The Spiritual Room showcase in Conestoga’s E-Wing last week has provoked discussion on campus of the purpose of the room and its use.
The Spiritual Room is provided by Conestoga Students Inc. It is intended as a space meant for prayer, meditation or silent, peaceful reflection. It is open at all times. On the Doon campus, it is in Room 2A135; at the Cambridge campus, it’s A2207; at Waterloo campus, it’s 2G24; and on the Guelph Campus, it’s beside A10.
“I like [the Spiritual Room] because I am from India and where we live we are used to having a masjid every few kilometres,” said Nawaz Mohammad, who is enrolled in the project management program at Conestoga. “So it is nice, when we are in school, to be able to leave class and pray whenever it is easy for us.”
On the Doon campus, the ablution wudu room is in Room 2A133. It is used before prayer to clean the face, hands, neck and feet. It is a room known as “the spiritual foot bath” and is a precondition for prayer.
Farooq Ahmed, another student in the project management program, said “The current [Spiritual Room] we are in is a little small, although that is only a small thing. I know the new space will a lot bigger. It is always a nice experience in that space and everyone is very happy to have it. I am always comfortable praying there. Having a space to pray on campus is very nice.”
Currently, the original Spiritual Room at Doon (2A135) is under construction, with completion expected within the next week or two. It will return to its original purpose when the construction is complete. Right now, the Spiritual Room is 2A137.
Students and faculty should be aware that the Spiritual Room is a space for meditation, praying and reflecting — and not for sleeping or talking. An earlier article for Spoke explained that there are also “recharge” rooms for student meditation and relaxation, rather than the Spiritual Room, which is more for prayer and religious rites.
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