Religion at AUC
Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, or don’t identify with any religion, AUC overall is a very diversity-friendly community. There are students and faculty from all backgrounds and faiths here, coming together, united by the common passion to help others in medicine. For those of you who are interested in worshiping with your fellow classmates, AUC has three faith-based student organizations on campus:
- Muslim Student Association (MSA) – a cultural organization that brings awareness of Islamic faith and culture on campus. They organize group discussions about medicine and Islam, film showings, fund-raising, and community-based projects. For those of you interested, they organize group prayer every Fridays on campus.
- Jewish Medical Student Association (JMSA) – a cultural organization that brings awareness of Jewish culture on campus. They hold social gatherings as well as Jewish holiday celebrations at AUC.
- Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA) – a national organization that aims to integrate faith with the practice of medicine. They hold ethics symposiums as well as volunteer opportunities. For those of you interested in going to church, you don’t have to go far for service. CMDA holds pan-denominational worship services every Sunday mornings as well as Catholic Mass every Sunday evenings on campus in Lecture Hall 2. They also hold Bible studies on Thursdays, in the ICM rooms on campus. In 2011, CMDA organized a medical missions trip to Durban, South Africa.
These student organizations hold worship services on campus, which is very convenient for students. But for those who also want to worship or get involved with faith in the greater St.Maarten community, here are some places to check these out:
- Grace International Baptist Church
- St. Martin of Tours Catholic Parish
- Mary Star of the Sea, Simpson Bay
- St. Maarten Islamic Center
- Chabad Jewish Center
- Tzu Chi Foundation St. Maarten
- St. Maarten Philipsburg Branch (LDS Church)
- Philipsburg Seventh-Day Adventist Church
If you’d like to share any other places of worship or community centers, please share in the comments section!
Awesome, got your link. 🙂