The conduit of prayer supplies the knowledge and strength to face these social and personal choices. Aside from the challenges of academics and personal life, there are the complex questions that all students ask as they explore and mature in their faith. Be it in the realms of science, theology or social work, we find ourselves faced with the task of aligning a world and a faith that sometimes seem to be at odds. Although academic inquiry provides some answers, there are a host of questions that can only be dealt with through the constant dialog of prayer. Yet, as the campus environment places demands, it also supplies opportunities to grow.
Students can find two or three gathered in silent or spoken prayer in a variety of situations.
These include daily chapel services, St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Student Center, the Muslim Student Association's gather room, Student Senate opening devotions, committee meetings, Intervarsity's Friday night gatherings, the houses and chapter rooms of the Greek community, and in the classrooms. Surrounded by others that rely on faith for help and direction, we gain strength from one another. The teachers, students and administrators who assemble and pray in these places benefit not just themselves and the endeavors of their organization, but those of us who see and admire them. These moments act as sources of daily encouragement. Tiring work and plaguing doubt are themes that run through the lives of undergraduate students everywhere.