September 28, 2005
SISTER SPIRIT MARIA
My name is Maria and I am twelve years old. I grew up as a Catholic. I got baptized and I did my first communion. I will be going to Catholic school for two more years before I can do my confirmation.
A few weeks ago I went to explore a different religion. This was Buddhism. We went to the Garrison Institute in upstate New York, which is a Buddhist community. From the outside, the building looked like a Catholic school, but from the inside it looked like a mini-hotel. There was a long hallway with bedrooms leading off it.
One of the community people took us into a big room. At the end of the room there was a big Buddha sitting with his legs crossed, surrounded by many flowers and other little statues of the Buddha. The room looked like it was a place where you could pray to the Buddha and relax.
The community woman helped us to do some meditation.
We sat on the floor on a cushion. The woman told us to clear our minds of any thought and see if we could focus.
Instead of clearing my mind, when I was meditating was all I was thinking of was going to sleep in a nice air-conditioned room because it was really hot.
I would like to try meditation again, but next time I want to be awake because all I was thinking about the first time was sleeping.
SISTER SPIRIT AIYANA
My name is Aiyana. My religion is Baptist which is a form of Christianity. I attend two churches, one is the Second Baptist Cathedral and the other is the Second Baptist Church which is owned by my family on my mother’s side.
While traveling with the Girls Club we went to St John the Divine Cathedral. It was different from the churches that I’ve gone to. It has a very high ceiling and pillars that are very detailed. It has a lot of artwork on display and statues that connect to religion. The only light that came through was from the stained glass windows which made the church very dark.
The cathedral I go to is much more modern, it has huge TV screens and tons of singing. It’s very lively and bright. The church that I go to used to be a synagogue and you can easily tell this because it has the Star of David all over the building.
St John the Divine was like no other place that I’d been to before. It was big, quiet and there was a strong religious spirit to it. It was a great experience.
SISTER SPIRIT ANNISE
My name is Annise. I am Catholic and raised Catholic.
Six days ago, Girls Club took a trip to Chinatown, to visit a Buddhist temple. The first temple we visited we were not allowed inside because they were having a meeting or celebration of the dead.
Then we visited another temple. On the outside it was a red building with three Chinese characters over the door. Inside, the first thing that caught my eye when I walked in was the red colors and this huge statue of the Buddha on the other side of the room. What interested me about the Buddha statue was that it was so big, gold and shiny, I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
We were told to wait for the Master. In my mind I was expecting an Asian man in his forties or fifties. But when we saw his face it was totally different from what I expected. It was weird because he was a Caucasian man in his 40s. I had never seen a Caucasian monk before. At the time that we were visiting, he was teaching his students—who were Asian adults and children—to speak English. The Master told us, he was born a Christian but changed to Buddhism.
What was different about the Catholic Church I usually go to and the temple that we visited was the change of colors. In my Catholic Church you usually see colors like cream, greens and browns but in the temple that we went to there were these bright reds, bright oranges and bright yellows. All the colors just burst into life. It made me excited to know more about what they studied here. Interacting with the people at the Temple brought more meaning for me to being Buddhist.
SISTER SPIRIT BLACK SHEEP
Black Sheep
I am Black Sheep. I have no religion but the rest of my family is Christian. I find it very interesting to study other people’s religions. Over the past week girls in the Girls Club have been studying different religions and going to different religious places.
The one place that stuck out to me the most was the Garrison Institute in upstate New York which is a Buddhist community.
At the Institute they taught us one way of meditating.
Some of the girls in the Club have meditated before and some have not. I have, but the way I meditate is not like the way they taught us at all. The way I meditate is the way my two friends Azari and Matt taught me in First Grade. The way they taught me is to sit down on the floor with your legs crossed and your back straight and to try to meditate outside where they aren’t many people. If people are there and they’re talking you will think about what they’re talking about. And as you’re sitting down, listen to nature, the wind blowing through the trees, birds chirping and stuff like that.
But the way they were telling us at the Garrison Institute was two sit on a cushion with your knees close to the ground and to count your breaths. That was very hard when the person who was teaching us kept talking. The only thing that she was saying was “and if you find yourself distracted from your meditation just restart and keep counting your breaths.” That was just the thing—the only distraction was her talking and it got really annoying.
I think I’ll stick with my own way of meditating.
