A guide for visiting sacred spaces
Adapted from Interfaith Youth Core
Visiting a religious or sacred site provides a unique learning opportunity that can’t be replicated with literature, videos, or photos.
This guide will help support your experience as you’re being introduced to sacred spaces and practices different from your own.
Getting started
When contacting the site, be sure to communicate your goals and expectations so that you are respectful of their community, practice, and space. Be sure that your host outlines any special considerations to take into account while touring the space (maintaining silence, removal of shoes, etc.)
Begin your visit by understanding the history of the space, and relevant facts about the community. Ask your host to point to some key values of the particular religious community.
The tour
As you prepare to tour the space, consider the following questions:
- What symbols or images do I see?
- What sounds or scents do I notice?
- What stands out to me?
- What aspects seem familiar?
- Unfamiliar?
- What activities are happening in this space?
Ask your host to share a personal overview of their religious tradition. You may want to ask them to focus on specific areas of focus, such as:
- What are the basic tenets of your religious tradition?
- What are the holy days associated with your religious tradition?
- What are the sacred texts in your religious tradition?
- Is prayer or meditation a part of your tradition?
- If so, could you share a common prayer or meditation from your tradition?
- What does your tradition teach about serving others?
- How does your community serve others?
- Could you please share a personal story about what values motivate you as a follower of this tradition?
As you conclude the visit, review the questions you asked going into the tour and the observations you collected throughout the tour. What did you notice as you were touring the space? What expectations did you have going into the tour and how did those expectations actually coincide with what you saw?
Follow Up
As with any type of visit, don’t forget to express your thanks to the host and host site for their hospitality and time. Use your time afterwards to further the discussion and reflection started during the visit itself.
Visiting Sacred Sites will help you:
- learn about a particular religious site and how its community utilizes it
- draw connections between your own religious tradition and the beliefs, practices, and rituals of another religious community
- understand the commitment to service and other shared values in the community
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