Ramadan at St. Thomas
Ramadan, the 9th month in the Islamic calendar, is a holy month of fasting, charity, prayers, and self-reflection.
During Ramadan, we offer a variety of opportunities to break the fast, engage with community and hear from special speakers, along with other activities.
This year Ramadan 2024 is starting on March 10, 2024. While we are continuously working on making this Ramadan at St. Thomas a great experience for you, please keep visiting this page for possible updates/ additions.
A Celebration of Community and Self-Discipline
Watch Vice President for Mission Father Chris Collins ’93, SJ, and Associate Chaplain Sadaf Shier, PhD, discuss Ramadan.
Prayer Spaces During Ramadan
Owing to the high traffic of Muslim students during Ramadan, the following meditation rooms will be reserved for Muslim Students only.
- St. Paul Campus (ASC 251, ICF LL 12, and Schoenecker Center 236A)
- Minneapolis Campus (MOH 200)
Weekly Iftar Dinners and Events
During Ramadan, we offer a variety of opportunities to break the fast, engage with community and hear from special speakers, along with other activities. Meals are complimentary but an RSVP is required for each event, so register for each event through the Muslim Student Life page or TommieLink.
Iftar gatherings: The following Ramadan Iftar gatherings have been planned by various entities in St. Thomas. Each gathering will offer complimentary halal dinner. Please sign up through Tommie Link.
- March 12: DAB in the Cities: Holy Land (This is an off campus Iftar) - Sponsored by DAB
- March 14: Ramadan Dinner and Meeting w/ MSA (ASC 202) - Sponsored By MSA
- March 18: Ramadan and Wellbeing (Woulfe Hall) - Sponsored By School of Nursing, School of Social Work, The Center for Well Being, and the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
- March 20: Ramadan Iftar Dinner: Justice and Islam (University of St. Thomas School of Law, Harmon Place, Minneapolis, MN, USA) - Sponsored by Muslim Law School Association
- March 21: MSA Annual Iftar (Woulfe Hall) - Sponsored By MSA
- March 28: Ramadan Dinner and Meeting w/ MSA (ASC 202) - Sponsored By MSA
- April 03: Muslim Entrepreneurship (Woulfe Hall) - Sponsored by the College of Business
- April 04: Fasting across Religious Traditions (ICF) - Sponsored by Campus Ministry and Encountering Islam Initiative
Ramadam Specific Late-Night Prayer
Al Taraweeh
Salat at Taraweeh: Salat at Taraweeh will be hosted in the Meditation Room in ICF every night from 8:45-9:45pm.
Ramadan Vibes
We will install lawn signs to welcome Ramadan around campus.
There is a limited number of Eid and Ramadan posters, greeting cards, and stickers available in Campus Ministry for those of you who would like to share it with your Muslim friends. Please call Campus Ministry (651-962-6560).
How to Request Academic Accommodations During Ramadan
With the permission from our VP of Academic Affairs, this template is being shared to help you communicate with faculty or supervisors to negotiate with them about your needs during Ramadan. You may customize the text to fit your needs. Please visit the Eid page for more information and alternate accommodation template.
Meals from Dining Services
Dining during Ramadan:
In addition to the above-mentioned Ramadan Iftar gatherings, our Dining Services is providing the following on daily basis during Ramadan:
- Dining Centers are open until 8:30 as usual. Exception will be Spring break/Easter weekend.
- We still have the vegetarian station available at Northsider. This includes flatbreads, proteins, and a vegetarian soup (found by the salad bar).
- New menu options at Northsider will be a curry and basmati rice that will change weekly during Ramadan. We will also have Halal Chicken and Halal meatballs available upon request. These items will be found at the vegetarian station.
- Sahur meals: We will also be offering a to-go meal after the students eat dinner, so they have food to eat before sunrise. This will only be offered at Northsider unless they are closed and then it will be offered at the View. Here is how this will work:
- Students will swipe for their dinner meal and dine in our halls.
- Once finished eating they can go to the cashier's station and swipe for another meal (2nd swipe). They need to eat first before swiping again because our system has a delay before you can swipe again.
- They will be given one empty to-go container that they will be able to fill up with food found in the dining halls. Once filled they will be able to leave with the container to eat later.
- Week of Spring Break (March 25th-29th): On Monday-Thursday, the Northsider will have limited hours with the Dining Centers closing at 7pm. On Friday, Saturday, and Monday only the View will be open with a limited menu and hours. Sunday all Dining operations will be closed. During this week, students will be able to stop in the Dining Halls before 7pm and get two takeout boxes per day.
- Cornerstone Kitchen will have a to-go option also for the students on the MPLS campus. They will be able to take one to-go box after they have swiped their hand.
Snacks for Breaking a Fast
Iftar Snack in Common Areas: Students who are on campus when it is time to break their fast, but cannot have a meal right away, may pick up a package of dates from one of the following locations:
- Off Campus Student Lounge in ASC
- All four Meditation Rooms in Both St. Paul and Minneapolis Campuses
- Multicultural Center in ASC
- Front desks at the School of Education, School of Law, and School of Nursing, and the School of Social Work, and DFC.
To refill these baskets, please call Campus Ministry (651-962-6560).
Muslim Students Explain Ramadan
We asked our students: “Why is Ramadan so important and what does it mean to you?” Watch the video the hear their answers.