Healing with prayer

On any typical Sunday, Father Dan Atkins of St. Paul's Catholic Center says parishioners file into church minutes before the mass. Chairs are empty and there's a place to park.\nBut for the last six weeks, that's a thing of the past.\nSince the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, people pour in -- some as much as 30 minutes early. Parking, usually constrained to the parking lot and little beyond, stretches further down 17th Street. Perhaps the most telling example of the increase in turnout is that the church copied 400 extra bulletins to satisfy the extra demand.\n"We can guess the many, many people who are concerned and want to join with people in the country for solidarity," Atkins said.\nMore people seeking solace in prayer at St. Paul's, 1413 E. 17th St., reflect the scene around Bloomington and much of the country. Since the attacks, more people are praying. Religious leaders say they are pleased with the higher attendance, but they wonder how long it will last.\nThe religious community in Bloomington feels the surge in number of attendees almost immediately because the start of the semester is usually the time when students go "church shopping," which can mean making the distinction between early semester and the events of Sept. 11 on churches hard to tell. But this time, religious leaders say traffic gushed well beyond normal as large numbers of people went looking for peace in their faith lives. \nAt St. Charles Borromeo Church, 2222 E. Third St., Damian Dittmer, who's been a member of the congregation since he was a boy, said about 100 more people fill the pews than usual, about a 20 percent rise in attendance. \nAt the Evangelical Community Church, 503 S. High St., attendance rose. The church offers two services Sunday mornings and an evening service called ConneXion aimed specifically at college or recently graduated students. The services are normally packed, but the church has seen a larger escalation in Christian and non-Christian attendance than it has in the past several years.\nRabbi Sue Shifron at Helene G. Simon Hillel Center, 730 E. Third St., said more students are coming to synagogue to be with other students in frightening times. Although it's a religious season for many faiths, Shifron noted that Hillel is seeing "hundreds of more students."\nMichael Tanney, a freshman from New York, is one student who has been praying more informally. After the attacks, Tanney noticed more people at services, and said while the numbers have fallen since just after the attacks, more people are still praying informally. When he watches television and sees the bombing, he takes a moment of silence. \n"I've noticed more people are being polite and being more aware of their neighbors," he said. \nKyle McCroskey, a junior, said he's "been to church a few more times" since the bombing. A self-described religious person, the number of times he's been praying and the types of things he asks for has changed. These days, he's praying more for "Americans and people all over the world." \nCouple Jason Debruler, a nonstudent, and Brooke Craven, a junior, talk about God frequently, but after Sept. 11, their conversations focus more on God and letting faith take its course. \nSome students who don't pray regularly took time to whisper a quick prayer. Junior Aaron Zubler who says he's not religious, prayed more after Sept. 11. Zubler, who was raised Catholic, is against the war with Afghanistan, and is praying for peace. Cielle Amundson, a senior, said she prayed when she found out about the attacks, but hasn't been praying since then. \nMany houses of worship around the country, as in Bloomington, held extra prayer services and candlelight vigils. The University held a convocation for an hour at Showalter Fountain. Almost at once, the country started talking about God and faith freely, with President George W. Bush calling on Americans to pray. Last week, the greek system held its own vigil for the victims of Sept. 11.\nSt. Paul's offered a service almost immediately after the attacks. On Sept. 11, C. J. Hawking, a pastor with Grace Chapel, an IU student-run fellowship at the Korean United Methodist Church, 1924 E. Third St., said the church was planning a Bible study, but changed it to a prayer service where students could come and talk about their own reactions. None of the students were directly affected, but it still gave them a forum to voice their concerns and grief. \n"We all need to share our grief," Hawking said. "Doing that in a sanctuary acknowledges that God is with us. We're feeling our strength in coming together to pray."\nThe Center for University Ministry, 1514 E. Third St., and along with the campus religious leaders held an interfaith prayer service in Dunn Meadow Sept. 16. Campus minister Rebecca Jimenez, a graduate student, noted the common themes among prayers centered on peace and unity. \nOne prayer written anonymously read, "I pray for peace in a time of turmoil, love in a time of hate and understanding in a world of misunderstanding." \nSeveral weeks ago, the Islamic Center, 1925 E. Atwater Ave., sponsored "Perspectives on Healing our Community," an event that emphasized unity and peace. \nAt many churches, the numbers have tapered off since the immediate post-Sept. 11. Grace Chapel has returned to serving its usual 30 people for the English-speaking service and more for the Korean-speaking service, Hawking said. \nFather Don Davis said the numbers at St. Charles are still on the high side. Davis, who has been with the church since 1994, was preparing for Sunday mass recently when he noted this about increase in prayer after Sept. 11:\n"It doesn't seem to be a week-long thing"