Helen Hills Hills Chapel at Smith College makes effort to welcome all faiths

NORTHAMPTON ? Shalom. Salaam. Peace.

No matter how you spell it, you can find inner peace at Helen Hills Hills Chapel and commune with the godhead, if you wish. The chapel at Smith College has five distinct spaces where students from specific religions can worship and several other spaces where they can simply sit in peace.

Most recently, the multi-faith space caught the eye of Rajan Zed, an Indo-American who promotes Hinduism around the world as the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism. Zed was particularly impressed with the Hindu mandir, a sort of temple where Smith students from India and Pakistan can light incense and view images of various Hindu deities.

?It?s a step in the right direction,? Zed said in a statement he released to the press.

Jennifer Walters, Smith?s Dean of Religious Life, said the mandir has actually been part of Helen Hills Hills Chapel since 2000. The space is at the top of the stairs near the balcony to the chapel. There are also rooms where Muslim and Jewish students can worship, as well as the Blue Room, a quiet space where Smith students can pray, meditate or just sit quietly.

?Many of our students are agnostic,? Walters said. ?Most students who come to Smith College don?t have any religious affiliation.?

Built in 1955, the chapel looks from the outside like a classic Protestant New England church. Smith alumna Helen Hills Hills donated money for the project with the understanding that it would be an interfaith space. Walters said the school is currently looking at making the main sanctuary, which has pews and resembles a Christian meeting house, more accessible to students of all faiths.

Source: http://www.masslive.com/living/index.ssf/2013/07/smith_college_offers_worship_space_to_all.html

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