North Park Community Impacted by Pope’s Visit to U.S.

Pope Francis traveled throughout the United States from Tuesday, September 22, to Sunday, September 27. In addition to the visit to Washington, D.C., he also participated in events in New York City and Philadelphia.

CHICAGO (October 1, 2015) — Two events were held on North Park University’s campus this past week in association with Pope Francis’s historic visit to the United States. They are part of the University’s efforts to engage issues of global faith and celebrate diversity in the Christian tradition.

On Thursday, September 24, faculty and staff gathered in the Johnson Center for a live showing of Pope Francis’s address to Congress. More than 50 people from the campus community joined University Ministries and Student Engagement for this momentous occasion. Pope Francis is the first sitting pope to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress.

As part of a continuing conversation about global faith, students and faculty gathered again on Tuesday, September 29, in Brandel Library for an open discussion about the history and role of the papacy. Lecturer in History Michael Johnson, Professor of English Liza Ann Acosta, and Theological and Catologing Librarian Stephen Spencer led a question-and-answer session on a wide range of topics.

North Park University nurtures Christian faith while welcoming students from all backgrounds and beliefs. In addition to a large number of students from the Evangelical Covenant Church, the University’s sponsoring denomination, and many other protestant traditions, over 20 percent of the traditional undergraduate population identifies as Catholic.

“We are so privileged as an institution to have students, faculty, and staff from various Christian traditions,” said Tony Zamble, director of University Ministries. “With this diversity, we have the opportunity to grow deeper in our walk with Christ through fellowship with one another and mutual encouragement. A potential challenge lies in the fact that we honestly don’t know each other’s stories. It is important that we seize every opportunity to learn more about one another. The Holy Father’s visit was a gift in this respect in that it exposed so many people to the richness of the Roman Catholic tradition."

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