the Informer

Have you ever wanted to pray but never knew where to go to get the quietness you were looking for? Earlier this week The University of Hartford has made an addition for new daily and weekly activities.

Now there is a meditation room on campus for any religious groups that want to pray or meet to do religious rituals. Located in Gengras Student Union room 153, open for all religions: Catholicism, Judaism, Protestant etc.

It is also open for new comers and new ideas. The room is a great place for different groups to hold meetings and or future planning.

The meditation room was made possible with assistance from the Parents Association at the university. They paid a grant so the room could get started, and ceremonies have already taken place.

On Tuesday, Feb. 16, there were collections of different groups and numerous people celebrating the opening of the room.

About 45 people got together along with the Catholic Campus Ministry, Hillel and The Gospel Choir opened the night with blessings and speeches.

Michael Malone, director of Residential Life, began the ceremony with opening remarks for the “Interfaith Sacred Space,” the name the Parents Association had made with the new room. Furthermore, Father Dolan blessed the room to ignite its beginning.

Along with people, food was also present at the meeting. They had foods representing different religions. There were pretzels for the Catholic religion and pancakes linked with pancake Tuesdays.

During the ceremony Megan Clark, a Hartford Art School student, had her paintings hung up in the meditation room.

There was a contest for whose paintings will be hung up in the new room. Clark has painted very serene warm colored paintings that really reflect and give off a warm vibe about the new room. Though the room is not that big, it compliments the warmth and appreciates what it will be used for.

The room has all purposes. Though it is used for prayers and religious groups in need of a place to signify their beliefs, anyone can call at any time to have certain times and days. The Newman Group, a Catholic student association, has begun to meet in the room every Wednesday night to perform religious rituals and prayers.

Sandi Smith, the Catholic Campus Minister for the university, explains, “Everyone is welcome to come in,” and the room is designed to be “very peaceful, very serene.”

It is an environment where students, faculty and staff can go to get away from what the day has brought them, and it can become a great peaceful place to pray and feel well.

The room is now open and in effect for use for any group. Along with the new room, the association is putting together a day for women.

This “Day for Women,” held on Saturday, March 27 in Bethlehem, Conn., is for all married, single and religious women. It will be a day to sponsor women for all the great things they do.

Anyone from the university or community can come down and be apart of the celebration.

For more information about the meditation room can contact Smith at 860-768-4899 or stop by the space in Gengras room 153.