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Depending on where, when, how, and if a student wants to worship, organizations all over campus offer religious options as varied as the students attending the University. The Catholic Student Center, Hillel, the Muslim Student Association and College Central, the student ministry of Central Presbyterian Church, are four of the largest religious communities on campus.
St. Louis Hillel offers Jewish social, intellectual, and cultural programs. Located near the intersection of Skinker Boulevard and Forsyth Boulevard, Hillel offers a daily morning service, called a minyan, and hosts student-led reform, conservative, and Orthodox services at 5:45 p.m. on Friday evenings. A traditional Shabbat dinner follows the services at 7:00 p.m. Students can also attend Saturday morning services at the Hillel building or can choose to go to a nearby synagogue.
In addition to religious programming, Hillel organizes student community service programs, including Mitzvah Day on September 18, and an annual Jewzapalooza fair in the spring. Over Labor Day weekend, Hillel will host an orientation program for incoming freshmen called Into the Wild. The program takes place in the Ozarks and pairs freshmen with upper-classmen who act as their mentors for the rest of the year.
"This program gives incoming freshmen the opportunity to meet and to interact with other freshmen, while allowing them to understand more about Jewish community," said Margo Hamburger-Fox, the executive director at St. Louis Hillel.
Hillel also offers religious counseling for all students and career counseling for graduating students wishing to work in the Jewish community. Said Hamburger-Fox, "Our role is to help Jewish students live the Jewish way. Hillel is not a religious school. It is created by students [and] is for students."
Just a few blocks down Forsyth from Hillel, the Catholic Student Center also serves as a resource center for hundreds of students and community members. The CSC holds mass every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
According to Father Gary Braun, the Catholic Student Center (CSC) is a place where students can come "to rest, study, and talk."
"The Church can be a great resource. We are here to answer questions for students," Braun explained.
Main events during the school year revolve around Lent and Easter. At all times, the CSC welcomes students of every faith, and Braun believes that it's the welcoming community draws many non-Catholics to services.
"People feel a lot of love when they come to the service," said Braun.
Off campus, the CSC sponsors community service trips, including an international trip to Guatemala, a national service trip to Appalachia and inner city tutoring in St. Louis. The CSC also hosts weekly retreats off-campus that, says Braun, "offer a time for students to search their souls and to learn more about their faith."
The Muslim Student Association's (MSA) aim is to provide resources for Muslim students as well as to increase awareness and understanding of Islam. The group's two main activities each year consist of the annual Ramadan Fast-A-Thon and Islamic Awareness week.
Each year, the MSA hosts a Fast-A-Thon to fight local hunger and poverty while celebrating the month of Ramadan.
"It is a day of celebration in which we encourage non-Muslims to fast. In exchange for their cause, we asked local companies to donate money for every non-Muslim who fasts," explained Tasmeem Ahmad, President of the MSA. "Last year we raised a lot of money and donated the money to Seed St. Louis."
Muslim students can attend religious services at a nearby mosque. Graduate students and upperclassmen often offer rides to students without transportation.
Muslim students also have full access to Islamic Housing located in Small Group Housing. The community, called Alif Laam Meem, provides students with the opportunity to read the Koran and the Hadith in the Islamic Library as well as to pray in the prayer room.
"Everyone is very supportive," Ahmad said, explaining that everyone, including non-Muslims, is welcome to join the club.
College Central, the collegiate ministry of the Central Presbyterian Church in nearby Clayton, is a gospel-centered Christian community. According to Darly Madi, the group's campus minister, College Central "strives to be a loving community base [for the] message of God's mercy and of Jesus Christ."
The Central Presbyterian Church offers services at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday and can be reached via the University's shuttle system. Alongside weekly sermons, College Central hosts weekly discussions on Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m. at Ursa's Fireside Lounge and social events such as volleyball and night-time Frisbee. College Central will host a campus carnival picnic on August 29 to welcome new members.
Apart from these four religious organizations, Washington University plays host to a wide variety of other religious groups. Every spring, ATMA, the Hindu Student Association, celebrates the Hindu festival Holi with a large water balloon fight on the swamp along with Indian food and music. Students involved with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offer rides to a nearby church for incoming freshmen interested in joining the ward as well as providing weekly family night events.
While religion and politics may typically be treated as taboo subjects of conversation, campus ministers will take on the former during "So my roommate is of another faith..." on August 30 at Friedman Lounge. Rabbi Avi Katz Orlow from Hillel, Sister Linda from the CSC and other campus ministers will come together to help answer questions for freshmen who may be either hesitant to ask their roommates questions or just curious about different religions. The discussion panel will not only answer specific questions about religious practices and customs but also give advice for how to make the most of new living situations.
Madi advises incoming freshmen who may have doubts about their new roommates to make the best of the situation.
"I would encourage them respect other people," said Madi. "I would encourage them to talk about their differences. I would encourage them to do their best to interact with them."
