LINDSAY DAVIES | guest writer
photo | LINDSAY DAVIES
Students walked through the prayer labyrinth and rested at the beginning and end of their journey.


This week, students received the opportunity to participate in new religious growth experiences in the comfort of their own campus.

The Campus Pastor’s Office, Chapel Programs, and MAS office joined forces to welcome the new tradition of Spiritual Formation week on Nov. 5.

The week included a Prayer Labyrinth open from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day, Solitude and Silence Under the Stars which took place after Kaleo on Wednesday night, and a discussion given by Dr. Bruce Baloian on Wednesday as well.

“Our goal is to bring the experience of a retreat to the students on campus at no cost and with a much smaller time commitment to emphasize the importance of silence and solitude among times of stress and busyness,” Campus Pastor Jamie Noling said.

A main event held during Spiritual Formation Week was the Prayer Labyrinth. Taken from the ancient tradition of religious labyrinths in primarily Catholic churches the prayer labyrinth was once a focal point of peace and prayer. People traveled miles to holy lands to be quiet and rest in such a place.

Part of the significance of a labyrinth is in how much work it takes. The two white tents, set up outside of the Campus Pastor’s Office all week, were divided on the inside into a weaving maze of twelve stations.
photo | LINDSAY DAVIES
The "You are Made in the Image of God" station encouraged students to look at themselves through Christ's eyes.
“You have to leave all of your cares and worries of the world outside. The journey takes you step by step closer to obtaining peace with the Lord and once you have reached the center, you find yourself in a deep state of peaceful vulnerability with God,” Noling said.

Each station held its own significance. Beginning with a place of rest, the labyrinth included stations that emphasized creation, self-confidence, confession, thanks, world prayer, dreams, writing, and releasing of burdens. A communion table was set up at the heart of the labyrinth followed by a final area of rest and prayer.

“Most of the stations are based on how much you let God speak to you. You’re relationship with God is in your control; you’ll get out of it what you seek,” junior liberal studies major Ashley Samarin said.

Although most students walked through the labyrinth on their own, others chose to experience it with close friends.

“It was such a blessing to go with my roommate and reflect on one another’s lives. We made ourselves vulnerable to humility with one another and took it upon ourselves to share in the other’s burdens,” sophomore undeclared major Cassandra Shea said.

One of the stations, titled “You Are Made in the Image of God,” was set up with several mirrors of all sizes. The directions encouraged the participant to stare at themselves and look beyond physical appearance and try to discover the inner beauty God gave them.

“The hardest station for me was the mirror section. It forces you to realize what God has given you beyond appearance to sit and look in a mirror that reflects God through His creation, not self,” said Shea.

Solitude and Silence Under the Stars brought forth an opportunity for the students to find a tranquil area of prayer outdoors. Encouraged to bring blankets, participants headed to Cougar Stadium to lie under the stars and pray while soothing worship songs played in the background.

“At this time in our lives, it is so hard to find a time and place to be still, in solitude and silence and be with God so we wanted to create a place the students could feel relaxed and comfortable to worship in their own way,” first year graduate assistant Meghan Matthews said.

The participating offices of Spiritual Formation Week hope to succeed in providing intense prayer environments for the years to come.

“We want to make a tradition out of it, to keep students looking forward to their ‘on-campus retreat,’” Noling said. “This is the first run but the students seem interested and we are seeing positive results in their response.”