Sanctuary
Our Sanctuary room is open as an interfaith place for reflection, meditation or prayer. Whether you have a booking at the centre, use one of our offices, or are a community member simply walking by, you are more than welcome to use the space for a moment of peace, tranquillity and rest. The room is fully accessible using a set of stairs or lift, which both take you straight to the Sanctuary. It is open from 10am-3pm, Monday to Thursday.
We recognise that the term “interfaith” can have a broad range of meanings to a broad range of people, and our aim to it make the space as accessible for as wide a range of community groups as possible. The reflective booklet in the Sanctuary (also available as a PDF – click here) has a mixture of poems, guided meditations and scripture for a range of traditions so that everyone, regardless of the faith or belief that they affiliate with, will find something useful, and have an opportunity to rest from the rush of city living. The space itself has also been set up with as much neutrality as possible to ensure that remain flexible for whoever is using it.
We also recognise that an interfaith space does not need to exist for the sole purpose of individual meditation, reflection or prayer. The Sanctuary can also be used for organised group worship and reflection and small events pursuing common aims such as action on social justice, poverty and equality. For example, Greyfriars Kirk organise Anam Cara events at the Centre, which are open to everyone and provide a space for faith conversations with friends, thinking about how religion and spirituality helps us engage with the issues of the world today. These close with reflections from different traditions in the Sanctuary Space. For upcoming events, see: www.greyfriarskirk.com/events.
With a capacity of 30, the Sanctuary can also be hired for exclusive use. More details are available here.