During Religious Studies Days, which took place in mid-November at Cégep Sainte-Foy, representatives of the Baha’i community received a very warm welcome from teachers and students. This year’s edition of the week-long cultural and educational event, the twelfth in the series, was dedicated to the most recent of the world’s great religions. Given the scope and quality of the program, the high degree of professionalism demonstrated by the organizers, the centrality of the arts and the enthusiastic participation of the students, the event was unprecedented in the history of the Baha’i community of Canada.
A real spirit of kinship between the students and members of the Baha’i community was evident throughout the week. An important factor in the success of the event was the dynamic role played by the ten or so students from the London (Ontario) Nancy Campbell Collegiate Institute, an educational institution inspired by the Baha’i teachings. Also contributing significantly to the success of this latest event in the Religious Studies Days series was the space devoted to artistic expression. Two examples were the display of a large lighted model of the Baha’i Temple in Wilmette, near Chicago (US), and the beautiful mural on the theme of ‘‘Unity of peoples and religions’’ created by students of the Cégep in collaboration with the Nancy Campbell Collegiate Institute.
A series of educational presentations were organized, covering topics such as the Holy Writings of the Baha’i Faith, life after death, and efforts to end racism. In addition, a number of presentations were given by specialists in the field of religious studies, including Alain Bouchard, a professor at Cégep Sainte-Foy and Laval University, and Claude Lizotte, who teaches comparative religious history. A detailed program of the event can be accessed here.
To conclude the program, all were invited to attend a celebration that was imbued with a spirit of kinship and spirituality. The gathering started with a meal, and was followed by musical performances, including one by a Baha’i choir whose members are drawn from different regions of Quebec.