2023 SYI Curriculum Coordinator Reflects on Paying Attention
“Attention . . . is the same thing as prayer.” – Simone Weil
In summer 2023, I participated in the Miller Summer Youth Institute Fellowship for Undergraduates Program as a curriculum coordinator. Although this was my third year being a part of SYI, thanks to the pandemic this was my first time in person. Now an alum of both SYI and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, I can see how influential this program has been in shaping my character. In various ways, I was able to see a similar impact on this year’s cohort.
Walking in Highland Park
In our first week of programming, we had Father Evan Graham Clendenin lead our workshops. On the first day, we walked up to Highland Park. There we just paid attention to our surroundings. I took this time to participate with the fellows and I realized that this was my first time paying attention to Highland Park. This park that I had only used for running trails and long talks over the phone with friends, had now become something so much more. In that moment, I noticed how nature wrapped around the park like a blanket. I noticed the birds singing and bugs “buggin’!” I was present!
Attention as Prayer
Two weeks later, we discussed attention as a religious practice.
“Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer. If we turn our minds towards the good, it is impossible that little by little the whole soul will not be attracted thereto in spite of itself. Extreme attention is what constitutes the creative faculty in man and the only extreme attention is religious. The amount of creative genius in any period is strictly in proportion to the amount of extreme attention and thus of authentic religion at that period.” – Simone Weil
We spent an entire session trying to unpack this dense quote. For me, I automatically reflected on our first week with Father Evan. He introduced me to a new form of prayer. That is what I understand Simone Weil to be saying. The act of being present is way more sacred than I had believed before this fellowship. From that point on, I often challenge myself to pay attention more and study the present.
Journaling Facilitates Sacred Attention
Weekly the curriculum coordinators were in charge of conducting a workshop. In the first week, with Father Evan, I conducted a workshop on journaling. For me, journaling is a way to explain the past, understand the present, and plan for the future; but it requires focusing on yourself and the world around you. It requires attention. After these six weeks of great workshops, activities, and growth, I now understand that journaling is a sacred practice and this is because of attention.
I now see the world around me.
The simple meditative practice of paying attention is one of the many things that I was introduced to during the six-week fellowship for undergraduates in Pittsburgh. I am changed because I now see the world around me. All throughout our programming the themes of focusing on our surroundings, acknowledging the present, and paying attention, were ways for us to add mindfulness into our everyday practices.
Steff Johnson ’23 worked with SYI’s summer 2023 Fellowship for Undergraduates Program as a curriculum coordinator.
2023 SYI Participants Reflect on Paying Attention
“One of the main things that I learned that changed the way I approach life was about this idea of careful attention. There is always something to see when you slow down enough, whether that is paying closer attention to the land or paying closer attention to people there is always something to notice and learn.” – Sierra Glyer
“My time at PTS was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I believe people from all backgrounds and cultures should take advantage of. I gained a lot of knowledge about God, the world, and myself. I view life and how we should interact with the world quite differently. . . [such as] learning how to be mindful and self-reflective through journaling.” – Julia Williams
“As I step up back into the busy rhythms of college senior year, the contemplative practices of slowing down my day and the importance of living into my need of Sabbath and respecting it has been something I have taken back with me.” – Thiara Herrera-Leiva
Learn more about the Miller Summer Youth Institute at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and apply to the 2024 Fellowship for Undergraduates Program at www.pts.edu/syi-undergraduate-fellowship.