SISTER SPIRIT ARLENE
Arlene
My name is Arlene and I am eighteen. When I heard that we were going to take a trip to St John the Divine Cathedral, located on 110th and Amsterdam Avenue, I was a bit apprehensive. I said to myself, not another church! I don’t like churches that are filled with idols and religious symbols. They make me feel uncomfortable. If you were to go to a Catholic church you would usually find idols and paintings of Christ, Virgin Mary and others all over the place. But not this church which surprised me. I enjoyed being in there.
The church gave me a realistic idea of how buildings were built during the Gothic or medieval period. I was always intrigued by Gothic painting, I would go to the museum and just stare at these paintings, it’s like they hold a secret or a code that no one can break.
The pillars give support to the church—much like the backbone of a human body. They were so enormous that you felt like a small bug. The ceilings above you are so far from the ground that in order to get a good look at them, it’s best to lie down on the ground, in the same way that it’s best to lie down when you want to look at the sky.
The stained glass windows with their astonishing colors—mostly blue—give you a sense of peace. When the sun hits them, you’ll see a dance of colors all around the stone walls, but don’t be fooled these windows back in the days not only provided light they also provided knowledge for the people that attended the church. You see these windows hold stories that you would usually find in books. Why? Well, simple, not everyone in those times knew how to read.
The most interesting aspect of this church is that although it was built centuries ago, it is still under construction. After all these years, you might think that the church should be finished. Different architects had worked on it at different times, but had died before the building could be completed. Although this might be a problem, the church still gets publicity. Every day people come in and visit the church, even people from other parts of the world. You might ask why? I can only say that their faith is stronger than the construction of the church.
SISTER SPIRIT JESSICA
Jessica
Cultural diffusion has been occurring for many years and continues to this day. I myself have an interest in many cultures and their religions.
The Sister Spirit program at the Lower Eastside Girls Club has allowed me to go into depth on the religions we have been introduced to.
I am Jessica and I was raised a Catholic. About two years after my communion I decided that I’m not going to belong to any religion, but I do believe that there is something out there.
However, I am interested in how other religions work and contribute to the daily lives of the people who study them. Out of all the religions we have been introduced to this week, I had the strongest interest in Judaism.
When the guest speaker, Rabbi Alice, came to talk to us about being a woman Rabbi in Jewish community and about her religion, the things she told us were different from what I’ve learned at school. Rabbi Alice is a young woman reform Rabbi who is trying to use her knowledge to bring social justice to any community and to fight for the underdog.
I was surprised that a Rabbi could look so different. She was a young woman dressed in casual clothing. Usually you would expect an older man with a beard and curls down the side of his ears, and dressed in a suit, but those are just some of the assumptions that everyone makes.
I came to learn that within Judaism there are different ways to express the religion, such as being a conservative, orthodox or reform Jew. If I were to convert to Judaism, I would be a reform Jew, for the reason that it “flows” with the changes of the century, as Rabbi Alice describes it.
Rabbi Alice gave us a sheet of quotes on social justice from Jewish texts. The one that stuck in my mind was: “The tongue can be as murderous as the hand.” What this meant to me was that you don’t only harm people physically, your tongue can also be a weapon.
The other thing that stuck in my mind was when Rabbi Alice said that we have the responsibility to make the world better for the next generation. That God put us on this earth to contribute to this.
SISTER SPIRIT
During this summer camp, girls, ages 14 to 18, used photography and writing to explore the many ways people worship in our ethnically diverse neighborhood, the Lower East Side. The focus was on food, art, architecture, activism and religious careers. Through interviews, the girls discovered that there are many paths to one's religious beliefs.
This program was funded by The Sister Fund.
SADEYSA'S "GIRLS OUT LOUD"
We went to Governor's Island. in Upper New York Bay. The people there were asking for suggestions.
1. Rent and sell alot of the houses.
2. Put some parks there.
3. Make it look new.
4. Put a school there.
Also, I think I would live there because it's historical and cool.
P.S. I like the church. I hope it stays there.
September 27, 2005
SADEYSA'S BOOK SELECTION 4
I am Sadeysa.
I made this book!
Do you like it?
I do and I love the Girls Club and the Lower Eastside!!!!
September 14, 2005
KEANNA'S "GIRLS OUT LOUD"
The most fun part of the East River Project was when we went on the sailboat and I held those crab things.
When we went to Roosevelt Island we learned about the hospital that only used to treat people with smallpox. It looked haunted. I will remember this the most.
KEANNA'S BOOK SELECTION 2
My Experience
The experience was hot. Roosevelt Island was nice even though it was hot outside.
The castle. Not really it was a hospital for people who had smallpox. It closed a long time ago.
