A three-day conference on campus that features nearly 80 speakers on justice, peace and interreligious dialogue begins today.

The Manresa Project is sponsoring the conference, which is titled "Justice and Mercy will Kiss: A Conference on the Vocation of Peacemaking in a World of Many Faiths" and runs through Saturday, according to Susan Mountin, director of the project.

The Manresa Project's original funding came with money earmarked for a conference such as this, Mountin said. Following a worldwide meeting of Jesuit chapters that declared a focus on justice, peace and interreligious dialogue, the Manresa planning committee decided the conference's topic should combine and center on those topics.

"It is a timely issue with what's going on internationally and in the U.S.," said Emilie Aubert, the conference's master of ceremonies. "Peace and different spiritual thoughts are a part of all issues that are problems."

In order to find speakers on the designated topic, according to committee members, the Manresa planning committee put out a call for papers in academic and religious journals, making a concerted effort to reach into other religious communities. The proposals were then reviewed by committee members, with the best ones being recommended for inclusion.

"It's going to be very exciting," Aubert said. "These people have a passion for what they're talking about."

The conference will approach peacemaking as a vocation from multiple religious perspectives, Mountin said, and will highlight the wisdom and experiences of Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish and Hindu backgrounds.

"Peace and justice are not the exclusive domain of any one religion," said Irfan Omar, an assistant professor of theology and planning committee member. "Having this conference allows us to see that strength in collaboration with other people of other faiths."

In presenting the viewpoints of multiple religious backgrounds, the conference hopes to bring to light the similarities of those positions, as well as drawing on the strengths of their differences, Aubert said.

"We hope that people will find courage and greater resources as they return to their own personal ways of working for peace and justice," Omar said.

The conference's focus on vocation also fits Marquette's mission as a Catholic, Jesuit university, Mountin said. The Manresa Project operates on the belief that God has given everyone gifts with which they can serve the world. A person's vocation, she said, is "not necessarily an occupation but a deeper, inner call."

In addition to 250 registered participants, the conference is open to the entire Marquette community. Sessions are designed to not be solely academic, but to give practical application as well, Mountin said.

"My hope would be that minds and hearts would be stretched by hearing the possibilities that exist for peacemaking," she said.

Erin Lechner, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, is one of the conference's volunteers. She said she was most attracted to the conference by its topic and the aim toward a diverse audience.

"We all have something to learn from different faith backgrounds," Lechner said, "and we don't often get the opportunity to talk about these issues."

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 22, 2005.