Title:Georgetown faith leaders welcome new medical students

Faith leaders from Georgetown’s Office of Campus Ministry greeted medical students as they gathered on campus for a special luncheon during new student orientation.

Georgetown University Medical Center Chaplain Jim Shea, S.J., said the goal of the Aug. 1 luncheon was to express Georgetown’s commitment to the students’ spiritual care.

“It was a great opportunity to begin the journey to create community and to learn about the services and events offered by campus ministry,” Shea said. “We wanted to meet the students personally and let them know various ways to deepen their faith and find community at Georgetown.”

Leaders from Jewish, Muslim, Dharmic, Catholic, and Protestant faith communities were invited to demonstrate the spirit of Georgetown, founded on the principle that “serious and sustained discourse among people of different faiths, cultures, and beliefs promotes intellectual, ethical, and spiritual understanding.”

Abigail Escobar (M’27) and John DiBello (M’26) organized members of student faith-based clubs to participate in the luncheon welcoming their new classmates. They included members of the Maimonides Society, Muslim Student Association, MAGIS (a club for Catholic medical students), and students affiliated with the Hindu Student Association, in addition to representatives from Georgetown’s Initiative of Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.

“The first year of medical school can be overwhelming with various academic and social demands,” said Escobar, a member of MAGIS. “It is so important that students are connected early on to our wonderful faith leaders and student groups that understand their experience and are eager to support their spiritual and professional formation at Georgetown.”

DiBello said the luncheon demonstrates that Georgetown cares about the spiritual dimension of cura personalis, which he says isn’t emphasized at most other medical schools.

“My hope is that this lunch will springboard participation into more activities focused on spirituality—both developing one’s own and understanding others,” said DiBello. “This could be through coursework and retreats led by chaplains, and faith groups run by students.”

The tradition of interfaith meals began last fall when several faith communities gathered for the first-of-its-kind interreligious Thanksgiving dinner at the medical center. The feast was attended by about 90 School of Medicine faculty, staff, and friends. Members of the Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim student groups convened to share the intersections between their faith traditions and the call to becoming physicians, while building community.

These events celebrated student commonalities and strengthened peer cultural competency as future physicians.