Every year in the junior theology class of World Religions, Mr. Lodes takes his students on an all-day field trip to view various worship buildings across St. Louis. They get the opportunity to visit a mosque, a Hindu temple, and a synagogue. Throughout the year the class learns about each of these religions, and be able to apply what they learn in class to these locations.
The purpose of these visits is for the students to grow in their knowledge of other religions, as well as grow in their own faith. It encourages them to be accepting and loving of the world around them and make learning fun. 

Mr. Andrew Lodes, theology teacher, emphasizes to his students the importance of asking questions in order to understand important topics in their own way. 

“One of the things I thought was awesome was the questions that the students had. This was one of the most [inquistive] field trips i’ve ever had and it was great seeing people interacting and taking the lead,” Mr. Lodes said.

This year a few things were done differently. For example, they visited a different synagogue and they did a student-to -tudent presentation on their beliefs and the meaning of rooms in the building. The synagogue was the B’nai Amoona located in Creve Coeur. A new mosque was also visited, it’s called the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis or the Daar Ul-Islam Masjid. The Hindu temple they have had the opportunity to visit for the past few years was called the Hindu Temple of St. Louis.

Junior Melanie Beers went on the fall tour.

“I especially liked going to the Hindu temple because it was such a different environment than what i’ve been exposed to” she said. “There were lots of statues and art to see.”

The eye-catching parts of the Hindu temple were the statues that were featured around the building. The students were able to view a puja , which is a Hindu act of temple worship, as soon as they walked in. In the Mosque the students also had the opportunity to be there for one of the daily Islam prayers where leaders walked them through exactly what to do. 

Visiting various places of worship is an activity that all students will get to experience when taking World Religions. Mr. Lodes is already gearing up for next semester’s visit, as well.