like Adelphai (for women), Emmaus (for men), LETtERS (for Greeks), The Zone (for athletes), and ARK (for Protestants) allow students who are not Roman Catholic a way to connect with their peers on the paths of their faith journeys. Ichthi is the campus’s Catholic faith sharing group, but they welcome visitors of other faiths, as well.

5. Students are required to take LTHE 121: Introduction to Sacred Scriptures for their first-level Theology requirement in the Liberal Studies Core, to serve as a foundation for their second-level theology class. From that group, students can choose to specialize their studies in Catholic Tradition or their choice of Protestant Tradition, Western religions, Eastern religions, or even Israel: Election, Covenant, and Promise, among others.

4. Theology on Tap, sponsored by the Chaplain’s Office and Campus Ministry, gives students the opportunity to attend a local dining establishment and discuss issues of faith outside the classroom.

3. The Muslim Students Association connects students with the local mosque and its weekly prayer times. The club also provides students with the opportunity to connect with those of the Islamic faith through events like the recent “Muslims, Christians, Questions and Answers” session open to the campus in February 2010.

2. Gannon’s Campus Ministry takes a group of students to Pittsburgh’s annual interfaith Jubilee conference in February. The conference focuses on faithful living in every area of life and features dynamic speakers, community prayer and great live music.

1. Looking to find a church of your denomination to go worship? The Chaplain’s Office has a list of local churches and their worship times (Baptist, Pentecostal, Church of God, you name it!) on file in their office – or you can click here to see that list online.

Want to read up on other ways Gannon students live out their faith? Click here to see our “Faith in Action” section, where you can read up on the chapel choir, see photos of the Ash Wednesday service and more.