Prayer was the theme of this year's commencement of the Agape Latte series. Hosted by the Church of the 21st Century, Agape Latte is a monthly event held in Hillside Café that encourages students to learn and discuss issues pertinent to their religious beliefs and faith.
Tuesday's lecture, titled "The Hidden Life of Undergraduates: Prayer on Campus," featured the Rev. James Fleming, S.J., assistant to the vice president and program evaluator in the Office of University Mission and Ministry. Fleming discussed prayer trends among college students, including popular locations for reflection on Boston College's campus. But before he dove into his speech, Fleming opened with a prayer.
After four minutes of personal examination, Fleming began the discussion by describing the type of spirituality that is very special to him. Ignatian spirituality encourages people to act in line with experience and choose a life worth living where their deepest desires meet the world's greatest needs. This goal, however, cannot be obtained without the help of prayer. "There was a time I didn't feel like there was much in me that was holy. Through prayer, we unpack our holy desire," Fleming said.
According to Fleming, prayer works because people consider their experiences, let them ruminate in their minds and hearts, and then make sense of it all. For many people, the revelations that prayer grants them prompt something more.
Fleming quoted Rev. Peter Hans Kolvenbach saying, "When the heart is touched by direct experience, the mind is challenged to change." He argued that these kinds of transformations are especially prevalent during service trips because students "act their way to new ways of thinking." Yet, with so many BC students involved in service trips and volunteer work, why is prayer considered to be "the hidden life of undergraduates?"
The statistics Fleming provided prove that prayer occurs more on BC's campus than one might assume. In Fleming's survey of BC students, he found that the number of students who attend church decreased by 38 percent prior to beginning their freshman year.
Yet, regardless of the decline in church attendance, the students polled became increasingly more in touch with their spirituality throughout their years at BC. The amount of students who became more spiritual in college expanded by 105 percent, those who spent more time praying by 53 percent, and those who had participated in more spiritual conversations increased by 143 percent.
Inspired by this contradictory data, Fleming researched more details about students' prayer lives. He found that a majority of them talk about spirituality with their friends and their parents. Retreats also offer a great amount of prayer and reflection, and 57 percent of the student body attends at least one retreat during their four years at the University. He also went as far as to ask why, when, and where students prayer. The responses Fleming received sparked an even greater task.
Four years ago, Fleming began compiling data, statistics, stories, prayers, and sacred places to form the prayer map. The prayer map features over 30 places on campus that students and faculty members have found ideal for prayer. Ranging from St. Joseph's Chapel to Corcoran Commons, the variety of these places gives students of all faith backgrounds a place where they can feel comfortable reflecting on their lives. The prayer map also includes a prayer for every location. These prayers encompass a large range of faiths as well. Fleming hopes to have the prayer map booklets available to students within the next year.
Yet, with such a large population of students praying, is it really necessary for this prayer map? Paul Wendel, A&S '08, argued that it is. "Prayer life on campus is something a lot of people think does not occur, or that it is only facilitated through the masses. This lecture creates awareness of the fact that there are places on campus to pray," he said.
Katie Spillman, a campus minister in Campus Ministry, agreed that many people do not know of prayer locations on campus. She encouraged students to broaden their idea of the true definition of prayer. "Prayer can take place at daily mass at St. Mary's, while running around the Reservoir, or even when a student wakes up early before an exam." Spillman said. "It's not visible, but it happens often."
Finding a place to pray, however, is about more than just the location. It is about becoming a part of one's surroundings. "Prayer helps people observe the beauty of the campus and find their place in the larger BC community. It gives them an identity," said Stephen DeMarco, CSOM '09.
Prayer allows people the ability to form a personal relationship with God and with themselves. "Prayer gives me a way to make meaning in my life," Fleming said. But, it also encourages people to find God in other aspects of their lives. And if prayer connects you to all of these things, is it really hidden or can it be seen on a bench in O'Neill Plaza or on a treadmill at the Plex?
According to Fleming, prayer, like God, is everywhere. So, he left his audience with his sincere prayer for them: "May you find God in all things and places."
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