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Upcoming Events, Courses and Workshops

Emmanuel College supports its alumni/ae and local religious communities by offering a variety of continuing education programs and initiatives to further interfaith dialogue and for ministry professionals to replenish their spiritual wells.

Complete the subscription form to receive our monthly newsletter, EC Connects.

If you are interested in partnering with us on an event, please complete our Partnership Proposal Form. All partnerships must support the Vision, Mission and Values of Emmanuel College and the core academic mission of Victoria University.

Proposals are reviewed by the Centre's steering committee and are due two weeks prior to committee meetings (Sept. 30, Jan. 31 and March 31).

If you have any questions about this form, please email the Centre.

Renewing Hearts, Minds, Spirits

2024 April 3 | Book Launch – The Poetry of Belonging: Healing With the Language of the Wound

Wednesday, April 3, 4:30–6 p.m., in-person (Emmanuel College Chapel, EM319, Third Floor)* and online, free

Click here to register.

Join us for the launch of Iris J. Gildea's book, The Poetry of Belonging: Healing With the Language of the Wound. Gildea offers a radical reframing of trauma theory through embodiment, earth-based spirituality & poetic inquiry. Gildea works with her own poetically mediated memories as creative fragments to enter and explore an embodiment of liminal realms and what she calls 'the language of the wound.' The Poetry of Belonging is a part of the Doing Radical Trauma Work series from The Mad and Crip Theology Press. This launch is co-sponsored by the University of St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto. Click here to purchase The Poetry of Belonging: Healing With the Language of the Wound.

About the Author

Photo of author Iris J. GildeaIris J. Gildea is an associate professor of Book & Media Studies at St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto. She's also a community arts facilitator, artist, poet and survivor. When Gildea is not teaching or writing, she can be found with her dogs in the woods or walking along the Salish Sea

 

 

 

 

*Building Accessibility

Emmanuel College (75 Queen's Park Crescent) has an accessible entrance facing Queen’s Park Crescent (the west side of the College). The Museum Subway Station (TTC) is steps away from our front entrance, although the station does not have an elevator, and the escalators are currently not working. The nearest accessible station is St. George (at St. George and Bloor). The chapel on the third floor is accessible by elevator. The accessible/all-inclusive washroom is located on the main floor by the foyer, but there are also washrooms on the third floor. For Wheel-trans directions to the College, please email Shawn at ec.events@utoronto.ca.

Register Here
2024 April 15–16 | Rethinking Preaching Conference 2024: Crossing Boundaries Toward Healing

Monday and Tuesday, April 15–16, Online, Register Here

Visit the conference page for full details, including bios, schedule and fees.

In a world that is polarized and deeply divided, the work of crossing boundaries for the sake of healing is crucial. Emmanuel College’s 2024 Rethinking Preaching Conference (RPC) invites participants to consider the challenges and opportunities posed by such issues as religious difference, mental health, queer identity, race, ethnicity, culture, ability, accessibility, online technology, and multi-language contexts and their intersectional natures. The sessions will help us explore what it means to be a preacher for today.

Keynote speaker:
Rev. Dr. Debra Mumford

Invited preacher: Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo

Workshop Leaders: Rev. Kimiko Karpoff, Rev. Dr. Namjoong Kim, Rev. Dr. Jake Myers, Rev. Evan Swance-Smith.

Register Here
2024 April 20 | Islamic Psychotherapy and Spiritual Care: Past, Present and Future Conference

Saturday, April 20, in-person* and online

Click here to register.

This one-day conference brings together Muslim psychotherapists and spiritual care providers to discuss the past, present and future of the field. It aims to boldly focus on themes such as gender issues, Islamophobia, ageing, immigration, digital technologies, etc., which will be seen through the lens of both the tradition and Islamic psychotherapy. The conference will feature Dr. Yusra Ahmad as the keynote speaker and panel discussions with Amira Ayad (Scarborough Health Network), Mohammed Bemat (ISNA Counselling Centre), Abier El-Barbary (Michael Garron Hospital), Sadaf Jamal (MoveN Improve), Munsif Mubarak (Khalil Center) and Dr. Imam Hamid Slimi (Canadian Centre for Deen Studies). Thanks to our co-sponsors: Islamic Institute of Toronto (IIT), Canadian Centre for Deen Studies (CCDS) and Azerbaijani Women’s Support Centre (AWSC).

Registration Fee

  • $25 + HST (in-person, includes conference registration, snacks and lunch)
  • Free (for online attendees)

Tentative Schedule

9:00: Registration, Coffee/Tea, Introductions
10:00: Dr. Yusra Ahmad Keynote
11:00: Panel Discussion 1
12:30: Lunch and Salat Prayer
14:00: Panel Discussion 2
15:30: Tea Break
15:45: Plenary Session with Q&A

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Yusra Ahmad, MD, FRCPC, is a community & academic psychiatrist in Toronto with specific expertise in trauma, mood and anxiety disorders as well as SPMI (severe and persistent mental illness) populations. She believes in the power of psychotherapy to address the struggles that spring from the human condition and is dedicated to community work and advocacy around diverse issues such as marginalization, homelessness, poverty, refugee mental health, gender-based violence and the struggles of Muslim youth and families.

Dr. Ahmad created a trauma-informed group therapy program entitled Mindfully Muslim which blends mindfulness-based interventions with the sacred wisdom and teachings of Islam, which she presented at the 2019 World Psychiatric Association Congress on Religion & Psychiatry in Jerusalem. Because of this work, she was awarded the 2019 Breakout Community Psychiatry Advocacy Award by the Ontario Psychiatric Association and her program was profiled as the feature article, “Race, Religion & Mental Health”in the Black Lives Matter special edition of Chatelaine magazine. 

