For many people working on humanitarian causes, spirituality is the force that compels them to be engaged with the world. They may have a ministry to serve the poor or be an activist fighting for human rights. They may be Buddhist, Muslim, Christian or not adhere to any particular tradition. What they share is an engaged spirituality.
From our first project following the 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles, CRCC’s research and training programs have sought to understand and support faith leaders committed to improving their communities. CRCC continues this work today by studying the lives and work of exemplary people committed to advancing human flourishing across the globe. The following page includes stories of such people, created by CRCC’s researchers and journalist fellows. From the individual stories, CRCC aims to define and establish a field of “spiritual exemplars” and understand how engaged spirituality operates in their lives. This endeavor is supported by the John Templeton Foundation and Templeton Religion Trust.
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Above, Maggie Gorban ministers to children in a slum on the outskirts of Cairo.
AnnouncementNominate a Spiritual ExemplarDo you know someone who is changing the world? Is their work inspiring but not widely known? The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture is launching a global project on spiritual …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleMindfulness in a time of Dis-ease: Breathing through Cancer, COVID & Climate ChangeThis article was originally published in Mindfully Speaking, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. My mind was racing. I couldn’t sleep despite the fatigue of the first trimester …Topics: Buddhists and Buddhism, Community Dynamics, COVID, Engaged Spirituality, Faith-Based Organizations, Meditation and Prayer, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleSister Mary Catherine Redmond: Connection, Compassion and Care in a Bronx COVID-19 WardThis article was originally published in Global Sisters Report, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. NEW YORK — In the first three months of the pandemic, Sr. Mary Catherine Redmond …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, COVID, Engaged Spirituality, Healthcare, Nuns and Women Religious, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleScott Warren and Emily Saunders: Facing Decades in Prison for Helping MigrantsThis radio documentary was produced by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Listen to it on The Spiritual Edge’s website. Most religions teach people to …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Immigration, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleSpiritual Leadership in MyanmarI visited Yangon for the first time in January 2020, and from the airport tarmac into its downtown, the city had been signposted with billboards of Aung Sang Suu Kyi’s face. She …Topics: Asia, Buddhists and Buddhism, Engaged Spirituality, Political Attitudes and Values, Religious Leadership
ArticleBart Weetjens: Meet The Belgian Buddhist Training EntrepreneursThis article was originally published by Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. LALOBBE, France — Bart Weetjens wants to save the world by teaching meditation to one …Topics: Buddhists and Buddhism, Engaged Spirituality, Europe, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleIda Puliwa: How A Stranger’s Kindness Transformed A Village In MalawiThis article was originally published in Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. In my last international trip before the pandemic, I had the chance to interview a young …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Spiritual Exemplars, Sub-Saharan Africa
ArticleRachel Sumekh: The Young Jewish Woman Of Color Leading America’s Effort To End Hunger On College CampusesThis article was originally published in Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. I first met Rachel Sumekh in August 2019 on the ground floor of a glimmering high …Topics: COVID, Engaged Spirituality, Jews and Judaism, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleCaroline Yongue: A Buddhist Lay Minister Asks ‘What Is A Good Death?’This radio documentary was produced by The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Listen to it on The Spiritual Edge’s website. On a sunny October morning in …Topics: Buddhists and Buddhism, Engaged Spirituality, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleAzza Karam: The Role Of Women In Faith And DiplomacyThis article was originally published in Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. LINDAU— Azza Karam was just about to step up to the podium at the Inselhalle in …Topics: Creativity and Innovation, Engaged Spirituality, Faith-Based Organizations, Government and Religion, International Affairs and Policy, Political Attitudes and Values, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleSunita Viswanath: A New Kind of Allyship with Black Lives MatterThis article was originally published in The Juggernaut, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. When restaurant owner Ruhel Islam said “let my building burn” last month in Minneapolis, he instantly …Topics: Community Organizing, Engaged Spirituality, Faith-Based Organizations, Political Attitudes and Values, Protests and Uprisings, Race and Culture, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleSister Mary Scullion: Fighting to End Homelessness in PhiladelphiaThis article was originally published in Global Sisters Report, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. PHILADELPHIA — On a recent late summer afternoon, Mercy Sr. Mary Scullion found herself, as she …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, Economic Inequality, Engaged Spirituality, Nuns and Women Religious, Spiritual Exemplars
“Pessimism, cynicism, despair—these words are not in the vocabulary of spiritual exemplars such as Sister Rosemary and Jean. Instead, I kept hearing the words hope, compassion and love. What really struck me was their entrepreneurial spirit in the face of poverty and trauma. Perhaps visionary action is an antidote to paralyzing anxiety and fear.”
— Donald E. Miller, Countering Pessimism and Despair: An Encounter with two Spiritual Exemplars
CRCC Experts
To schedule an interview with one of our experts, please contact CRCC:
crcc@usc.edu or 213-743-1611
Hebah FarragAssistant Director of ResearchHebah Farrag manages the center’s research and evaluation projects while engaging in research focused on religion, social change and new spiritualties.
Donald E. MillerDirector of Strategic InitiativesDonald Miller focuses on global religious trends, genocides of the 20th century, and the role of religious NGOs in addressing issues of moral concern.
Arpi MillerContributing FellowArpi Miller is a sociologist who studies secular and faith-based immigrant advocacy and accompaniment.