The former Tufts Catholic center, located at 58 Winthrop Street, will soon become a joint space for the Catholic, Protestant, and Islamic ministries on campus. The building is currently undergoing renovations, expected to be completed in time for the spring semester.
This "interfaith center" will give the Protestant and Muslim on-campus communities more space, but the same can not be said for the Catholic community.
"I see all the possibilities the interfaith center can provide, but the Catholic students have lost a place to call their own," Associate Catholic Chaplain Anne Penick said.
Calling the changes "bittersweet," Penick looks forward to the upcoming renovations that will take place, and admits the historical building is "in need of a total makeover."
The Catholic Community at Tufts (CCT) was given two months' notice to vacate the building, which has served as its home base since 1982. Tufts purchased the building from the ownership of the Archdiocese of Boston two years ago.
CCT has about 200-300 active members.
CTT president Ryan Coughlin expressed concern that his group will now have a harder time holding regularly scheduled events like welcome and farewell barbecues and monthly dinners.
"It will be much harder to find a communal gathering place for students just to relax," he said.
Neither the Catholic chaplaincy nor the CCT are willing to allow this loss to threaten their thriving community at Tufts.
"The Catholic Community is not defined by its building, and we will continue to exist and prosper without it," said Marisa Jones, co-social coordinator of the CCT. "We are in the process of looking for a building on campus to accommodate our needs, but our long term plans involve contacting alumni and the Archdiocese of Boston in order to raise funds to potentially find a new Catholic Center."
Protestant groups on campus, on the other hand, are glad to have a stable location for their programs and events. Meetings and events were previously held at various locations on campus and even in the limited space of the office of Barbara Asinger, one of Tufts' Protestant Chaplains.
Asinger is excited about the project and its impact on Tufts' religious community.
"I think that as we move more and more towards a global community, we really need to be considering ways in which we can dialogue together despite our theological differences," she said. "The more that we get to interact with people of different theologies, the more we develop understanding; that's the blessing of community."
Asinger expressed hopes that the center will attract students of all religious groups, even those who may not already be involved in the religious organizations on campus.
Mike Siegfried, the Social Chairman of the Protestant Student Fellowship (PSF), one of three Protestant groups on campus, is not as enthusiastic as Asinger.
"I think that it would be best for each group to have their own center in addition to the multi-faith center. Of course, I understand that this is not possible," he said.
This transition will also bring changes for the Islamic Community. The Islamic Center, currently located at 176 Curtis Street, has been a residence for students, and will continue as such. Prayer sessions were held in Paige Hall's Crane room in Paige Hall, because of a limited space at 176 Curtis.
"I am optimistic about the new center, which God willing will have more space and allow us to be more involved with the surrounding community," said Danyal Najmi, a member of the Islamic Student Association.
