Faith Unfiltered provides DePaul community members a monthly opportunity to share stories of hope, faith and resilience. (iStock/Liudmila Chernetska)
According to a 2024 survey by the American College Health Association, 76.8% of undergraduate students report moderate to high levels of stress and 49.7% scored high for loneliness. In times of distress, outlets for self-expression and community connection can be a big help. DePaul’s Faith Unfiltered event series aims to be one of those spaces.
Ilo, a Catholic priest and associate professor of Catholic studies, has focused his research since the pandemic on global health and healing and how to strengthen relational resilience for communities through faith and social justice for marginalized communities and vulnerable people.
“The idea for Faith Unfiltered began to fertilize in my brain as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ilo says. “As millions of people died, there was a collective fear that gripped the world about the virus and about their future. COVID revealed to us that we are mutually implicated in each other’s life.”
Finding oneself in the stories of others
During each meeting, selected speakers from the DePaul community share their struggles, how they found hope and resilience in their situation, and how they overcame it. Audience members are then invited to share their stories.
Ilo, McQuade and Sacconaghi aim to create a space for people to meet consistently and celebrate their collective values, not only in moments of extreme hardship. The event series is inspired in part by the culture in Ilo’s home country of Nigeria.
“In traditional African thinking, we believe that my story finds it’s expression in your story. When I tell my story, I unite myself with you. It is our story,” Ilo says. “Some of our students struggle with their identity and suffer all kinds of discrimination. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a space where they can come and say, ‘In the midst of my struggles, this is how I found hope?’”
The meetings are open to all members of the DePaul community, regardless of their religious affiliation. According to Ilo, the events are titled “Faith Unfiltered” precisely because the stories of faith are not required to be through the lens of any religion. Speakers at upcoming events will include McQuade, professor of Catholic studies,
Scott Moringiello, chair of Catholic studies, and
Mike Budde, professor of Catholic studies.
Ilo encourages community members to “come and be part of other people’s stories and you might find, in their stories, a bit of your own.”
The next Faith Unfiltered event is scheduled for
6 p.m. Sept. 30 in the Levan Center Room 100 on DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus.
Jade Walker is a student assistant of media relations and communications in University Communications.