Christian

All Christians students are invited to join in our weekly Christian Life Community Dinner. Over our evening meal, we get to know each other through conversations, fellowship and, depending on the week, we might dive into the Enneagram Personality Inventory, make a craft, or talk about an issue of faith.

Other highlights of the year for the Christian Life Community are our holiday celebrations. Early in December we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe with a joint service and meet for traditional holiday food. We also have a Christmas Party toward the end of term. Our most long standing Christmas tradition is our Candlelight Vespers service which takes place either the first or second Sunday evening of December.

We also have a long standing tradition as Christian Community of focusing on a particular theme during Advent and Lent. We begin Lent with a Pancake Dinner the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday we meet for the imposition of ashes and the Eucharist. If Holy Week falls while the college is in session, we gather for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day.

As a gift to the students, we offer copies of the New Living Bible. This version is a Study Bible that allows students to keep notes in the margins. Throughout their time at Wellesley College, they can jot down textual notes and words of inspiration to refer back to help guide them. The Christian Life Community offers Bible Studies throughout the term, as do many Christian Orgs on campus. We encourage students to try out different Bible Studies so they can learn about the various ways different Christian traditions approach the study of our sacred text.

Contact

For more information, contact our office orsl@wellesley.edu.

Chaplains are also available for counseling - Why Talk to a Chaplain?

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Weekly Programming

The Christian Life Community of Wellesley College is made up of many different Christian Student Organizations representing the breadth and depth of Christian expression. For example, each week there are gatherings for

Catholic Mass

Christian Worship Service

Christian Life Dinner

Additional ORSL and Student Programs:

Devotional Study
Prayer Groups
Bible Studies
Plus gatherings of Awaken the Dawn (an a capella group), Citylife, Cru, Intervarsity, Asian Baptist Student Koinonia, and more…please visit our student orgs page.

Christian Observances

Events throughout the Year:

Michaelmas - On the Sunday closest to St. Michael’s we celebrate with berries according to an old English Tradition. And because students love berries.

Advent - Each Advent students are given an Advent Devotional to help them prepare spiritually for Christmas. We also prepare Advent crafts such as Advent Wreaths that students take back to their rooms to have a physical reminder of the Holy Season.

Vespers - The First Sunday evening of December, we celebrate the Advent and Christmas season with a Vespers Service. Music is both congregational and sung by the Wellesley College Choir and Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Lisa Graham. Students and staff are invited to read the scripture lessons. The event is open to the public (pending Covid-19 protocols)

Our Lady of Guadalupe - Our last Sunday of the Term is an Ecumenical Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Mass is bilingual (Spanish and English), and the Service is followed by music, dancing, and special foods including tamales.

Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras on Sunday - We begin our yearly Lent observance with a Pancake Supper with berries and everything you can think of to go with them. This has become a beloved tradition.

Ash Wednesday & Lent - Before Lent starts, students are given a Lent Devotional and are encouraged to think about practices that will help them prepare for Eastertide. We have found that students from diverse Christian backgrounds appreciate this time of reflection, prayer, and fasting. Many students find creative fast practices such as refraining from online shopping, drinking soda, complaining, or even taking on practices such as praying, getting outside each day, etc. We hold an Ash Wednesday Service midday to which the whole Wellesley College community is welcome.

Holy Week & Easter - Students visit the area churches for Holy Thursday services, and we host a Good Friday Stations of the Cross walk around campus. Easter Sunday is celebrated with Catholic Mass and Protestant Service at 4 PM, followed by an egg hunt and Easter dinner.

Christian Principles

Christian Life at Wellesley is guided by our principles.

Affirmation

We seek to affirm one another by supporting and encouraging each other.

Belonging & Openness

We welcome all people into our gatherings whether they feel firm in their faith, questioning their faith, or just curious about faith.

Compassion

Above all else we seek to be compassionate with one another and all those in our wider community, recognizing that each of us bears worries and burdens. We seek to address the concerns of our community through both word and deed.

Diversity

Regardless of your Church tradition, there is a place for you in the Christian Life Community. The variety of our Christian Student Orgs on campus reflect that diversity and we recognize the gifts and challenges inherent in variety.

Flexibility

Students are encouraged to get as involved in Christian Life as much they like. You can join in the leadership and the eBoard or just can come and go as you please. There is always a place for you.

Celebration & Fun

We love to celebrate each other’s successes and special events. Each month we celebrate students’ birthdays with a special cake and ceremony particular to the Christian Life Community. We celebrate cultural and religious holidays including Thanksgiving, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Christmas and Easter.

Newman Catholic Ministry

The Wellesley College Catholic Community seeks to foster an environment that strengthens one’s spirituality and understanding of the Roman Catholic Church. Embracing Cardinal Newman’s ideology that intellect and spirit go hand in hand, we hope to become living witnesses as educated, passionate, and faithful Catholic leaders. Respecting the dignity of every person, we challenge one another to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Newman Ministry invites students, faculty, and staff to grow their relationship with God, deepen their faith, and build their community.

As a universal church, we welcome people of all cultures, ethnicities, races, languages, sexual orientations, genders, and ages. We are inclusive of all members of the college community. Recognizing the spectrum of opinion within the Church, we welcome all Catholics and embrace students from all over the world and from every aspect of Catholicism. We encourage everyone to take the unique opportunity that Newman affords to explore the diversity within the Church. The Newman community will meet you wherever you are on your faith journey and walk by your side – as one united and supportive Catholic Community.

Catholic students, faculty, and staff are welcome to gather in celebration, prayer, and to enjoy community through a variety of educational, social, and spiritual activities on campus. We invite you to join us on labyrinth walks, meditation/rosary/lectio divina, and movie nights. Newman Catholic Ministry hosts community gatherings throughout the year that coincide with liturgically significant events such as Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Easter, and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We have something for everyone!

Newman Catholic Ministry supports the spiritual practices of a diverse campus community by celebrating weekly Sunday Mass in Houghton Chapel, followed by the Christian Life ecumenical dinner in the Multifaith Center.

“Cor ad cor loquitur”—(Heart speaks to heart) –Cardinal John Henry Newman

“Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved, and forgiven.” –Pope Francis

Protestant Ministry

As a community, we represent a broad cross section of Protestant denominations, as well as seekers from other religions and traditions. We provide opportunities for fellowship and friendship, celebrations, study, prayer, and worship. Responding to the needs of the great diversity of Protestant students at Wellesley, Protestant Life offers a variety of educational, social, and spiritual activities throughout the year. In addition to our regular weekly programing, we also hold a retreat each term, have opportunities for community service, and outings to area churches. Each week students on the Christian Life Community email list will receive an email advertising the many Christian events on campus during the following week.

In addition to mainline Protestant denominations including Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and United Church of Christ, we also have many students from nondenominational and evangelical backgrounds. We also host other Christian Orgs on campus such as Asian Baptist Student Koinonia, Awaken the Dawn, City Life, Cru, and Intervarsity.

The Protestant community gathers weekly on Sunday afternoons in Houghton Chapel. All are welcome to our programming.