Spiritual Life Reinvigorated

“The evolution really began at the beginning of last year when we focused on the reality that students come to Chapel three times a week,” explained Barksdale, who is entering her third year at Chatham Hall. “That’s a lot of time for a community to be together and we wanted to ensure it was meaningful.”

The thrice-weekly Chapel services are student-led, by members of the School’s Spiritual Life League, other student organizations, and of course seniors as they give their traditional Chapel Talks.

Libby Murphy ’21 was active in Bible Study and led the Spiritual Life League last year. She encouraged the League to lean into the theme of loving your neighbor which the Chapel Team introduced. The League met every Friday and picked up momentum as more and more students attended those meetings and participated in Chapel.

Emphasizing that we are a supportive and welcoming environment helped reluctant classmates get more involved, said Hannah Faison ’21. “I’ve seen a lot of students go from too scared to even participate in any type of service to assisting the crucifer and acolytes,” said Faison, who served as Crucifer, Chatham Hall’s second highest student leadership position.

Since Chapel met outdoors for the fall semester and many spring services were held outdoors, the League looked for ways to create sacred outdoor spaces. “We didn’t want Chapel to feel like any other gathering at the School, and worked together to recognize each place as holy,” Barksdale said, adding that six touchstones were designated as contemplative places on campus where students can go for deeper reflection.

One such space is the Peace Garden, which includes peace poles displaying “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in eight different languages. One hundred and fifty bulbs were planted in honor of the students. Murphy described it as “a place of reflection and relaxation.” She added that it’s especially beautiful in the springtime when the flowers are in bloom.

The group also ordered small, handheld touchstones and circulated them among the Chatham Hall community. “If a student recognized that somebody needed to know someone else was thinking of them, they would give them a touchstone,” Barksdale said. “Throughout the year, the circulation of touchstones is a physical reminder that we are all connected and part of the same community.”

In keeping with the year’s theme, Christmas services were designed to be inclusive of those from many religious backgrounds. “Leaning into our Episcopal heritage, our goal for all Chapel services is to create a program that instills a sense of belonging, regardless of one’s faith tradition, or lack thereof,” Barksdale said. “Even our seasonal Christian services are designed to be a time of reflection for all members of our community to seek clarity about their own beliefs and to live more faithful lives.”

Students left campus for virtual learning between Thanksgiving and Christmas Break last year, so all seasonal services were pre-recorded and edited to 25-30 minutes each. This was an ambitious undertaking given that at least 60 students participated in the recordings, which included the lighting of the Advent wreath, the Christmas Pageant, Lessons and Carols, and more.

“There’s such a wide array of ways for people to participate,” said Wynne Overton, Chief Enrollment Officer and head of the Flower Guild. “Whether it’s someone who has lots of experience in the Episcopal Church or someone who’s new, they can find ways to get involved and be part of a community. Especially this year with COVID when we were so campus-centered, it was wonderful to have those offerings.”

Mission: Valentine was another project that supported the year’s theme. Murphy estimates that 100 Chatham Hall students made and delivered cards to local residents who might have felt extra isolated due to the pandemic. “We thought that as a school we could really do our part and make valentines for them,” she explained.

Most of the School community also participated in an Easter Egg hunt with about 500 eggs filled with money coupons. “If you found a $20 coupon, you could pick a charity to receive that amount of real money,” Murphy says. (Children of faculty and staff got a five-minute head start on hunting for eggs!)

While Holy Week has often overlapped with Spring Break, last year was a closed Easter weekend with students on campus and Easter services held outside. Episcopal Priest Becky Crites led Stations of the Cross, a new experience for many Chatham Hall students. “Our students also made a cross that we flowered on Easter in Curtis’ Garden. Members of our community participated in this ritual while Whitney Byington (’22) played the violin,” Barksdale said. “It brought the experience of what Easter means to anyone as we were focused on the season of rebirth and renewal.”

Through hard work and a wide array of programs, the Spiritual Life League exemplified the theme of loving your neighbor and brought the community together. Said Murphy, “You can really see the change in our School over the past year-and-a-half between students and the faculty, and just the sense of community with the Chapel services.”
 

Originally published in the Fall 2021 Chat.