Connecting with Identity: Prayers
Writer: Allison Liu
Editor: Mia Liang
Photographer: Havergal College
How can we explore identity? Embracing our beliefs and cultures in a safe environment is one fundamental requirement. In addition to academic life at Havergal, spiritual life is highly valued. Prayers at HC provides a foundation for reflection and shared experiences among students from various faiths. However, Prayers runs deeper than just a gathering of students. This piece explores Prayers as an esteemed tradition at Havergal, our school chaplain’s role, and the trend of students skipping Prayers.
In 1894, Havergal was founded to provide high-quality education for girls in the Anglican church tradition. The school’s affiliation with the Anglican faith is continued today and Prayers is one way through which it is celebrated. An essential part of spiritual well-being at HC, Prayers is a tradition that recognizes the importance of fostering a sense of belonging. The environment welcomes students and families from all faiths and beliefs at Havergal. Although Havergal prayers started from Anglican roots, it has now developed into a safe space for students exploring spiritual connection in a variety of forms. For the upper school community, these two times a week in the Brenda Robson Hall create opportunities for students to both share and learn from many faiths and cultures. Prayers is a major aspect of spiritual life at HC, but at its core, it represents a shared experience that celebrates our community values.
Prayers continues to develop and adapt to students’ needs. This year our school chaplain, Reverend Jillian Ruch. Rev Ruch brings a new sense of comfort to this tradition. Providing a steady presence for those in need of pastoral care, Rev Ruch helps us to do the opening and closing prayers every Monday and Thursday, She supports the Havergal community by being inclusive and open-minded through her sharings. Her goal is to elevate the voices and cultures of others at Havergal. Rev Ruch holds a space for discussion and curiosity as students embark on their own spiritual journeys. She invites students to engage with her in the chapel and approach her with any questions they might have about spiritual well-being. With an experienced background in social work, our school chaplain brings skills in listening and connecting in meaningful ways to our Prayer tradition.
Prayers is a compulsory part of Havergal’s morning programming, but it seems that not all students are too happy about this. While morning programming is mandatory, some students are elsewhere in the school or signed out until 9:30. Why might this be? Why may students believe that their time is better spent not attending Prayers? A major part of this is schoolwork. Classes don’t officially begin until 9:30, so students may find that they have an extra hour to sleep, catch up on homework, or study for tests. However, this hour dedicated to morning programming and prayers is essential to being part of the Havergal community and easing our minds into being active for a day of learning. Prayers focuses on a new topic each week and is a program that everyone can learn something from.
As high school students who are busy and/or stressed, we always feel that there’s not enough time in the day to take a moment to reflect. Prayers at Havergal is a tradition that connects to our school roots and Anglican affiliation, and it has developed into a community for upper-school students to gather and share experiences and cultures. Spiritual well-being is highly valued and something that our school wants to be able to offer to students in an inclusive and safe space. This year Rev Ruch, our school chaplain, continues to enhance our long-standing tradition by bringing in a new sense of curiosity and understanding of spiritual journeys to Prayers. Students may feel that their time is better spent elsewhere, but embracing these aspects of the Havergal community and allowing yourself to spend some time in the day to simply listen and learn can offer a lot more than one might realize.