What initially drew me to Pratt House was its silence. As a cozy brick building nestled behind large evergreens, it is the perfect home for the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices (RSLCP). I first stepped into Pratt to check out a morning Buddhist Sangha meditation. I have since become familiar with the heavy presence of quiet in Pratt—a weighted blanket woven of the sounds of nature outside and muffled footsteps.
Since then, I have returned to Pratt for Sangha, but also as a study spot on campus; it is often even quieter than the library. With a steady supply of hot water, I have savored the still moments I have carved out into my schedule at Pratt, whether I am enjoying my own company with a cup of tea or the presence of other people looking for a meditative medium.
However, in the past week, RSLCP hosted two events—Coffee House and Interfeast—that intentionally sought to fill that silence and welcome the wider community into Pratt. That is, once people figured out how to open the door: Push the knob really hard!
“We aim to offer a welcoming environment where students can be in community and we’re thrilled students fill Pratt House for these events,” Reverend Callista Isabelle, Associate Dean of the College for Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices, emphasized in an interview with The Miscellany News. This past Tuesday evening, I was not sure who would be at Coffee House, but as soon as I passed through the door, I found myself chatting. Before the music even started, I began to find harmony in the connections I formed around me.
True to its name, Coffee House began with coffee, tea and an array of desserts. I was charmed by the tiny white china, carefully clutching a teacup handle as I maneuvered to find a seat in the living room that was filled with rows of chairs. Fairy lights bathed the room in a golden glow that ushered in the fall season and framed the microphone stands at the front of the room with a quasi-angelic halo. “Since the space is a living room, it feels very homey and supportive, and everyone there is genuinely interested in what you have to share,” Hadley Snell ’28 noted. Snell is the president of Vassar Verse, a campus poetry organization, and shared a sweet original poem about oranges at Coffee House.
Other performers presented an assortment of music, poetry and even a magic show! “My favorite part of Coffee House is hearing students encourage each other as someone goes to the mic to share a new song or a poem they wrote,” Isabelle mused. The event did not have a strict setlist: When a spot opened in front of the microphone, the room filled with the excited chatter of friends emboldening one another to go onstage. It was not seamless, but that is what I found so amazing. There was beauty in how someone would rush out of the room to find a guitar tuner to share if a performer was missing one. It was sacredly human.
Snell added, “I think everyone who performs at these coffee houses is so brave in how vulnerable their art is, and part of what makes Pratt such a special community is that people feel like they can share work that is very intimate with each other.”
As the night went on, audience members—including myself—grabbed more tea in between acts and shuffled back into our seats to hear the first chords of the next song. It was during this time that I spoke with Jack Frederick ’28, who recounted how he initially got involved with Coffee House his sophomore year. As a member of the Student Music Union, he helped set up the sound equipment for the event and stayed for the musical community that Coffee House cultivates. “It’s a great place to workshop new stuff,” he emphasized. “I played one of the first songs I wrote here, and people loved it.”
Coffee House ended with a group song—that night, it was “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young. Although I did not know the lyrics at first, I found myself joining in before I knew it, and my voice filled the room along with the taste of chamomile tea and carrot cake.
I found more lovely company and food at Interfeast—an evening of dinner with a side of interfaith conversation. This Interfeast marked a year of these gatherings since they began last fall by student initiative. “RSLCP student leaders were excited to host dialogues that brought students from diverse religious and non-religious backgrounds together over meals,” Isabelle recalled.
The RSLCP catering was from Gymkhana Cuisine of India, a local restaurant. The rich scent of chicken curry flooded my senses and plate as I found my way to a seat. That night, the dining table I became accustomed to doing my work at was split into triangles spread throughout the room. Among the people I shared dinner with were those I knew from spiritual groups, and others I did not have the joy of knowing yet. To kick off the evening, Vassar Catholic Community President Ben Garrity ’27 imparted some words of wisdom: “Speak your mind, speak your truth, speak your heart.”
Over the sound of the clinking of silverware, our table delved into our food and discussions of our spiritual journeys. “Interfaith dialogue helps to increase our understanding of others’ beliefs and perspectives,” Isabelle noted. My group’s discussions included navigating a work-life balance in college, learning to accept difficult emotions and existing unapologetically.
However, what I recall most fondly was the moments of silence that blossomed between our conversations. I did not expect to find the same stillness I found at Sangha during Interfeast, but I savored how our shared words hung in the air, a testament to a community built across spiritual backgrounds at Pratt that makes space for both stillness and clamor.
While not a member of a faith group on campus, for George Truax ’27, an RSLCP student leader and an organizer for Coffee House and Interfeast, Pratt has been a wonderful catalyst for student engagement. He explained that Pratt was a unique space that students in his class year found as underclassmen before the townhouses, where they ran the programming and had a large say in how Pratt works with the campus community.
“Students are often surprised that they also learn more about themselves in the process,” Isabelle recounted, which I took to heart. By marking Coffee House and Interfeast on my Google Calendar, and after feeling rejuvenated walking out of Pratt on Tuesday and Thursday night, I recognized the importance of intentionally carving out time in a busy schedule to connect with oneself, others and the universe.
As I am writing this, I am eating leftover carrot cake, and the edges of my nails are still stained yellow with Gymhana curry. Pratt has given me a taste of peace while adjusting to college life. I hope to keep visits as part of my routine: whether for the next Coffee House or Interfeast, a mindfulness session or a simple mug of tea.