麻豆AV

Multifaith Volunteer Team

MORSL Staff, Students, & Volunteers

Carlene Gardner, MORSL Director

carlene.gardner [at] mcgill.ca (Email Carlene) or call 514-398-1932

Carlene is a life-long Unitarian-Universalist with more than 15 years鈥� experience in youth and young adult programming. She holds a B.A. in French Canada Studies and a Master鈥檚 in Teaching and Learning from 麻豆AV. She develops educational and experiential programs, fosters partnerships with religious and spiritual groups on and off campus and advocates for cultures of inclusion for students of all religious, spiritual and secular identities. She is currently furthering her research into young adult spirituality as a PhD student in contemporary religious studies at Universit茅 de Sherbrooke. Off campus, Carlene is a member of the , and the (CACUSS) Spirituality and Religious Pluralism community of practice.

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Candice Wendt, Administrative Coordinator

candice.wendt [at] mcgill.ca (Email Candice) or call 514-398-4104

You'll find Candice welcoming students at MORSL's front desk. She works on communications, event coordination, and organizational tasks at MORSL. Candice served as the Latter-day Saint faith volunteer at MORSL from 2020-21. She holds a master's in comparative humanities studies from Brigham Young University. She is a contributing editor at the faith and spirituality magazine , and a permablogger at the historic Mormon Feminist journal Exponent II. She loves interfaith conversations about spiritual experiences and personal spiritual development.

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Mathew K. Birgen, Outreach Assistant

morsl [at] mcgill.ca (Email Mathew) or call 514-398-4104

Mathew (Ph.D. Religious Studies) teaches Swahili at 麻豆AV and is finishing a dissertation in biblical studies and migration. He helps MORSL with tabling and My Neighbour's Faith outings.

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Mohit Kumar, Outreach Assistant

morsl [at] mcgill.ca (Email Mohit) or call 514-398-4104

Mohit is a master鈥檚 student in the Education Leadership program at 麻豆AV. He is passionate about education and sustainability. He is currently a GreenFaith Rising Leaders fellow. In collaboration with GreenFaith, he is working on a project inspired by the 鈥榣and as textbook鈥� concept. He aims to create a space that integrates environmental stewardship with cultural and interfaith values.

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Nicholas McCorrister, Outreach Assistant

morsl [at] mcgill.ca (Email Nicholas )or call 514-398-4104

Nicholas is a U3 International Development Student. He is half Canadian and half Colombian, and grew up in the tiny Southeast Asian nation of Brunei. Nicholas is interested in East Asian religions, meditation and mindfulness, and plant medicine. He coordinates and facilitates the 麻豆AV Meditation Club, and is also a Conversation Partners Program volunteer.

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Andrew Ankersen, Outreach Assistant

morsl [at] mcgill.ca (Email Andrew) or call 514-398-4104

Andrew Ankersen is an MA student focusing on textual production and Apocalypticism in Second Temple period Judaism. In his spare time, he is a passionate tabletop RPG player and game master and has recently started doing triathlons.

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Sherry Tie, Communications and Web Assistant

morsl [at] mcgill.ca (Email Sherry) or call 514-398-4104

Sherry is an U2 student at 麻豆AV鈥檚 Faculty of Education studying Secondary English and concentrating in Ethics and Religious Culture as a second teachable subject. Among the things that sustain her, she currently feels most enlivened by literature, youth empowerment, and relationships founded in care. In her free time, she enjoys taking walks and listening to podcasts.

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Milda Graham, Yoga and Meditation Facilitator

morsl [at] mcgill.ca (Email Milda) or call 514-398-4104

Milda is MORSL's Yoga and Meditation Workshop Facilitator. She was motivated by the performance and teaching of these practices to return to university. She is pursuing an MA in Religious Studies here at 麻豆AV, with a focus on yoga, Hinduism and Sanskrit.

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Multifaith Volunteer Team

In addition to our 麻豆AV staff, MORSL is blessed to have a wide variety of faith volunteers working to serve a diverse student population.

Contact them directly to inquire about their availability.

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Carlene Gardner, MORSL Director

morsl [at] mcgill.ca (Contact)

Carlene is a life-long Unitarian-Universalist with more than 15 years鈥� experience in youth and young adult programming. She holds a B.A. in French Canada Studies and a Master鈥檚 in Teaching and Learning from 麻豆AV. She develops educational and experiential programs, fosters partnerships with religious and spiritual groups on and off campus and advocates for cultures of inclusion for students of all religious, spiritual and secular identities. She is currently furthering her research into young adult spirituality as a PhD student in contemporary religious studies at Universit茅 de Sherbrooke. Off campus, Carlene is a member of the , and co-chair of the (CACUSS) Spirituality and Religious Pluralism community of practice.

