By Ashlyn Beck | Staff Writer
The reopening of the Interfaith Meditation and Reflection Space is bringing a safe area for faculty, staff and students to practice any religion or lack thereof.
“The space is representative of acceptance, interconnectedness and personal restoration,” Jessica Brooks, a graduate apprentice for intercultural engagement, said. “Those were the three things that we were thinking of when trying to design that space.”
While a space like this has previously existed, it is being “rebranded” and moved to a more central location: the first floor of Moody Memorial Library. Andre Baesa, senior coordinator of intercultural engagement, said the space is in what was previously the Leach Conference Room.
“[We’re] rebranding it, calling it the Interfaith Meditation [and] Reflection Space and moving it from its old location,” Baesa said. “It’s more accessible to all students, especially our undergraduate population.”
The space was created with students of different religions in mind, and Brooks said it is a safe space for all students, faculty and staff, whether they are Christian, affiliated with another religion or not religious at all.
“That space truly is for everybody,” Brooks said. “It truly is for every single person to come into that space. Students, faculty, staff — anyone in the Baylor community has access to that space, because that is where true connectedness can occur.”
The Interfaith Meditation and Reflection Space is split into two sections. One half is a quiet area where people can engage in prayer and meditation, and the other is a more relaxed area for people to sit and engage in conversation. Brooks said there are signs in the room giving reminders about the purpose of the space and some general guidelines for participating in it.
“We monitor it to make sure that all is running well with it,” Brooks said. “So it’s a way to make sure that we’re maintaining community feedback to make sure that that space truly is meeting the standards that it needs for everyone that is utilizing it.”
According to Baesa and Brooks, the space is open for use, but there will be an event from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday in the Schumacher Flex Commons to celebrate the reopening.
“President Livingstone said that the world needs a Baylor, and one of the questions that they’re figuring out now is, what does the world need Baylor for?” Brooks said. “Having a space like this that is so well supported is one of those things.”
Baesa said in this year’s freshman class, 452 out of 3,651 students do not align with the Christian faith. This number is significantly higher than that of years past, Baesa said, and it requires people to confront the topic of religion a little differently.
“We’re educating men and women for worldwide leadership and service all within this Christian caring community,” Baesa said. “Part of that is providing spaces for those who don’t orient around the Christian faith.”
Baesa and Brooks said being a Christian university gives Baylor the additional responsibility to love others well, and this includes making sure all people have a safe space to practice their religion.
“What I really have loved about my work the most is seeing how people, despite their differences, come into a space to say, ‘Tell me your story. I really want to see you and who you are,’” Brooks said. “And I think that’s so beautiful.”
Baesa said being more open to different faiths equips students to fulfill the Baylor mission.
“When we have this appreciative knowledge, it makes it more likely that we will befriend someone of that different faith background, and then that is another way of loving your neighbor,” Baesa said.
