Meet an innoFaither is our series to introduce the inspiring optimists in the innoFaith world and what they’re working on and thinking about. We hope it helps you find and engage with each other across the network to advance faith-rooted social innovation and interfaith collaboration for social impact. Or just meet some cool people.
Meet Brother Lawrence Whitney, priest in the Lindisfarne community, former university chaplain, and innovator working to de-institutionalize chaplaincy so that all people and communities have access to spiritual health resources. Larry envisions chaplaincy tapping into a variety of religious traditions to help individuals and communities connect to meaning and purpose. He’s piloting this vision in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, MA.
What faith(s), if any, do you practice? Is your faith or practice bringing special inspiration or insight for you in this current moment?
I am a Christian, and I am also influenced a great deal by other spiritual streams, which is probably why I’ve found a home in the Lindisfarne Community. At the moment I am finding particular inspiration in the stories and teachings of a number of traditions about the deep, pervasive, and complex interconnections among all things, including people.
Where do you live?
I live in Brookline, MA.
What's your favorite pastime?
A hike in one of the many excellent nature reservations in the greater Boston area is rejuvenating and invigorating, but there’s nothing quite like curling up under a warm blanket with a good book and a cup of tea.
What are you working on currently?
I am working on re-envisioning chaplaincy as a person-centered human services specialization in the spiritual dimension of a holistic approach to wellbeing. I am also documenting the intersection of religion, racial equity, and the Covid-19 pandemic as an ACLS Leading Edge Fellow at the National Museum of American History.
What question are you thinking about these days?
How can we best empower people, individually and collectively, to cultivate their senses of meaning, purpose, belonging, and significance so that we can all work toward a more just, equitable, peaceful, and sustainable world together?
How can people find you?