I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. — Ann of Green Gables
I bet many of you know that famous quote I’m referring to, from one of literature’s most iconic heroines. And honestly? It resonates deeply with me. As we bid adieu to the revitalizing charm of September, October comes sliding in with a soothing sense of calm and tranquillity, gently nudging us to ease up a bit and catch our breath. I find myself in the enchanting lands of Wales (why didn’t someone let me in on its beauty sooner?) and I can truly feel ‘October’ in the air. My hope is that you’re all stepping into this fresh new season feeling like you’re exactly where you ought to be, whatever that notion might encapsulate for each one of you.
You probably have realized by now that you’re browsing this on an all-new platform… so welcome to our revamped site! I feel compelled to emphasize that what you’re experiencing right now is quite literally just the tip of the iceberg. Embarking on this ambitious platform and project is a big milestone for us, and believe me, it’s only the beginning. Expect a flurry of updates, tweaks, revisions, transformations, and more, unfolding over the coming few months. I do hope that you can feel the dedication we funnelled into our new web home.
We decided to merge our OneSpirit Interfaith website with our OneSpirit Interfaith Ministers web presence. Why, you might ask? Simply put, one does not truly exist without the other. We’ve added new pages to allow for wider visibility of our minister community and student members. We also have new sections for our beloved community members who may not feel a call towards ministry.
The unveiling of this revivified website happens at a time of much-needed renewal for our organization, echoing the core principle of our mission — our community. I hope you’ll enjoy going through our updates this month, and as always, if you have questions or would like to share your thoughts, please feel free to drop them below!
Do you have an offering for our community? Have you recently published a book you’d like to share? Discover a podcast that inspired you? Want to just say hello? Drop an email below!
Before diving into the news, we’d like to take a moment to honour some members of the OneSpirit family who have recently passed away. If you’re aware of a departed family member and their loved ones are comfortable with sharing the information, please inform us. Moreover, if you’d like to share a few words in remembrance of a late minister, feel free to send me a message. We’ll be more than honoured to include your tribute in our next edition or feature it on our social media platforms for the minister community.
We’d like to share some heartfelt news about members of our OneSpirit family. Rob has given us the news of the peaceful passing of his dear friend and fellow minister, Andrew Hunter, from the Class of 2000, at his home in June. Despite having been unwell for some time, his departure was sudden yet peaceful. Similarly, Rev Gillian informs us of the passing of the cherished Rev Esther Aronsfeld, Class of 2006, who left us in August. We also have news from John about the passing of Rev Marcia Goffin, from the class of 2010. Each of these ministers entered our OneSpirit community at different moments and influenced the lives of many in disparate years, nonetheless, each of them profoundly impacted our community.
We would also like to honour the memory of Joanna Wray, a treasured student of the OneSpirit Oak Path. Joanna exuded warmth and kindness, resonating with the powers of nature and the Divine. Joanna’s life was a testament to the power of a spiritual journey undertaken with sincerity and courage.
We are ever grateful to have known them and for the enriching share of the OneSpirit spirit, they brought into our lives. Their memories will live on in our hearts. Again, if you’d like to say words in their honour, just send us a message and we will add them to our next newsletter. Thank you for being with us.
OneSpirit’s Professional & Personal Development Offerings
Spiritual Practice Circle
Join us in a holistic approach to spirituality in a shared, supportive community space. This Spiritual Practice Circle is devised specifically to help OneSpirit Ministers maintain their vow for continual spiritual practice and to assist other members of the OneSpirit Community desiring to deepen their spiritual journey.
This Circle serves as a structured space to connect with like-minded individuals, aiding in the development and maintenance of your own regular spiritual practice. It provides a flexible plan allowing for drop-in participation whenever you find it most beneficial to your journey. Join us in this enriching spiritual endeavour. To learn more or register, click here!
Sessions will be held on the last Tuesday of each month for six consecutive months, via Zoom, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm:
30th January 2024, 27th February 2024, 26th March 2024, 30th April 2024, 28th May 2024, 25th June 2024
Participation Rates
The cost per session:
- ROSIM members or OneSpirit students: £20 per session
- Non-ROSIM members: £25 per session
The cost for all 6 sessions: By booking all 6 sessions in advance, you can save £20!
