Places for Reflection & Worship
The Little Chapel of Silence is located on the northwest corner of Town and Gown, just behind the SAS building, and is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. Since 1935 it has been a place for silent reflection, meditation, and prayer for the whole USC community. Anyone can write a prayer or reflection on a slip of paper to put in the prayer box, or write in the notebook provided on the front altar. The notebooks, when filled, are placed in the altar in the reception area of the Office of Religious Life for anyone to come and view. The prayer slips are collected and are read aloud and then ceremonially burned in a ritual held by the Interfaith Council twice a year. All are welcome to the Prayer Reading ceremony. Follow ORSL on social media to learn about the dates for the ceremony.
In The Little Chapel of Silence is a mural above the altar: The Trojan Trysting Tree. Based on traditions of trysting trees and stones from the British Isles, the brass plaque beneath the mural invites members of the USC community to make professions, or “trysts”, of love and commitment:
“Under the Trojan Trysting Tree
Come sit with me for a spell;
Beneath its branches hold my hand
And the truth of my heart I’ll tell.”
The Reverend Thomas Kilgore, Jr. Chapel of the Cross can be reserved for Christian groups via our website. See more about the chapel HERE. Overseen by the Christian Life Team.
The Muslim Prayer Space is located on the second floor of the University Religious Center, room 204 and is open from 6:00AM – 10:00PM, seven days a week. Wudu facilities are in the bathrooms on the second floor.
The Hindu Prayer Space is located on the second floor of the University Religious Center room 202A – go to the ORSL office in rm 106 to get access if locked.
The USC Caruso Catholic Center, 844 W. 32nd St (at Hoover), is a block away from the north side of the USC campus: catholictrojan.org.
Reverence for the Earth: through the doors and in the entryway of Zumberge Hall on Trousdale Parkway, there is a beautiful 1937 Jean Goodwin tile mural entitled “Youth and Science”. Below it is a table where students and staff can place natural objects as “offerings” showing reverence for the earth and its living beings. On the table is a journal in which students can write poems, meditations, and reflections about their encounters with the natural world. When journals are filled and replaced, the filled journals will be on display in the altar in the reception area of URC 106, 9-5 Mon-Fri.
For more information about these spaces, please contact the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, orl@usc.edu – 213-740-6110.
