“Today we celebrate the glorious variety of religious traditions in this world and the variety within each of those traditions—Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity, which only begin to scratch the surface of the faith traditions across the globe,” said Tania Tetlow, president of Fordham, at the ceremony. “And we pay attention both to the ways that they celebrate such diversity … where they overlap, and the insights that humanity has gotten from the sacred about who we are supposed to be to each other.” 

The event featured prayers, readings, student performances, and reflections from members of the University community, similar to last year’s inaugural ceremony hosted by Campus Ministry. 

In her remarks, President Tetlow asked the audience “to remember that our lives have a purpose, that the gifts God has blessed each of us with are not for us, but to make the world a better place.” In addition, she urged all those in attendance to hold onto a key takeaway from the religions of the world. 

“The lessons that I hope that you most take from all of our religious traditions, from faith itself, is this: that you are utterly and totally loved by God, just as you are, without ever having to earn it,” she said. “And that from that strength, you will take the courage to be able to love each other well—and most of all, to find the strength to love yourself.”