News Release
UDM Community Joins Together to "Celebrate Spirit!"
Each year, University of Detroit Mercy faculty, staff and students gather in Calihan Hall for the annual "Celebrate Spirit!" event. This longstanding tradition is a symbol of the beginning of the new academic year for students, faculty and staff and will include a worship service for all faiths, a picnic lunch and a student organization fair.
This festive event will take place on Thursday, Sept.18, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on UDM's McNichols Campus. "Celebrate Spirit!" gathers the entire University community together to rededicate everyone to UDM's mission, to renew friendships, and to welcome new friends. The yearly event is part of a religious tradition that dates back to the great European universities in the Middle Ages who celebrated the new school year.
The service will be celebrated by UDM President Gerard L. Stockhausen, S.J. and guest speaker Rev. Jim Wallis, President and Executive Director of Sojourners Magazine. Wallis is also a bestselling author, public theologian and commentator on the interface of faith and religion with politics and policy.
Wallis’ latest book is The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post–Religious Right America. His previous book, God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It was on the New York Times bestseller list for 4 months. Wallis’ columns have appeared in major newspapers, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and both Time and Newsweek online.
He also regularly appears on radio and television, including shows like Meet the Press, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The O'Reilly Factor, and is a frequent guest on the news programs of CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and National Public Radio. He has taught at Harvard's Divinity School and Kennedy School of Government on "Faith, Politics, and Society."
Wallis will also be speaking on the topic “Faith in the Public Square” in Calihan Hall at 7:30 p.m. The talk is also free and open to the public. For more information on Rev. Wallis’ appearance, visit www.udmercy.edu/wallis/
Release date: September 03, 2008
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