Civic Life Lunch- What We Hold: Lynn Cooper on Civic Belonging

Tufts Catholic Chaplain Lynn Cooper, A02, believes that interfaith friendship, when rooted in trust, vulnerability, and the courage to honor difference, has the power to heal deep divisions and move communities toward lasting justice. In her new book, Embracing Our Time: The Sacrament of Interfaith Friendship, she makes a bold case for seeing human connection itself as a civic act, one that strengthens both individuals and the communities they inhabit.

Over lunch, Lynn will share reflections from her work and writing, drawing on her experiences of building bridges across traditions at Tufts and in the wider world. Together, we’ll consider what it means to cultivate belonging in divided times, and how each of us can practice the kind of friendship that makes civic life more just, inclusive, and whole.

Registration required, all are welcome. Lunch provided.

is the Associate Director of the University Chaplaincy and Catholic Chaplain at Tufts University. She holds a Doctor of Ministry from Boston University School of Theology and an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School. At Tufts, she runs an interfaith friendship for students, faculty, and staff, facilitates the interfaith student council, and directs an intergenerational oral history that magnifies the wisdom and stories of lay folks. Lynn's first book, Embracing Our Time: The Sacrament of Interfaith Friendship, came out in May 2025 from Fortress Press.

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This lunch is part of From Tufts, Forward, our semester-long Civic Life Lunch theme exploring how the Tufts community carries ideas forward on campus, in local communities, and far beyond. Each event reflects the momentum we create together through creativity, dialogue, and civic responsibility, and how that momentum extends into lasting impact.

Host or Publisher Tisch College