EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL Thesis PRACTICING FOR THE JOURNEY: SPIRITUAL PRACTICES AND SPIRITUAL LIFE CHAPLAINCY IN A SECULAR UNIVERSITY BY CATHERINE J. OWENS Master of Technical and Professional Writing, Northeastern University, 1987 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF DIVINITY 2013 © Copyright by CATHERINE J. OWENS 2013 PRACTICING FOR THE JOURNEY: SPIRITUAL PRACTICES AND SPIRITUAL LIFE CHAPLAINCY IN A SECULAR UNIVERSITY Catherine J. Owens Episcopal Divinity School May 8, 2013 In this thesis I explore how support for the spiritual development of students in secular colleges and universities is evolving, particularly in response to the increased diversity of the student population and the rising numbers of religiously unaffiliated students, many of whom are disinterested in, even hostile to, religion. To serve this population, some chaplains are shifting their primary focus to interfaith dialog, service to others, and the exploration of questions of meaning and value. In parallel, developmental psychologists and educators increasingly recognize the need to support student spiritual development. Many envision secular institutions transformed into those where such support is part of the fabric of student life, but focus solely on faculty and staff as the agents of that change. Based on information from publications and interviews, I find that neither chaplains nor the Academy pay much attention to spiritual practice in this context. However, my experience in two years in a pilot program as a Spiritual Life Resource Assistant at Lesley University indicates that students are deeply appreciative of opportunities for both individual and communal spiritual practices. I argue that a spiritual life chaplain is uniquely qualified to be an agent of change in transforming a university from secularized institution to one that is fully supportive of student spiritual development, and that spiritual practices play an important role in that transformation. To the students of Lesley University iv CONTENTS SPIRITUAL LIFE IN THE SECULAR UNIVERSITY ...................................................3 The Secularization of Higher Education in the United States ........................................5 Confusing Concepts in Spirituality and Religion ..........................................................8 Is Spirituality Solely Self-Centered? ........................................................................8 Are Religions Unspiritual? .......................................................................................9 What Do the “Unaffiliated” Believe? ..................................................................... 11 Emerging Approaches to Supporting Spiritual Development ...................................... 12 The Practices Gap ...................................................................................................... 13 SPIRITUAL LIFE CHAPLAINCY AT LESLEY UNIVERSITY .................................. 17 The Pilot Context and Scope ...................................................................................... 17 Student Life at Lesley ............................................................................................ 17 Communicating about the Spiritual Life Resources Pilot ........................................ 19 Staff Interactions and Scope of the Pilot ................................................................. 22 An Evolving Focus on Spiritual Practice .................................................................... 25 Practices of Discernment........................................................................................ 25 Labyrinth ............................................................................................................... 26 Welcome the Light................................................................................................. 28 Concerns ................................................................................................................ 33 THE SPIRITUAL LIFE CHAPLAIN AS AN AGENT OF CHANGE ........................... 34 Enlisting the Faculty and Staff ................................................................................... 36 Integration and Collaboration. .................................................................................... 37 Communication ......................................................................................................... 39 A Mentoring Presence ............................................................................................... 42 Spiritual Practices ...................................................................................................... 44 Sacred Space and Time .......................................................................................... 44 Individual Practices ................................................................................................ 44 Communal Rituals ................................................................................................. 46 The Spiritual Year .................................................................................................. 48 Personal Reflection .................................................................................................... 49 v APPENDIX A: 2012-2013 LESLEY ORIENTATION LEADER SELF IDENTIFICATION ....................................................................................................... 51 APPENDIX B: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE PILOT ................................................. 53 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 58 vi INTRODUCTION In late April of 2011 the Director of Field Education at the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) sent out an email announcing a joint EDS/Lesley University pilot placement to support the spiritual life of Lesley students. Lesley had not had a chaplain or any other individual with this specific area of responsibility for approximately 10 years. On opening the attachment I read: The Spiritual Life Resource Assistant (a full-time student in good academic and conduct standing) will work with members of the Student Life and Academic Development Staff as a resource to all Lesley students. This is a pilot initiative that will last through the 2011-2012 academic year. In addition to regular, on- going assessment of the pilot, at the end of the year, the Dean of Student Life and staff will assess the year and make a determination about whether to extend the program should continue [sic]. As the goal of the pilot is to determine the desire for, and impact of, such a resource on the Lesley student experience, we will also provide specific opportunities for the Field Education student to learn how to function on a University campus. I felt no sense of vocation for university chaplaincy as I then understood it. However, in my life before EDS I worked as a consultant, and I continued to love the challenge of going into a new environment, discovering needs, building relationships, and creating the conditions in which to implement a project successfully. Furthermore, EDS’s relationship with Lesley University was in its early phases, and I thought that the pilot would be a way to create further ties between the two institutions.1 Finally, I was extraordinarily drawn to the opportunity. I was not in the ordination process and was 1 EDS began a partnership with Lesley University in 2008 that included sale of some buildings, shared use of facilities including library and dining hall, and collaboration on academic programs. 1 2 trying to discern my calling, and this seemed to be a path I should explore. Therefore, I decided to apply for the position, and I was accepted. My biggest fear was that at 57 and with no children of my own to have given me experience, I would be unable to build relationships with the students. That fear was unfounded. I had planned to spend the first semester focusing on infrastructure. Instead, I moved into offering programs more quickly than I or my supervisor had expected. I evolved a focus on dealing with change, and began to think about how to offer experiences that would give students spiritual competencies in navigating a rapidly changing world. I was invited back for a second year. While sitting with the labyrinth I installed in May of 2012, I experienced a deep sense of certainty that I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing, and I accepted the invitation to return. I was curious to place this pilot program in the context of current thinking about supporting student spiritual development, and began to read and to interview other chaplains in the area. This thesis evolved out of that research as well as my experience at Lesley. In this thesis I will review the changing academic position toward spiritual life in secular (religiously unaffiliated) universities2 in the United States, and new trends in supporting student spiritual development. I will then tell the story of my two years at Lesley. Finally I will offer a vision for how a Spiritual Life chaplain might be a change agent in a university moving from secularized institution to one that is fully supportive of student spiritual development. 2 I use ‘university’ as an umbrella term for 2- and 4-year colleges, as well as those institutions that include multiple colleges and schools. CHAPTER 1 SPIRITUAL LIFE IN THE SECULAR UNIVERSITY A chaplain serves may roles, the expression of which will depend on the chaplaincy context and purpose. Paget and McCormack list the chaplain’s general roles as pastor (one who provides spiritual care), intercessor (one who advocates for or builds relationships between), healer (one with concern for well-being of the whole person), and first and foremost ‘minister’ (one who officiates over religious activities).3 Stephen White includes a role mentioned by other sources as well, that of prophet (one who speaks God’s truth and bears witness to God’s love). That prophetic voice may in some cases be directed to the university administration itself. However, he too sees the role of ‘priest’ as central and says, “The chaplain’s main public function is the leading of regular worship.”4 Both say that the chaplain is also ‘clergy’ and denominationally appointed. For me, this is a traditional university chaplaincy. However, as university chaplains have responded to concerns I discuss later in this chapter, some are shifting their primary focus away from worship in their tradition and toward functions that supports the spiritual development of all members of the community, such as interfaith dialog or social justice ministry. Chaplaincy with this shift in focus is what I am calling Spiritual Life chaplaincy. This is not a binary construct. The chaplain’s focus will vary 3 Naomi K. Paget and Janet R. McCormack, The Work of the Chaplain (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 2006), 13-34. 4 Stephen L. White, The College Chaplain: A Practical Guide to Campus Ministry (Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press, 2005), 45. 3