God of…Abraham…three traditions…ONE GOD

God of…Abraham…three traditions…ONE GOD

Saturday, September 17 from 9-11 am

Featuring:

MaysaAlbarcha, Father Michael BrunnerandHarveySchneider

JOIN THE CONVERSATION!

(Breakfast at 8 AM call 636-394-2233 for reservations)

My name is Maysa Albarcha. I was born in Chesterfield and live down the street from St. Mark Church. I am married and have four children. Interior design is my passion but public speaking has become my life. I have run the Islamic speakers bureau for 12 years in St. Louis. I have provided informative lectures on Islam and tours of the mosque on Weidman for 1000's of people in the St. Louis area. I have also done sensitivity/cultural training for the FBI and law enforcement in several states. I serve as a board member at the mosque on Weidman Road. My goal is to make the city I love a place of tolerance and understanding for people of various faiths and cultures.

Fr. Michael Brunner O.S.B. is the pastor of St. Anselm Parish at Saint Louis Abbey, and teaches Moral Theology (Social Teaching of the Church), the Church and the Poor, and Comparative Religions at St. Louis Priory School, where he was formerly Headmaster. Father Michael grew up in Rochester, NY and was active in Civil Rights causes in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. He graduated from Howard University in Washington DC with a B.A. in Sociology, and converted to Islam, which he studied and practiced for 20 years, being involved with the Islamic Center in Washington. Fr. Michael’s first career was in the hospitality industry, managing hotels in New York, Baltimore, Washington and Miami. Studying the Sufi tradition led to a conversion experience which brought him back to the Church. After working as a Coordinator of Religious Education at a multicultural parish in suburban Washington, Fr. Michael discerned a vocation which brought him to become a Benedictine monk at St. Louis Abbey. He earned an MA with honors in Theology from Aquinas Institute of Theology and was ordained in 2005, the year he became Priory Headmaster. In that capacity he expanded relationships and programs with a lay Benedictine movement in Chile and established relationships and exchanges with several schools in China and Taiwan. He was appointed pastor of Saint Anselm in 2012. His spiritual story is featured in the book Touched by God: Ten Monastic Journeys.

Harvey Schneider has long been active in the St. Louis Jewish and Interfaith communities. He retired as an attorney two years ago after 55 years of active legal practice. He is a past president of Shaare Emeth Congregation (the largest Jewish congregation in St. Louis). In addition, he previously served as president of the Central Agency for Jewish Education and the Interfaith Partnership. He also served on the Planning and Zoning Commission of the City of Town & Country for 26 years (including 3 years as Chairman of the Commission). Currently he serves on the Boards of the Interfaith Partnership, the American Jewish Committee and the NCCJ, as well as being an honorary director of Shaare Emeth Congregation. Mr. Schneider resides in Town & Country with his wife, Leanne, and is the father of three adult children and grandfather of four grandchildren.

Celebrating the beliefs and traditions of Islam, Judaism, Christianity.