Interfaith. Interspiritual. Interspecies.
Join us for our October Sunday Service on October 19th, 2025 at 4:00 pm ET with our Special Spiritual Guest, Chef AJ
Chef AJ is known as a whole foods plant-based chef, cookbook author, and multimedia personality with 250,000 followers awaiting her weekly Chef AJ Live show on YouTube. But long before any of this, AJ went vegan for the animals a whopping 48 years ago, and the animals remain closest to her heart. In the last year, she shared with her fans and followers about a lung cancer diagnosis, risking the scorn of the vegans-can't-get-sick crowd. Instead, she was met with a huge outpouring of love and her supporters keep up with her treatments, successes, and setbacks like the extended family they are. Jewish by tradition and these days practicing eclectic spirituality, AJ realized as she approached treatment for the cancer that she feels "more comfortable with a doctor who believes in God." Fun fact: She started her career as a stand-up comic who appeared on the Tonight Show.
about us
The Compassion Consortium is a non-sectarian center. We offer well-being resources, spiritual guidance, support, and community fellowship to Vegans, Vegetarians, animal rights activists, animal lovers, and all humans who care about and advocate for animals and the planet.
We recognize that many people do not see their deeply rooted compassion for all creatures reflected in houses of worship or spiritual centers; some people have even left faith traditions after seeing animals excluded from the level of mercy they deserve; in many cases, they're even denied the possession of a soul.
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The Compassion Consortium is here to supplement this "missing piece" for persons who are part of another religious or spiritual community and those who are not affiliated ("nones") or identify as secular.
Channel your passion for animals and the planet into a caring and supportive vocation
Animal chaplains provide support for both animals and humans by using ritual, ceremony, and the tools of spiritual companionship. Our training program helps you fulfill your heart’s call to honor and celebrate the lives of all species, including how to companion them through joys and challenges.
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Our program is non-denominational and does not require students to have a specific religious or spiritual outlook. It will, though, prepare you to work with a diverse set of belief systems, so that you can support people regardless of their own outlook.
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Program is offered annually. Our next cohort begins classes in September! Contact us with any questions or schedule a consult with our program director by clicking below.
Pet Loss Support Circle
You're not alone in your grief...
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This is a space for anyone who has lost an animal companion – whether it was yesterday or many years ago – and still feels the grips of grief. This is a safe space for sharing that grief with people who understand and can relate to the feelings. In our society, the grief that comes from an animal companion loss can be diminished and dismissed. Please know, though, that the grief is real, raw, and beautiful and that it is so big because of the big and small ways they were integrated into our daily lives and our habits.
Anyone is welcome to join, to gently explore all the feelings – grief, sadness, anger, guilt, shame, fear, numbness, relief, loneliness, acceptance, and so much more. In this group we will support one another by our presence and with our words.
YOU MAY BRING
1) A picture that you may want to share of your beloved companion animal
2) Anything that is weighing on your heart in relationship to your loss
3) A journal and a pen to jot down any insights
4) Anything else to create a cozy atmosphere! Whether it's a warm drink, a stuffed animal, blankets, or comforting scents.​
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Please arrive within 5 minutes of the start time so as not to interrupt vulnerable sharing. After 6:35pm ET, the virtual doors will be closed and no new attendees will be admitted.
Where:
This group will start at 6:30 PM EST and run to 7:30 PM EST on Zoom
Animal Activist Online Support Group
Join the Animal Activist Online Support group to discuss burnout, self-care, compassion fatigue, infighting, anger, grief, depression, communicating with non-activists, and other activist concerns. Participate in this free, confidential support group by phone, smart phone, or computer on the 4th Thursday Every Month,
8 - 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
Facilitated by Animal Chaplain Lisa Levinson and hosted by In Defense of Animals.
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Register for free monthly Animal Activist Online Support Groups: www.idausa.org/supportgroups
The Compassion Consortium, in conjunction with Vegan Meditation, is offering a weekly online peaceful half-hour of vegan-oriented meditation and mindful sharing.
We’ll meditate together in silence, then share brief thoughts on a topic related to compassion, mindfulness or veganism. Our aim through this practice is to cultivate greater internal peace and presence, and to bring greater mindfulness and compassion to our interactions with the external world and all its inhabitants. David Simon, the Chair of the Compassion Consortium Advisory Board, will host each week.
We meet Monday evenings at 6pm Pacific / 7pm MT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET for 45 minutes every first and third Monday of each month.
Keep up to date
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