Seniors Spark Religious and Life Connections in Special Forums

On Thursday, Jun 27, AlmaVia of San Francisco senior living community hosted its weekly Interfaith Conversation Group. In these discussions, residents takes on sensitive religious subjects, and its members come together in a civil discourse to weigh in on these topics.

Father Zacharias Thomas, the full-time chaplain at AlmaVia of San Francisco, leads the weekly discussions. He says the goal is to provide holistic wellness for the residents participating in the group, whose ages range from their 60s to 100 years old. Some are former professors, retired religious residents and experts in their fields of study. All rely on their life experiences in hopes of learning more from one another.

This Interfaith Conversation Group is one of many life-long learning opportunities provided by AlmaVia of San Francisco. Continuing education and discussions like these have been found to keep the brain active and help combat memory loss.

The group often welcomes local experts to add perspective in the open forum. In the past, they’ve welcomed Muslim and Jewish leaders to the community. During this latest meeting, the group welcomed a leader from the Russian Orthodox Church will visit with residents and discuss his beliefs with them.