Top 5 Places to Pray Around Campus
Image Courtesy of The Catholic University of America
By Kyrien Keeton
With the Sacred Heart Chapel closed to all non-Flather residents due to construction, I have been forced to seek out similar spots around campus to spend a holy hour with the Lord, oftentimes criss-crossing campus to catch a chapel unoccupied. My search for a quiet prayer room—preferably before a tabernacle—led me to discover some hidden gems around campus that the reader may not be familiar with.
Because the Lord yearns to be adored in the blessed sacrament, I won’t gatekeep my top 5 favorite places to pray around campus. Even if it means my spots get a little crowded.
#1 – Saint Vinny’s
You all know this one.
Usually, I prefer to pray in a quiet, mostly empty space, but no one can deny the inherent joy of a packed church during Praise and Worship on Wednesday nights, or the serene beauty of chanted compline on Thursday nights. If you’re interested in an organized, musical adoration experience that you can attend with friends, Saint Vincent de Paul Chapel is the place for you.
#4 – Caldwell Mary Statue
The little median just past Caldwell happens to be smack in the middle of my daily route to classes, where the statue of Mary overlooks a few humble flower bushes and a set of benches.
No tabernacle here, but the beautiful statue present in the middle of the crossroads serves as a peaceful reminder of our heavenly mother’s gentle guidance over the rush of our daily lives. The quaint garden is a lovely place to stop during a break between classes, or on a long walk back from a club meeting, or at any time if you want to pray a rosary before the depiction of its source. If no one is around, or if you’re a braver Catholic than I am, you can even have a conversation with her out loud. I’ve found her to be a lovely listener.
#3 – St. Paul Chapel
An elegant new carpet adorns the stairs leading up to the St. Paul Chapel in Caldwell Hall, as well as a recently renovated choir loft. That alone should be enough to draw the curious student to the chapel for a quick prayer.
That, and the chapel is now open during the school day. This makes it a wonderful place to stop in during the school day and into the evening, especially if you’re lucky enough to visit while the schola is preparing for mass.
The chapel also features one of the most beautiful artistic renditions of the Stations of the Cross I have ever seen. Though the recent construction of a new Stations outside the Basilica is drawing attention these days, I would still recommend visiting St. Paul’s for a Friday devotion, if one appreciates old art the same way I do.
#2 – Sacred Heart Chapel
By the time you’re reading this article, the chapel should be reopened to non-Flather residents. If it’s not, something has gone horribly wrong, and someone needs to find me and console me.
Humble, quiet, and usually deserted, this chapel is the perfect place to read a book, draw a picture, pray a rosary, or simply sit in silence in the presence of the Lord. If, for some reason, the Chapel is not open to the general CUA company, it’s not strictly forbidden to lurk outside the window—you can still see the candle flickering beside the tabernacle. If you’re lucky, a Flather resident might notice and take pity on you! It hasn’t happened to me yet, but I have hope.
#1 – The Basilica
Duh. Of course, the Basilica is the best place to pray with Jesus. That’s not niche… the Basilica is like… really big.
True. But I’m talking about the Basilica at night, after the doors are closed. That’s my favorite place to pray.
On my hunt for a place to spend some quiet time with Jesus, I ended up exhausted, looking for an open chapel late at night. My frustrated meanderings led me to the Basilica, where I ended up skirting the perimeter. I hadn’t ever walked the grounds before, and soon found myself on a completely deserted, spacious stone patio, overlooking the Mary garden, shadowed by the behemoth structure of the Basilica’s walls.
There’s a patch of grass outside the ground windows, peering into the Crypt Church. You can’t see the tabernacle through the foggy glass, but He’s there.
