STA is known for having one of the most beautiful college-like campuses in Kansas City, complete with three buildings and a spacious quad. But there is something missing at this Catholic high school founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph: a building dedicated to worship. Starting March 23, the latest improvement to our campus—the chapel—will begin construction.
This chapel should be a place unlike any other on campus, where students can do things like weekly meditation and silent prayer. Although the chapel is going to hold four classrooms, the students and faculty at STA need to make sure we use this chapel to its full advantage by dedicating it as a place of worship and offering meditation and a peaceful place for prayer. 
Most students at STA would agree that stress is a daily visitor in our busy lives: wouldn’t it be nice to have a quiet and peaceful environment to relax in throughout the day? The chapel should be used to provide meditation to students during both activities three times a week.
Benefits of meditation include:
- Improved learning ability and memory
- Increased creativity and productivity
- Relief from emotional stress and headaches
- Relief from pre-menstrual symptoms
- Enhanced immune system
- Builds self-confidence and self-acceptance
- Decreased muscle tension
- Resolved fears and phobias
- Reduced tendency to worry
- Enhanced energy and strength
- Increased compassion, forgiveness and happiness
This would allow students to take a much needed break from their worries, to relax and to calm their minds.
In addition to weekly mediation, the chapel should offer a small room or space dedicated to silent prayer. This room should be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. It would give students and faculty a place to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the school day to simply talk to God without any outside disturbances. Praying is also a great way of achieving a sense of peace by taking your mind off your studies and focusing it on your prayers. Prayer can help students who are having problems with friends, family or schoolwork by talking about them with God and asking for guidance. The Catholic Encyclopedia states that prayer is necessary for salvation; without prayer we cannot resist temptation or receive God’s graces. Prayer is a vital part of our Catholic faith, and students and faculty need to be given the opportunity to do this activity whenever they want in a quiet environment.
Pros:
- Decreased levels of stress for students
- Increased concentration and ability to learn
- Spiritual growth by praying and talking to God
Cons:
- Finding teachers to moderate prayer and lead meditation would prove challenging
- Meditating could prevent students from using their spare time to get work done
The chapel is going to be a great addition to our already thriving campus; however, it can be an even greater addition if it focuses on reducing students’ stress levels and improving students’ spiritual growth. Offering meditation and silent prayer would give students the opportunity to do both of these things and much more.
Right on Target
Grace Dominique, sophomore
“I think [prayer and meditation] would be good to have in the chapel because it would be a nice break from the classroom environment”
Ariana Goode, junior
“Meditation would be great for relaxing, and people could go and pray if they were having a bad day or if they wanted to offer an intention for a loved one.”
Maggie Rellihan, sophomore
“Prayer is a big part of my life and [a space dedicated for prayer] would be a great opportunity to say some daily prayers.”
