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New Spiritual Center Draws
Increasing Number of Students at University Park

By Karen Trimbath, Student Affairs Writer

Go into the worship hall in the new Frank and Sylvia Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, and you’ll see a large fabric oil painting hanging in the front of the room. This painting by James Oleg Kruhly, the architect who designed the spiritual center, depicts a group of people emerging from darkness into the light. It serves as a metaphor for how an increasing number of Penn State students are drawn to the center as a place for spiritual development and a resource in learning about religious diversity, according to administrators of the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs.

Since the Center’s grand student opening celebration in Sept. 2003, more spiritual and religious services and programs have been held. These activities attract more students and community members. The number of student faith organizations has also increased from an estimated 35 to 50 over the past four years.

Sharon Mortensen Director

“There’s very likely a correlation between this growth and the opportunities offered here in this building,” says Sharon Mortensen, director of the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs, or CERA. “The spiritual center is a safe place for students of all faiths. They come here and find new doors opening for them.”

“Students can come here to learn who they are, to learn about their identities and goals independent of grades,” adds Davin Carr-Chellman, assistant director of the Center. “It’s really surprising that a state-related university has a center like this. We’re truly the one place at Penn State with a mission of helping students encounter religious and spiritual diversity and respecting other faiths.”

The Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, which contains roughly 29,400 square feet of worship and program space, and the Helen Eakin Eisenhower Chapel, which is about 24,000 square feet, form one of the largest religious centers on a public university campus in the nation. Both were built entirely with private funds.

This combined facility is also CERA’s home. For the last ten years, CERA has provided leadership on religion as well as educational opportunities for the exploration of spiritual development, moral education and responsible community leadership.

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Students who visit CERA can attend services, prayer groups or other meetings. They can meet with a member of the professional religious staff for counseling. Or they join the nearly 3,000 students who participate in community service trips each year, going to such places as Mexico, Haiti and other regions on the East Coast.

Eisenhower Chapel, which opened in 1957, is an all-faiths chapel named after Helen Eakin Eisenhower, the wife of past President of the University Milton Eisenhower.

The Pasquerilla Spiritual Center emphasizes the experience of an inspiring volume of space and the importance of light. The first floor features a two-story core worship area that can accommodate 450 people, and three adjoining chambers with an additional 300 seats that can be opened to the main area or closed off as separate rooms. The complex includes several other program rooms that can be used for prayer, worship or other functions; two kitchens, one of which is kosher; administrative offices; and ample gathering space outside worship areas.

Mortensen describes the two facilities and its programs as a grand experiment with challenges and opportunities. One challenge is meeting the increased demands for space, she says.

“It’s a wonderful problem to have,” she says. “We schedule about 20 events here per day. These events range from a crowd of 300 with a rock band and breakout sessions to groups of 20 meeting for fellowship meals, prayer groups or scripture and movie discussions.”

Another challenge is maintaining the separation of church and state. “We aren’t here to make students religious,” says Carr-Chellman. “Instead, we provide a space for them to explore the intangible realm of the spirit. Such explorations lead to ethical development and the formation of character outside the classroom.”

The growing number of programs offered by CERA gives students many educational opportunities, according to Mortensen and Carr-Chellman. While no classes are taught at the center, it has been partnering with academic units to bring in classes for tours and discussions. For instance, a workforce education professor plans on bringing her class to the center for a week to discuss religious diversity.

The School of Music partners with the Lutheran Campus Ministry to provide the weekly Bach’s Lunch, during which faculty and students provide musical performances every Thursday. It also provides artistic groups who perform at memorial services and other events.

Upcoming events include an exploration of how different faiths celebrate weddings, tentatively scheduled for April 2004. Other events in the works may include moderated discussions of contemporary social issues and more education about different faith groups.
The center also plans to install a pipe organ—the largest between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia—above the main worship hall in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center. It is being designed and built by the Orgues Létourneau Ltée, an internationally renowned company located in Quebec, and will be ready in mid-2005.

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