Mary Hess

Interfaith storytelling

Sometimes people worry that getting children involved in interfaith work could be confusing, or cause them to doubt their own community’s stories. Actual practice suggests otherwise, with children actually being drawn more deeply into their own community’s stories, even as they engage others with respect. Here’s an example, from a group based in Albany, NY:

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Resources for storying vocation

The Fund for Theological Education has an excellent short — and free! — resource for embodying something they label “vocation care.” The guide has within it some powerful story prompts that get at faith formation questions, as well as useful tools and background theories for engaging them well. Look at pp. 16-29 in particular.

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Story truth

From Tim O’Brien: “[S]tory-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth.” That quotation comes from a blog post whose author argues that fiction might well be the best way to tell God’s story. Megan McKenna once said something similar, that “all of the stories in the Bible are true, and some of them really happened.” I think

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Visio divina

The Benedictine community originated lectio divina, which is a practice of slow, meditative, reflective engagement with scripture. The Benedictine community of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville has been the source of the first hand illuminated Bible in 500 years — the St. John’s Bible. They have also explored a form of lectio that works with

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