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Adriana Cabrera Cleves, Bah谩鈥櫭� Faith Volunteer

clevesadriana [at] gmail.com (Email Adriana)

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Adriana is our Bah谩鈥櫭� Faith volunteer. She is native of Colombia and has served as Director of the Inter-religious Affairs Bureau-External Affairs of the Bah谩鈥櫭� Community in Montreal since 2011. Adriana is a museologist, researcher, and consultant in human rights, social justice, and museology with extensive international experience. She is interested in investigating the challenges and prospects for strengthening human rights and for meeting future challenges to advance equality and social justice through the study of museums devoted to human rights issues. Adriana鈥檚 research is aligned with the rise of an unprecedented consciousness that we all belong to a single emerging world civilization and that our survival depends on acceptance of a transcendent ethos of human dignity for all. Moreover, museums are becoming agents of social change and Adriana is exploring how these institutions can contribute to bringing about lasting social, moral and spiritual transformation in connection with social movements and grassroots activism .Her perspective also responds to the need of developing an effective system of global justice with international institutions as part of an evolutionary process and the necessity of building a spiritualized world culture that will enable human dignity to be realized. Her other interests include the internal martial arts of Tai Chi and Qi gong, nature, literature and art.

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Rev. Dr. Anthony Atansi, Christian Roman Catholic Faith Volunteer

chaplain [at] newmancentre.org (Email Father Anthony) for an appointment.

Father Anthony is Chaplain at the Newman Centre of 麻豆AV and a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Awka, Nigeria. He obtained a Doctor of Sacred Theology (Ph.D. and S.T.D) in 2020, with the greatest distinction, from KU Leuven, Belgium. He brings to Newman years of pastoral and academic experience in Nigeria, Belgium and United States of America. At the Newman Centre, he offers services in liturgical and sacramental ministries such as Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and Sacrament of Reconciliation. He is passionate about having heart-to-heart conversations and positive life-changing encounters, engaging with the "great questions" of meaning and human flourishing in life, and celebrating our unique and common humanity. In his free time, he loves reading a good book.

Father Anthony is happy to respond to any communications via virtual platforms during office hours (Tues. and Thurs. 10am-5pm).

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Father Ihor Kutash, Christian Orthodox Faith Volunteer

ikutash [at] gmail.com (Email Father Ihor)

Father Ihor is a pioneer of the 麻豆AV multi-faith Chaplaincy. He has been on the team since 1975! He has been a member of the 麻豆AV community even longer than that, having received his M.A. & Ph.D. from the Faculty of Religious Studies during the years 1970-1987. He is a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada and a professor of Eastern Christian theology and culture. He is also the king of unexpected pop culture and science fiction references.

Father Ihor is happy to respond to any communications via email, phone or in person during this time.

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Deacon Jonathan Stewart, Gnosticism/Mysticism/Mindfulness Faith Volunteer

jonathanchristopherstewart [at] gmail.com (Email Jonathan) | |

Jonathan is our Gnostic Faith liaison. He's volunteer clergy for the Gnostic and mystical Apostolic Johannite Church's Montreal community. Originally from Canada鈥檚 East Coast he lives in Montreal working as a freelance writer and as professional Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction facilitator and mindfulness coach. Meditation is a particular interest of Jonathan's and he鈥檚 been meditating in both Buddhist and Christian traditions since he was a teen; this has come in handy as he married a Buddhist and is happy to have common ground in his interfaith marriage. Outside of his specific Christian Gnostic denomination, he's interested in the mystic traditions of all faiths and is happy to be a resource for any student in regards to both mysticism and meditation regardless of one's beliefs or lack thereof.

Jonathan has been meditating in different traditions for 20 years. He's meditated and studied everywhere from Christian monasteries to a variety of Buddhist retreats, and he's taken the MBSR course to see it all from a secular perspective. He led meditation classes and taught courses at the Presence Meditation Studio and has a weekly free secular meditation circle for everyone. His primary passion is the Western Wisdom Traditions and he is the meditation facilitator and Deacon for the Montreal parish of the Esoteric and Gnostic Apostolic Johannite Church. He lives in Mile End with his wonderful wife and his 14-pound cat.

