Loan Le/The Mirror
On every other Wednesday, students can walk into the 3rd floor lounge of Campion Hall and immediately assume they had just interrupted a cult gathering. All the signs would be there: the dimmed lighting of the lounge; the lit candles centered in the room; and the tranquil and relaxed faces of ten or so people facing one “leader.” They might mutter a quick goodbye and run away.
Despite the looks of it, what actually goes on is the Guided Meditation, which is usually attended by a small group of Campion residents. It is a time of self-reflection when students can get away from homework and worries about tomorrow.
“I think it’s a very close group and [provides] a safe environment to share thoughts,” Jennifer Estanislau, who was a newcomer to the Meditation on Wednesday, remarks about the close knit setting.
Mass is offered for all Residence Halls, but only Campion has it every other week.
“I needed a program for students that could run on that week we don’t have Mass,” said Caroline Scherbarth, Pedro Arrupe Minister. “I think Mass speaks to the Catholic students in the dorms, but I wanted something besides Mass to speak to a broader population of all faiths—or no faiths at all.”
Scherbarth opens the program with songs that invoke positive feelings and encourages students. At the Nov. 3 session, she played “Little Miss” by Sugarland on her Mac laptop. Students, quiet and somber, listened to the lifting lyrics of “it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright/Yeah, sometimes ya gotta lose ’til ya win”.
After, students are asked to reflect on the good (“At what time did you feel most alive?”) and bad (“When did you feel the life draining out of you?”) parts of their day.
The program focuses on the Examen of Consciousness, a spiritual exercise promoted by St. Ignatius. While Scherbarth asks the questions, the attendees have their eyes closed or chin against their chests, retreating into a state of comfort. They can choose to have a conversation with God, but Christianity is never forced upon anyone. Silence in this part of the program is treasured.
Students are free to discuss what is on their minds, be it a worry or personal opinion. They talk about the hurried lifestyle that they have adopted since the beginning of college.
Some express their concern that they will miss important things because they are preoccupied with little, trivial worries. Others discuss God and His guidance in their lives.
The session ends with a moment of silence until everyone stands and stretches. The lights go back on and like a switch, students become animated, and the room is filled with laughter, chatter, and the tantalizing aroma of delicious pizza.
The relaxation of the students is tangible and contagious, and this goes on for long time until the number of participants slowly dwindles. Scherbarth is left to rearrange the furniture while having a chat with the remaining students who, after the session, always procrastinate in doing homework and sleeping.
“I love how we have a pretty good size group,” Scherbarth said. “We are more comfortable with each other…I hope in the spring semester meditation will become a weekly event.”
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