By Jean Hopfensperger, Minneapolis Star Tribune

 

The towering chapel in the heart of the University of St. Thomas opened its doors 100 years ago, a beacon for its mainly Catholic immigrant students who walked there to mass every day.

Fast forward to today, when the majority of students at the Catholic university belong to other Christian denominations, or are Muslim, Jewish and other faiths. A new addition to the chapel, announced this week, reflects that transformation.

The $13 million renovation will include a multifaith meditation room and a sacred-arts gallery. It will house all campus chaplains, including those for Protestants, Muslims and Jews. It will offer a space where students of all faiths can participate in their own spiritual practices.

“Buildings are symbols of what is important to you, and by expanding the chapel, we are showing that the faith lives of our students are a priority,” said the Rev. Larry Snyder, vice president for mission at St. Thomas.

Campus ministry offices and spiritual gathering spaces now are dispersed across the campus, he said. The expansion will create a centralized spiritual heart at the St. Paul university.

“We hope this center will enliven students spiritual journey during their time at St. Thomas,” Snyder said.

St. Thomas is among many Catholic universities across the nation expanding interfaith education and accommodation, as the face of their student bodies and surrounding communities undergo significant changes.

Sadaf Rauf Shier, an associate campus chaplain who is Muslim, is thrilled with the concept of a central spiritual home. It will benefit not just the diverse student body, but the campus as a whole, she said. Currently, for example, the roughly 250 Muslim students on campus make their daily prayers in one of two prayer rooms or some campus meditation rooms.

“The visibility of different faith traditions in one building is very powerful,” Shier said. “It says so much about our ability to coexist. And if we can do it in one school building, how can we not do it outside campus?”