Southie Prayer Gathering
When Sundays, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Where South Boston (rotates between host homes)
Interfaith prayer group · Weekly meditation circle
Prayer and meditation in Boston
Small weekly gatherings in homes across Boston and nearby cities. People take turns reading short prayers from many faith traditions, with silence in between, and stay afterward for tea and conversation.
About prayer gatherings
Gatherings where anyone may experience the sweetness of prayer and commune with God in the loving company of others.
The format
What is a prayer gathering?
Baha'is often gather with friends and neighbors to pray. The community calls these devotional gatherings. They meet in homes and community centers, and consist mostly of reading prayers and short passages from sacred texts in an informal, respectful atmosphere. Music is often part of it. There are no rituals, and no one has a special role.
In Boston the groups are small, usually seven to fifteen people. Regular gatherings are hosted in South Boston, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Mission Park, and smaller groups meet in the South End, Dorchester, Back Bay, and Allston. Cambridge, Somerville, and other nearby cities have their own. We'll connect you with whichever one is closest.
The spirit of fellowship and harmony that binds us all together is strengthened through acts of worship like these. Baha'is consider daily prayer as essential for spiritual sustenance and growth, just as food is essential for physical sustenance. Through prayer, one praises God, expresses love for Him, or beseeches Him for insight or assistance.
When people have just shared a spiritually heightened experience, hearts soften and the ordinary social barriers drop. The conversations that follow take on a different quality. Questions that rarely surface in daily life come naturally to the foreground: questions about meaning, purpose, the nature of the soul. Praying together helps us recognize the nobility and dignity in others and have more meaningful conversations that overcome artificial barriers.
Active groups
Currently meeting
Jamaica Plain Prayer Gathering
When Tuesdays, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Where Jamaica Plain (rotates between host homes)
Monday Night Prayer Group
When Mondays, 7:30 PM
Where Cambridge (in a host home)
In your neighborhood
Something deeper
than conversation
Gatherings meet in living rooms, community centers, and gardens across the Boston area. The setting is intimate and familiar, and the atmosphere itself invites reflection.
Some gatherings draw from prayers of many faith traditions. Others focus on the Baha'i writings. All are open to anyone who longs for something beyond the material. You don't need to pray aloud, recite anything, or do anything other than be present.
Find a gathering near you
Prayer in the Baha'i Faith
Conversation with God
Baha'is understand prayer as conversation with God. And this conversation has real power. It creates spirituality, stirs celestial feelings, and awakens what the writings call "the susceptibilities of the higher intelligence."
The writings describe prayer plainly:
a fire that will burn away the veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty, and a light that will lead me unto the ocean of Thy Presence. Baha'u'llah
Every Baha'i prays on their own during the day. They also gather often to pray together.
Common questions
Questions people ask
Where can I find a weekly prayer group in Boston?
Weekly groups meet in South Boston on Sundays at 5:30 PM and in Jamaica Plain on Tuesdays at 7 PM. Groups also meet in Roxbury and Mission Park, and smaller ones gather from time to time in the South End, Dorchester, Back Bay, and Allston. Tell us where you live and we'll connect you with the closest one.
Is this a Christian group?
No. The Baha'i Faith is its own independent world religion, not a Christian denomination. There's no clergy and no liturgy. Many gatherings include prayers from several faith traditions, and plenty of regulars describe themselves as agnostic or just spiritually curious.
Is this Buddhist meditation?
No, though it shares the quiet. Each gathering has stretches of silence between short readings, with no leader and no ritual, and some people come mainly for that stillness. The readings are prayers, so it isn't guided meditation or a sitting practice. If you want contemplative practice in community rather than a meditation class, this format fits.
Do I need to believe in the Baha'i Faith to attend?
No. Most gatherings include people who are not Baha'i. You don't need to know anything about the Baha'i Faith, and no one will ask you to accept any belief. If you're not sure what you believe, or whether you believe in God, you can still come. Honest questioning is respected here.
What's a typical format for a prayer gathering?
Someone hosts, usually in their home, and opens with a welcome. The prayers themselves last 30 to 60 minutes, with silence between readings, and most gatherings stay together afterward for tea, food, and conversation. There is no sermon and no fixed order.
Do I have to pray out loud?
No. People take turns reading prayers aloud, one at a time, as they feel moved to. Some recite from memory and others read from a prayer book. No one leads, and no one is required to take a turn. You can sit quietly the whole time.
What is Baha'i prayer?
Baha'is generally pray using prayers revealed by Baha'u'llah, the Bab, and Abdu'l-Baha. Baha'is understand these as God's own language for speaking with Him, which is why they carry a particular potency. But Baha'is are also free to speak with God in their own words.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no cost, and no one will ask for donations.
Are there gatherings outside Boston?
Yes. Cambridge has a weekly Monday evening group, and Somerville, Arlington, and other nearby cities have their own gatherings. Fill out the form with your city and we'll connect you with the nearest one.
Can I host a prayer gathering myself?
Yes. Gatherings are hosted by community members and friends in their own homes, and you don't need to be Baha'i to host one. If you'd like to start one, reach out and someone from the community will help you plan it.
Get started
Find a prayer or meditation group near you
Tell us where you live and we'll connect you with the closest weekly gathering and let you know what to expect on your first visit. Come once and see if it feels right.
A real person will follow up within a few days.