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St. Olaf College has expanded its spiritual resources on campus with two new multi-faith spaces designed to better serve the wide range of spiritual traditions and beliefs students bring to campus.

The meditation room (Boe 012) and ventilated meditation room (Boe 010) sit in the Undercroft of Boe Memorial Chapel, offering students a quiet retreat for grounding, spiritual and faith practices, or cultural rituals. 

“We have a lot of different religions and spiritual practices on campus, and if we can help people to feel like they are able to practice and celebrate their faith on campus how they would like to, then that’s my ultimate goal,” College Pastor and head of the multi-religious College Ministry Office Matthew Marohl P’29 says. “Increasingly, many students on campus consider themselves to be spiritual, but do not claim any particular religion, either because they are still exploring their faith, or have a personal definition that doesn’t fit in a box. Adding multi-faith spaces are essential to supporting all students as they navigate their personal spiritual journeys, or find ways to grow closer to God or a higher power, their community, and their friends.” 

Boe 012 opened in 2023 as a general meditation and prayer space, but it became clear that students practicing smudging, incense burning, or fire-based rituals – practices meaningful across Indigenous, Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, and other faith traditions – needed something more. The Acts of Healing group, which formed in service of the Land Acknowledgement St. Olaf established in 2020, advocated for the creation of a smudging space as an actionable step toward inclusion for Indigenous community members on campus. 

That identified need led to the equipping of Boe 010 with an air extractor that complies with fire safety codes, so that candles, sage, or incense can be burned without triggering an alarm. Vice President for Community and Belonging Eduardo Pazos calls it “a much-needed expansion,” especially on a campus where space is scarce. 

“It’s important for us to prioritize this space for students’ cultural, spiritual, and mental health practices for their benefit and for the benefit of our community,” Pazos says. “Those cultural, traditional, or spiritual practices that have fire, like lighting candles, or that have smoke, like smudging or incense burning, are very much a part of many cultures and traditions around the world, but due to pretty strict fire codes, they are normally not allowed indoors.”

 St. Olaf Facilities worked to research and install fire-code compliant devices that circulate enough fresh air to prevent fire alarms from being triggered and reduce the risk of accidental ignition.

Several student groups and organizations currently use the mediation and smudging rooms for faith-based activities. A meditation group meets every Tuesday of the academic year at 4 p.m., a daily prayer group uses the space during chapel, and Muslim students use the space for Salah daily prayers and Friday Jumu’ah. A Catholic rosary group is also in development. 

Grayson Chan ‘26, a student leader for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and a member of the daily prayer group, explains that having this space to spend time and pray together is essential for unity and forming daily routines for spirituality. 

“Even though there’s different styles of prayers that people are used to growing up with, it is encouraging that we have this common space and time for us to pray together,” he says.

The daily prayer group consists of several denominations, and is attended by staff as well as students. It’s become a much-valued way for campus community members to connect with each other and God on a more personal level. The group varies its style of prayer each day, and focuses on personal, as well as national or global needs. When the group first started, meetings were held in the chapel in Mellby. The COVID-19 pandemic paused meetings, which later reopened in 010. 

“This year we started using [012], just because it’s a bit bigger, the cushions are a lot comfier, and it’s a more bright space where we can have prayer every day,” Chan says.

College Ministry stresses the many ways these spaces can be utilized by students of all faiths, those exploring their faith, and those who simply want to keep themselves grounded and present. They hope that Oles will use these rooms to explore their faith on a personal level, or to simply take time to slow down and contemplate. 

“Student lives can be really busy, so to be able to have a little space on campus where you can just go and take a break, even if it’s just for 10 minutes, and maybe practice smudging, or light up incense, or get together with your friends and put on a meditation on your phone – that, I think, can be a huge help for our campus,” Pazos says. 

These spaces are an example of how College Ministry is seeking to adapt its services to meet St. Olaf’s needs as it changes and grows with shifting spiritual demographics. The mission for ministry at St. Olaf, a reflection of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) core values, is to be “rooted and open.” St. Olaf is grounded in Lutheran traditions, but is also committed to being open, humble, curious, and supportive of other religious practices. Part of St. Olaf’s mission is to create inclusive and globally-engaged environments, which includes making space for different spiritual practices. 

“We hope that this space allows students to incorporate more elements of their cultural and spiritual practices, while at the same time keeping our spaces safe,” Pazos says.

The meditation room equipped for smudging (Boe 010) and a second meditation room (012) are located in the Undercroft, and are open during chapel building hours. To access the meditation Room, walk in at any time or reserve on 25Live for group gatherings. To reserve the ventilated meditation room, which involves the activation of fire-safety systems, please contact the College Ministry Office directly.