A new type of urban spiritual space is drawing in passersby with its offer of silence
THERE WAS a time when most Irish people felt comfortable to drop into a church to find a moment’s peace in their day. Now, partly due to the recent sexual abuse scandals, churches no longer feel like places of solace for some people. Public parks and gardens can sometimes fill the gap but there is also a new type of urban spiritual space that is drawing in passersby.
One such place is the Living Room on the corner of Clarendon St and Coppinger Row close to one of Dublin’s busiest shopping areas around Grafton St. A large room with wooden crates for seats and potted palm trees for shadow, it is a public space where people can share silence from 9.30am- 3.30pm from Monday to Friday. There is no entry charge.
The Living Room is facilitated by Christine Clear on behalf of the Carmelite Community in Clarendon St. “I wanted to do something that clicked into the artistic and cultural life of the city and the Carmelites were keen to provide a space for people who would have difficulty going into a church,” explains Clear.
Opened since May, Clear says there has been a good response. “People say it is fantastic and that they will come every day but then of course, they don’t. In some ways, just by being here is enough,” she says. Initially, Clear says people found it difficult to be silent but now that is becoming easier.
“Everybody wanted to speak when they first came in but now the space is unfolding and people are learning to exchange the silence.
“We want to be there for people before, during and after work – to give them a space to consider their choices and connect with their conscious. They can sit, read or even sleep if they wish but they must be silent. I believe silence is a much more radicalising medium than conversation and it takes time to develop.”
The Living Room has also hosted a number of so-called contemplative conversations at which expert speakers, such as retired psychiatrist Dr Ivor Browne, have spoken and then led discussions on “the spiritual impact of this (economic) upheaval”.
The Sanctuary spirituality centre on Stanhope St, Dublin 7, is another place where people are beginning to visit spontaneously. Niamh Bruce, the manager of the Sanctuary, says: “There has been a huge increase in the number of people dropping in to the centre unannounced. People come in to sort things out in their head – especially those who have been recently unemployed. They often find churches are locked and they need a physical space away from the familiar ones,” she explains.
The Sanctuary has a garden where people can sit and also a warmly coloured round room designed for silence. “It’s a sacred space that people can sit in. They don’t have to answer questions or ask permission to be there. They might get a smile from a staff member just to indicate that they can ask questions if they wish,” she explains.
This thirst for quiet places to contemplate is not confined to the capital. Mike Egan runs an open meditation space on Wednesday evenings in the parish centre of St Peter’s Church of Ireland in Drogheda, Co Louth. “It’s a space for stillness. People come there for a non-language based session. At the moment we’ve got about eight to 10 people who come but I’d like to develop it further,” he says.
Meditation teacher John Doherty also provides opportunities for people “to reflect and connect to something deeper” in his Open Door spirituality evenings in various locations around Dublin. “I notice that there are small centres and prayer rooms springing up all over the place at the moment,” he says.
sanctuary.ie; christineclear.org; anbradanfeasa.org
