On Monday, Feb. 19, the McMahon Prayer Room, the first of its type at a University of Connecticut residence hall, officially began its opening showcase. The Prayer Room is located in Room 197 by the North side entrance of McMahon Residence Hall and will be open for “all residents and guests to view and see the space” until its official opening on Feb. 23.
After Feb. 23, the Prayer Room will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Any students interested in using the space for silent prayer, regardless of where they live on campus, are welcome to enter through McMahon’s M level and check out a key at the McMahon staff desk. Reservations will last thirty minutes and can be made by up to four students at a time.
In an interview with the Daily Campus, Hall Director Alexis Monteiro and Senior Resident Assistant Nakya Lawson addressed potential student questions about the prayer room, its availability and its origins.
“We had a space that hadn’t been used since back before the pandemic, and so we wanted to get some ideas of what to do with that space,” said Monteiro, who came to McMahon from North Campus last year.
“Throughout my experience as a Hall Director, I’ve realized that at times there isn’t much space for students to practice their faith in a safe environment.”
We have a responsibility to create a safe environment on campus for our students, and that starts by giving them a space where they can practice their well-being. And well-being is not only the physical and mental, but the emotional, spiritual, and financial components as well.
Hall Director Alexis Monteiro
The concept of prayer rooms — or multifaith spaces, as they are sometimes called — are nothing new, Monteiro notes.
McMahon’s prayer room is only the latest in a growing trend of prayer rooms in residence halls on college campuses, both in the northeast and nationwide. Within UConn, McMahon’s prayer room is the second room for multifaith worship, joining the “prayer and meditation space” on level B of the Homer Babbidge Library.
“The idea was to give students a space that is especially open to all faiths… that’s accessible to them” Monteiro stresses.
The prayer room in Room 197 contains mats, pillows, and ample natural light. Additionally, Lawson noted a whiteboard, chargers and other utilities available for any to use.
While the prayer room in McMahon is open for use all UConn students, both residents and non-residents, Monteiro hopes it will inspire a “domino effect” of similar spaces across campus.
“We have a responsibility to create a safe environment on campus for our students, and that starts by giving them a space where they can practice their well-being,” Monteiro says, “and well-being is not only the physical and mental, but the emotional, spiritual, and financial components as well.”