Food for the soul
By Annette Gagliano, Youth Speak News
TORONTO - Faith Connections “Soul Food” continues the adventure in food and faith for young adults.The sequel to the faith-based ecumenical group “Eat, Pray, Share,” which took place last fall, its first of eight sessions begins Feb. 23 and wraps up May 14.
“I still felt called to offer some kind of group experience where we could continue to grow in faith and also take the group in some new direction based on the feedback,” said facilitator Genevieve Anderson, a high school chaplain with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and former Faith Connections co-ordinator.
Partnering with Faith Connections, the young adult ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Anderson said Soul Food offers participants a chance to understand how food and spirituality are related.
At each session, different participants will take turns preparing a meal for the group. Cooking teams will be expected to arrive early to arrange each meal. Each session will be based on a spiritual theme, including “solidarity of incarnation” and “social justice.” The group will gather for the main course and will then discuss the session’s topic through prayer and reflection on various Scripture passages, books and articles. After dessert, the session will end with a call to action, in which a particular spiritual or food-related task to complete will be suggested to the group.
As well, the Soul Food group will be able to experience several unique opportunities, such as participating in a Mardi Gras bacon-curing workshop, a pub night Theology on Tap: The Gourmet Gospel and an all-day retreat planned for the final session.
“Oftentimes, the only time we hear about food in organized religion is when we are called to fast,” said Anderson. “In Soul Food, we will practise and develop specific virtues such as gratitude, hospitality, self-control, generosity and respect to counteract the vices of gluttony and greed. Soul Food puts into practice the Gospel message that Christ is recognized ‘in the breaking of the bread.’ When we develop personal awareness of the origins of our ‘daily bread’… we gain a fresh appreciation for life and Creation.”
Kelly Bourke, Faith Connections interim program director, is thrilled with the upcoming sessions.
“Genevieve had a great and timely project idea following the popularity of Eat, Pray, Share, and the rising interest in issues related to ‘good’ food,” Bourke said.
“We could see this was a good opportunity to offer a wonderful program and to support a young adult in her desire to create and facilitate a series based on exploring the spirituality of food for young adults.”
Eat, Pray, Share participant Marilene Caetano, 26, a registered nurse at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital, has signed up for Soul Food because she is eager to meet new people, appreciate good cooking and engage in personal reflection.
“Eat, Pray, Share was very rewarding because it called me to reflect on my blessings and my faith and how it relates to food,” she said.
“We often discussed some of the social justice issues around food in our world and talked about changes we could make in our lives. I am looking forward to learning more about this and gaining a greater awareness of myself.”
Anderson is aware that the program is also an important place where young people can gather and be included in a community.
“We are being taught faith lessons and virtue lessons through those Scripture passages, or through those articles and books. And so, to me, if someone is not a practising Catholic, for example, or is not a regular member of a church community, and if they come to Soul Food and find that connection with God, I would want people in the group... to just be aware of their spiritual connections with God.”
Deadline for registration is Feb. 15. For eight sessions, the cost is $60, not including cooking expenses. Interested participants can register online at www.faithconnections.ca.
(Gagliano, 20, is a life sciences student at the University of Toronto.)
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