Dr. Ahmad embraces multifaith initiatives and has led prayers at the World Parliament of Religions in 2018 and in 2021. She served as a film consultant for the award-winning hit dramatic series, “Transplant,” which aired on CTV and NBC/Universal and “The Path Travels Me,” an independent Netflix film by Jasmin Mozaffari. She also served as a consultant for “I Don’t Know,” a theatre production by Syrian playwright Ahmad Meree.

A poet at heart, Dr. Ahmad loves to live in between the lines because she believes a lot of power and beauty springs from these liminal spaces. She cares deeply about people and their stories.

Panelists

Amira AyadAmira Ayad is the founder of Women Whispers Academy where women learn to listen to their Body Whispers® before they turn into screams. Ayad holds a Master's degree in Pharmaceutics, a PhD in Natural Health, and a Masters in Pastoral Studies from the University of Toronto. She served as a faculty member at the faculty of pharmacy, Egypt, and at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Toronto. Ayad is a natural health consultant, registered psychotherapist, and currently, works as a spiritual care practitioner at Scarborough Health Network. Her practice combines the best of both worlds: science & spirituality. Ayad has published six books and is known for her newest addition Body Whispers: Unraveling the Emotional & Spiritual Roots of Illness. Her books have been translated into more than 10 languages and read and taught by thousands around the globe.

Mohammed BematMohammed Bemat memorized the Quran at a very young age. He then followed his dreams to pursue formal Islamic education from which he attained multiple ijazaa and a Bachelor of Arabic and Islamic Studies in 2014 from Darul ‘Uloom Zakariyyah. Upon returning to Canada, he began serving the Hamilton Muslim community as an Imam and youth counsellor. He felt the need to contextualize his knowledge of Islamic Sciences and Spirituality with modern day spiritual care and psychotherapy. This led him to do his Masters in Pastoral Studies with a specialization in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy at the University of Toronto. Imam Bemat currently serves as the full-time Psychotherapist and Imam at ISNA Canada. Imam Bemat’s clinical experience includes working at Trillium Health Partners, North York General Hospital, the University of Toronto and the Ontario College of Arts and Design.

Abier ElbarbaryAbier Elbarbary is a registered psychotherapist and pastoral counselor. She is the first Muslim student to graduate from the Master of Pastoral Studies at Emmanuel College at Victoria University in the University of Toronto (2014). This degree allowed her to combine Islamic studies, Islamic theology and psycho-therapeutic counseling, a marriage of areas that are vital to her career. Currently she conducts individual and group therapy sessions for clients mostly in the local GTA and is a public presenter of topics around mental health awareness.  

Sadaf JamalSadaf Jamal is founder of Move N’ Improve Canada (MNIC). She graduated from the University of Waterloo with a BSc and MSc in cell and molecular biology. She also graduated from the Emmanuel College MPS program in 2021. She is a registered psychotherapist certified with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. She is also a certified personal trainer, CanFit Pro Group fitness instructor, RYT, nutrition and wellness coach offering fitness classes at MNIC and University of Toronto. Sadaf laid the foundation of MNIC in 2013 catering to the cultural and faith sensitivities of diverse ethnic population of women in the GTA with a pressing need to achieve their health goals in safe spaces without compromising their identity and values.

Munsif MubarakMunsif Mubarak is Director of Community Relations and a clinical psychotherapist at Khalil Center. He is a Hafidh of the Holy Qur'an who completed his Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto. Upon graduation, he spent seven years in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah studying the Islamic sciences within Masjid al-Nabawī and in the homes and circles of various scholars. Munsif completed his associate degree in Arabic Language and a Bachelor of Arts specializing in Classical Arabic Literature/Linguistics from the Islamic University of Medina. He returned to Toronto in 2017 and went on to complete his Master of Pastoral Studies with a certification in spiritual care and psychotherapy from Emmanuel College at Victoria University in the University of Toronto in 2021. He is a registered psychotherapist (Qualifying) and a member of the CRPO.

Imam Dr. Hamid SlimiImam Dr. Hamid Slimi is a community developer, a teacher and a spiritual leader who has been serving Muslims in Canada since 1997. He is currently a professor of Islamic Studies at the Canadian Centre for Deen Studies and UIN university in Indonesia. In addition to his traditional Islamic degrees known as Ijazah, he holds two Masters degrees with High Honors from Morocco and the United States, and a PhD in Islamic Law from the U.K. Dr. Slimi is the Imam and resident scholar of Sayeda Khadija Centre in Mississauga, Ontario since 2009. He is also the former chairman of the Canadian Council of Imams. Dr. Slimi has been featured by Georgetown University as one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World (2009-2018) for his community development, interfaith work and spiritual leadership.

*Building Accessibility

Emmanuel College (75 Queen's Park Crescent) has an accessible entrance facing Queen’s Park Crescent (the west side of the College). The Museum Subway Station (TTC) is steps away from our front entrance, although the station does not have an elevator, and the escalators are currently not working. The nearest accessible station is St. George (at St. George and Bloor). The chapel on the third floor is accessible by elevator. The accessible/all-inclusive washroom is located on the main floor by the foyer, but there are also washrooms on the third floor. For Wheel-trans directions to the College, please email Shawn at ec.events@utoronto.ca.

Register Here

 Accommodation