On the evening of Wednesday, October 30, Steve Haverkos, President of the BLIA Chicago English Subchapter, along with subchapter executives Jia-Qi Xu and Lin-Na Chen, attended the “Spirituality and Faith During Cancer” event held for cancer patients and their families. The panel featured Father Steven Borello from the Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Sheikh Hassan Natour from a local Islamic prayer center, and Jia-Qi Xu representing Buddhism. A total of 31 participants attended the session.
Moderator Michael Williams opened the event by explaining its purpose: to encourage the sharing of experiences and insights while providing a platform for questions. He then introduced the three speakers. Representing Buddhism, Jia-Qi Xu shared how the Buddha’s teachings and Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s wisdom can help individuals face illness and life’s impermanence. He reminded the audience to cherish life and discussed how to treat oneself and one’s family with skillful means and compassion during difficult times of physical suffering.
Following the Buddhist presentation, the Catholic and Muslim representatives gave brief talks on facing cancer from their respective religious perspectives. During the Q&A session, the speakers took turns addressing questions from the audience through their various theological lenses. Notably, Jia-Qi Xu shared a passage from Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s “A Prayer for the Sick” with the group. The evening concluded successfully following a series of heartfelt experience-sharing and insightful responses to the audience’s inquiries.