- ROSIM members or OneSpirit students: £100
- Non-ROSIM members: £130
Faith in Black Lives Matter
Immerse yourself in enlightening workshops that delve into the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement, led by the committed OneSpirit ministers, Revs Malaika and Sue Cockerill. The workshops promise to address the Black Lives Matter ethos from both an individual and collective standpoint, empowering you and your community with an enriched understanding.
In alliance with Faith Network 4 Manchester, our goal is to foster unity, address key concerns, and inspire interfaith dialogue. Come, and be a part of this transformative journey to cultivate a harmonious community.
Workshops take place on the below dates from 7:30pm:
-
- Tuesday, 7th November 2023
- Tuesday, 14th November 2023
- Tuesday, 21st November 2023
- Tuesday, 28th November 2023, extended till 9:30pm.
Participation Rates
- For a minimal fee of £25, you not only participate in the workshop but also contribute to a good cause. All proceeds are donated to Windrush Defenders.
This unifying initiative is open to everyone, regardless of faith or understanding. Get involved and grow… More info here!
OneSpirit’s Community Offerings
*everything below is a ‘clickable’ link, meaning, if you click anywhere within the text or image, it will take you to a page where you can learn more!Â
The Priest’s Wife, Published by Rev. Gillian Paschkes-Bell 
You may have met Gillian through one of the online sessions on Christianity she’s offered to OneSpirit students in recent years. Gillian has a particular interest in world views and their effect on those who hold them. In launching a new small publishing company, Bryn Glas Books, she carries this interest forward through her launch title, The Priests Wife by A.G Rivett. The book is going on sale from 20 October, and a promotion event is happening on 26 October to discuss the book and publishing.Â
Learn more about Gillian, the publishing company, The Priests Wife, and more here.Â
University of Leiden Research
Judith, a 27-year-old PhD student at the Netherlands’ Leiden University, is seeking interviewees for her study examining Islamophobia in London and Paris. Her research focuses on the use of anti-Muslim and racist stereotypes in government anti-terrorism policies.
Interested individuals, potentially experiencing discrimination such as stop-and-search incidents or airport profiling, are invited to participate in an approximately 45-minute online interview. Judith also offers preliminary informal discussions regarding the research, confidentiality, and data usage.
Help us Capture our Community
As integral members of the OneSpirit community, your help is needed to enhance our online presence. We lack sufficient images that capture the essence of our community – the special moments from our trainings, events, meetups, workshops, and courses. We need your photos to not only document our journey but to provide a lively illustration of our community to others. By uploading photos from these occasions, your unique moments could be featured on our online platforms, helping to showcase the real people behind OneSpirit. Please ensure you’re comfortable with your photos being public before submission.
When the Soul Kisses the Body
We’re sharing information about a screening event in North Scotland which has a focus on grief, led by Peter Findlay. He shares his personal bereavement narrative through a film, enriched by Greek mythology and Yorkshire tenacity. The movie features music by Alexander Chapman Campbell and Andy Murray, and it has been praised as a healing and emotional journey.
Viewers are invited to bring mementos of deceased loved ones for a communal sharing of experiences around loss and grief. The event takes place on the 21 October, 4-6 pm. Peter also offers screenings of the film in living rooms or alternative venues for a donation.
OneSpirit Ministers in Connection October Offerings 
OneSpirit Ministers in Connection will be hosting three free virtual events in October. The ‘October Sharing Circle’, where all ministers are welcomed, is a monthly communal event hosted by Rev. Karan Anke Braun. It includes a healing ceremony and names can be submitted for inclusion even if you cannot attend.
‘One River, Many Wells’ is a stimulating interfaith discussion with Rev. Jenny Miller set to take place on Thursday, 12 October at 7-8 pm GMT. It centres on her award-winning essay about interfaith worship.
Lastly, commemorate ‘Samhain ~ All Hallows Eve’ on Tuesday, 31 October from 7-8 pm GMT.
This event, gently led by Rev. Sharon Rossi, pays homage to the traditions of Samhain and honours our
ancestry as we welcome a new year.
Did you catch these posts on our social media this month?
Rev. TonyA Mc Callion
Year of ordination/graduation:Â 2020
Tell us a little bit about yourself:Â I was born and raised in Dublin. I left when I was 20 years old. I lived in New York for 7 years returned briefly to Ireland for 3 years and now I am in living in London for the past 18 years.
