Sacred Spaces at Emory Support Graduate Student Purpose and Wellbeing

Graduate education is intellectually rigorous — but flourishing requires more than academic achievement alone. Across Emory’s campus, sacred spaces and interfaith resources offer graduate students opportunities for reflection, prayer, meditation, and spiritual connection as part of a holistic student experience. 

The Office of Spiritual and Religious Life (OSRL) maintains prayer and meditation spaces in multiple locations from Cannon Chapel and the Emory Interfaith Center to smaller prayer rooms throughout academic and health sciences buildings. These spaces provide students of all backgrounds with peaceful places for reflection, prayer, meditation, and community gatherings.  

At the heart of these offerings is Cannon Chapel, from Protestant worship and Catholic Mass to Muslim Jumu’ah and Buddhist meditation, this intentionally interfaith worship and meditation space offers weekly gatherings.   

Just a short walk away, the Emory Interfaith Center offers dedicated rooms for prayer, study, meditation, and interfaith dialogue, designed to foster understanding and connection across traditions.  

Sacred spaces are also sprinkled throughout campus — from prayer and meditation rooms in the Rollins School of Public Health to wellness spaces in the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library, and a dedicated room in the School of Law — ensuring that graduate students can find moments of calm and reflection close to where they study and work.  

For Laney Graduate School students, these spaces align closely with the Purpose and Wellbeing pillar of the new Flourishing at Laney initiative. Engaging with spiritual life programs, attending interfaith events, or simply utilizing campus meditation and prayer spaces can be meaningful ways to nurture balance, community, and personal growth during graduate school. 

Whether it’s a moment of quiet in a meditation room or attending a community worship service, sacred spaces on campus offer a place for graduate students to pause, connect, reflect, and nourish their inner life as a meaningful part of their graduate experience. 

To explore locations, hours, and available resources, visit the Sacred Spaces webpage for more information.