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Rabbi Shmuly Weiss, Jewish (Chabad) Faith Volunteer

shmuly [at] chabadmcgill.com (Email Rabbi Weiss) | Call Chabad House 514-661-6971 |

Shmuly, our Chabad Rabbi, writes, 鈥淭he Chabad Student Center of 麻豆AV is a home away from home. We, at Chabad, are dedicated to the holistic well-being of each and every student and strive to be the nexus of their social, cultural, and religious needs. We offer students emotional security, spiritual growth, and personal guidance in a warm and nurturing environment. Furthermore, we empower students with the tools to engage in the higher education of Judaism. Students are able to explore and discover their heritage in an atmosphere of intellectual stimulation infused with Jewish values and traditions.鈥�

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Rabbi Greenspan, Jewish (Reform) Faith Volunteer

Email: rabbiegreenspan [at] outlook.com

Rabbi Ellen Greenspan served from August 2014 to June 2022 as the Rabbi-Educator at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom. She moved to Montreal from New Jersey, and is excited to remain in Montreal to pursue various interests, including serving as a Faith Volunteer at MORSL. Rabbi Greenspan is a Reform Rabbi, Judaism鈥檚 most liberal movement. She is passionate about helping people explore their spiritual and religious identities. Rabbi Greenspan is available to teach, lead workshops, and for private conversation. She was ordained at the Hebrew Union College, (HUC), in New York. She received two Masters Degrees from HUC in Los Angeles: a Masters of Hebrew Letters and a Masters in Jewish Education. She served as a rabbi and in other educational and community building capacities for many years in New Jersey.

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Faisal Malik, Muslim Faith Volunteer

chaplain [at] montlumiere.ca (Email Faisal) | Make an in-person or virtual appointment via the website

Faisal has a BA in Religion from Concordia University, MA in Near/Middle Eastern Civilizations from University of Toronto and a Diploma in Arabic from International Open University. Along with his academic studies he continues to pursue Islamic studies from various institutes and scholars. Along with his studies he has years of experience in community grass roots work and currently works as Marketing/Project Coordinator for ICNA Relief Canada. His interests include topics such as tafsir, tazkiyah, Islamic psychology, colonialism and Islamic education.

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Mr. David Summerhays, Quaker Faith Volunteer

david [at] montreal.quaker.ca (Email David) | | Article: My Clearness Committee

David Summerhays is one of our Quaker Faith volunteers. He graduated from 麻豆AV carrying a B.A. in history, with a concentration in colonialism. He helps to organize meditations in the Quaker tradition at 麻豆AV. He鈥檚 recently been teaching piano to pay his exorbitant muffin bills. He鈥檇 love to help connect some Quaker dots on and off campus. Not many people know about Quaker practices so he welcomes e-mails with any questions. If anything鈥檚 on your mind, David is available to talk anywhere muffins are for sale, as well as select other locations. While midweek Quaker meeting typically takes place at the Newman Centre during fall and winter semesters, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings will occur weekly online, Wednesdays at 7:00pm EDT, for at least the fall 2020 term. Please contact by email for further details.

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Dr. Juss Kaur, Sikh Faith Volunteer

jussrani [at] gmail.com (Email Juss) |

Dr. Juss Kaur is the Sikh faith liaison/volunteer for the Multi Faith Spiritual Centres at 麻豆AV and Concordia. She is a former Adjunct Professor in the 麻豆AV Department of Education where she has been involved in research about Inquiry based Education for several years. Juss is an International Education Consultant and has mentored over 800 teachers. She finds the experience of meeting people from diverse backgrounds a joy and enjoys their personal connection to the Divine. Juss is also a renowned visual artist and has exhibited her artwork all over Canada and UK. She produces meditative paintings that create beautiful visual images using extremely tiny phrases of devotion. The sale of her paintings directly supports humanitarian organizations, like Doctors Without Borders and Khalsa Aid. She most recently published a book called Mantra Art: The Journey Within. Come see her leaf painting in our student lounge and be sure to use the magnifying glass to take a closer look! Juss also holds regular motivational workshops that engage students with questions of faith, spirituality, mindfulness, and positive thinking. She says it is a pleasure for her to be involved with the MORSL team where learning to love each other is an ongoing process. Please feel free to reach out to Juss by email if you have any questions, worries or anxieties or simply because you want to discuss something and she will be happy to connect with you.

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