Does today’s student appreciate sacred space?

Colleagues and I were recently discussing this topic, noting that many of today’s students don’t have much of a notion of the sacred, of a place or institution set apart from the rest of mundane experience, a place that invites silence and prayer and contemplation, a place reserved for thoughts of God.

What, then, can we do about this? Is there such a thing as a virtual sacred space? Is reverence disappearing?

 

 

Matt Emerson's essays have appeared in a number of publications, including America, Commonweal, and the Wall Street Journal. The Catholic Press Association named his September 2012 essay "Help Their Unbelief," published in America, as the "best essay" in the category of national general interest magazine for 2012. He is the author of the book Why Faith? A Journey of Discovery (Paulist Press 2016).Articles:Fruitful Searching (Jan. 5-12, 2015)Preambles for Faith (May 13, 2013)Help Their Unbelief (Sept. 10, 2012)Posts at The Ignatian Educator