What inspired you to pursue training with OneSpirit? What inspires anyone to pursue training at OneSpirit is, I have no doubt, a combination of factors. I was encouraged and inspired (and still am) by my niece Rev Karen Dempsey who completed the training a few years prior. Also, during my time spent living in the US, I have been fortunate to travel the world and spent time for example living in Saudi Arabia transporting Muslims to and from Mecca during Hadj as well as transporting UN peacekeepers and military personnel to different parts of the world awell as refugees. This very
much opened my eyes to religious and political conflicts throughout the world and the humanitarian aspect.
What services do you provide? I am a work in progress!
A reminder about our community feature— Minister Spotlights!
It’s hard for me to find specific ministers to spotlight each month, due to the size of our minister community. To make things smoother, I’ve created a form you can fill out for your profile. This form includes five essentials and eight optional questions to inspire you while creating your spotlight. Depending on participation, I’ll publish one or two spotlights each month.
This is a fantastic chance to broadcast your talent, services, and distinctiveness to our wider community. The spotlight form will be available in every iConnect. There is also now a special page for Minister Spotlights… meaning, if you partake now, you’ll be one of the first to be showcased!
Ready to participate? Just fill out the form below and I’ll handle the rest.
Our newly designed website features spaces for fostering connections and uniting our community members. The Community Collection page is specially reserved for users to submit their blog posts. Every submission, be it a book, resource guide, diary entry, song, podcast, or nuggets of wisdom through Instagram, contributes to the collective wisdom available to all. This collective endeavour is especially significant for the ministers and students in our community. Their shared resources or inspiring elements can serve as guiding stars for those in the early days of their spiritual journey, or those who are just needing some inspiration wherever they are. Each piece of wisdom shared stands as a testament that no one is alone in their spiritual voyage. We invite you to submit contributions through the form below! We’ll collate these into a comprehensive post enriched with easily shareable links, data, and images. Additionally, a dedicated space will be created in the member forums for further discussion and resource sharing. Thank you for helping us spread inspiration!
Awareness, Religious, and Spiritual Days
*These days come from the Interfaith Network, if a day is missing it is not deliberate! More can be found here.
In the UK, October is also recognised as Black History Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Just click on their names to find resources and information about honouring these. Â
Oct 1 – International Day of Older Persons
Oct 2 – World Habitat Day / International Day of Non-Violence
Oct 4 – World Space Week, 4-10 October
Oct 5 – World Teachers’ Day
October 6-8 – Shemini Atzeret: Shemini Atzeret is a Jewish holiday that follows Sukkot, a seven-day festival where Israelites were commanded to go to the temple in Jerusalem. This day celebrates the end of Sukkot and the restart of the annual schedule of Torah readings.
October 9 – Indigenous People’s Day: This day honours the Indigenous People of the United States.
October 10 – World Mental Health Day: A day that advocates for mental health awareness and education; on this day, you can support the efforts by reflecting on your own biases regarding mental health and advocating against social stigma related to it
Oct 11 – International Day of the Girl Child
October 14 – ÂDefender of Ukraine Day: This day celebrates those who have fought for the freedom of Ukraine
Oct 15 – International Day of Rural Women
October 15 – 24 – Navaratri: This annual Hindu festival honours Durga, a goddess known as Adi Parashakti, who defeated a demon after a battle that lasted nine days and nights. It’s celebrated with worship, scripture readings, and dancing. It ends on the tenth day with Dussehra, which commemorates her victory.
October 16 – The Birthday Celebration of The Bab and Bahaullah, the Herald and the Founder of the Baha’i Faith.
Oct 16 – World Food Day
October 17 – Spirit Day: This day is aimed specifically at LGBTQ youth and what their community can do to support them. Participate in this day by wearing purple and speaking out against bullying
Oct 17 –Â International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
October 24 – Dussehra: One of the major Hindu festivals, it holds different significance in various regions of India. For some, it represents the end of Durga Puja, commemorating Durga’s victory in restoring dharma. For others, it marks Rama’s victory over Ravana during Ramlila. The festival is celebrated with fireworks and waterfront processions with Durga clay statues.
Oct 24 –Â United Nations Day
Oct 24 – Disarmament Week, 24-30 October
Oct 24 – Global Media and Information Literacy Week, 24-31 October
Oct 29 – International Day of Care and Support
October 31 – Samhain: This Gaelic festival marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter or the darker half of the year. In ancient times, it involved large feasts and bonfires, and considered a time when the veil between the physical world and the Otherworld was thin.
Oct 31 – World Cities Day
