Gabriel McCreath
Contributing Writer
The All Faiths Chapel in Lowry Student Center is newly decorated and furnished this year, making it an exciting and even more useful addition to the Sacred Spaces on campus.
When the Chapel opened for use midway through last semester, the empty room and blank walls held potential for designing a multi-purpose space accessible to people of all different religious, spiritual and secular backgrounds. “It kind of looked like a blank canvas that was ready to have some stuff thrown on it,” said Rev. Erin Guzmán, chaplain of the College and director of Religious and Spiritual Life (RSL).
Since the spring, a variety of items — including cozy decor and items for religious and spiritual practice — have been added to the Chapel. Most of the items are stored inside square cabinets with magnetic doors stacked to resemble the shape of a mountain, and a faux bonsai tree on top. Each cabinet is organized for a specific religious tradition — in one cabinet, for example, are a figure of the Buddha and a couple of electric candles; in another, icons of Jesus Christ and Mary with some rosaries. There are also prayer books, sacred texts and informational books on different religious traditions placed on tree-like bookshelves on either side of the cabinets. “There are all the symbols of unity and togetherness, but also opportunities for distinct ways of engaging and using the space,” said Rev. Guzmán.
The All Faiths Chapel is an example of how much detail and thought goes into designing a sacred space for use by people from all different backgrounds and traditions.The doors on the cabinets make it possible to store items out of sight when they are not being used – an important consideration for religious traditions that do not allow for other religions’ imagery to be visible in the space during prayer.
There are additional accessibility improvements that the All Faiths Chapel brings in comparison to other Sacred Spaces on campus. It is the first Sacred Space that is available for use by all students, faculty and staff throughout the school year and the summer, since all of the other Sacred Spaces are inside residence halls. There is an ablution room inside the Chapel, which allows for ritual washing. The Chapel is also accessible by elevator and is equipped with a television screen and microphones.
The Chapel has space for larger groups of people than the other spaces and is intentionally set aside for religious and spiritual usage only. “We needed a space that could accommodate groups of students that want to worship together,” said Rev. Guzmán. “Although McGaw Chapel is called a ‘chapel,’ that’s not really how it functions.”
The decorative and practical additions to the Chapel since last semester have improved its utility and welcoming atmosphere for students who have used it so far. “I was more enthusiastic about using the space,” said Frankie Readshaw ’25, a leader of the Wooster Coven and intern for RSL, about seeing the new items for the first time. “As someone who uses the room for religious purposes, I felt more excited that I would help this room achieve its purpose.”
There is still room for improvement and further tailoring of the space — Rev. Guzmán explained that there are plans to add a piece that can function as an altar, as well as an electric keyboard. “I would also like to see better signage in Lowry directing people to the All Faiths Chapel,” she added, since the signs by the elevators do not list the All Faiths Chapel in their directories.
“I’m very grateful that the team that was in charge of the design of the student center was open to the idea of an All Faiths Chapel,” Rev. Guzmán said. “I hope that it signals that we are trying to do more to be visible and encouraging of our community’s spiritual development.”
The All Faiths Chapel is located at Lowry 258, around the corner from the office of Residence Life. Next to the door, there is a map of all the Sacred Spaces on campus, guidelines for their use, and a QR code for signing up to gain swipe access to the spaces. The Chapel is unlocked Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and on swipe access outside of those hours. Groups can schedule times to use the Chapel on 25Live.
With the additions to the All Faiths Chapel, RSL can better provide resources in a central and accessible location on campus. “I’m really happy with the space overall,” said Rev. Guzmán. “It’s kind of a game changer for RSL.”
