One of the aims of education in a collegiate setting is that students have the opportunity to learn as part of a community, to fulfil their creative as well as academic gifts, and to explore and discover the values which will shape them in their life after University. Whether or not you choose to attend worship in the Chapel, its presence as a space for glorious music, quiet contemplation, and challenging preaching stands as an invitation to engage with your time at Oxford on a more than purely academic level.

Our current Chapel building was consecrated by the Archbishop of York on All Saints’ Day, 1 November 1719. His successor Archbishop John Sentamu joined us to celebrate the 300th anniversary in 2019. It remains a space at the heart of the College where we express our life as a community: a place to bring our joys and our yearnings, to mark beginnings and endings, to honour our history, and pray for our future. It is a place to celebrate one another’s joys and stand in solidarity with those who are struggling. Simply stepping into this hushed and hallowed space can help to bring perspective in a pressured academic environment.

The Chapel is there for the whole College, and it is open throughout the day for any member of College to spend time. It is often in use as a rehearsal and performance space for musicians, and there are also times set apart each day for quietness and prayer.

Regular services run throughout term-time. These are open to the public, and the beautiful choral music and traditional worship attract many visitors, especially during the summer. Regular services are conducted according to the practice of the Church of England, but they are open to all: it is the College Chapel, and as such it belongs to all members of the College, regardless of their own religious belief or affiliation. Any member of the College who is interested in becoming more involved in Chapel services (for instance reading the Bible lessons or welcoming visitors) is warmly invited to contact the Chaplain or any member of the Chapel Team.

The main services are sung by the College Choir, an adult choir of both men and women, which is among the finest and most active university choirs in the UK. Its repertoire ranges from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary pieces, including some commissioned and premiered by the Choir.

Outside term, the Chapel hosts many Old Members who return to College to celebrate their weddings.

The Chaplain is The Revd Katherine Price. The Chaplain is supported in organising Chapel services by the Chapel Clerks and the Chapel Team. You can read the Chaplain's reflection for Easter 2020 here.

'I am here to be a supportive presence for the whole College, and to provide pastoral support to any member of the College community. I’m part of the welfare team, and we work closely together to co-ordinate support. However, I’m outside the academic, disciplinary, and medical structures: I’m not here to make any decisions for or about you. My concern is you as a person, not you as a student or a colleague, and I see part of my role as reminding everyone that College is more than just a degree factory! I don’t promise to fix your problems, but I can listen confidentially and I can often point you where you need to go, be it on a welfare matter or a practical issue about life in College.

During Trinity Term 2020, you can get in touch with me by email, phone, facebook, or on Teams. You’re still welcome to (virtually) drop round for a cup of tea, even if you have to make the tea yourself!'

The Chapel is consecrated as an Anglican place of worship, but many of those who attend regularly and those who assist at services belong to different churches or would not consider themselves religious at all. Preachers are invited from various Christian traditions. Once a term, a mass is celebrated by a priest from the Catholic Chaplaincy.

The Chaplain is available to all members of the College community, regardless of religious affiliation, and is your first point of call for religious and spiritual life in the College. The Chaplain is a priest of the Church of England and licensed by the Diocese of Oxford. For members of the College seeking spiritual care that cannot be provided by the Chaplain, there is University-wide chaplaincy for different religious groups and Christian denominations. Details can be found at: www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/chaplaincy.

There is also a list of University and locally-based societies, groups, and places of worship, including groups for atheist and agnostic members of the University, here: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/religionandbelief/faithsocietiesgroupsorreligiouscentres/.