Chapel Report

The year felt like one of renewal. It began on 1st October, 2021 when Loretta Minghella was formally installed as our forty-fourth Master. The special service in Chapel, which brought together representatives from across the Clare community, past and present, opened a new chapter in the history of the College. [1]

And as Michaelmas Term began in earnest, with social distancing rules significantly relaxed, there was a spirit of excited re-engagement with Chapel life. Sunday Evensong services were extraordinarily well-attended, as guest preachers tackled key questions of faith and belief, and – the pièce de résistance – post-service prosecco returned too. [2]

A new termly series of evening ‘theological conversations’ also began in Michaelmas, with Tim Chesters (Fellow, MML) enchanting a packed-out gathering in E3 with tales of ghosts, phantoms, and Renaissance religious debate. Then, in Lent Term, Ian Burrows (Fellow, English) joined us for a fascinating and spirited discussion on tragedy, trigger warnings, and free speech. [3]

Another convivial (and now termly) fixture was the visit of a large group of students and Fellows from Clare Hall, who joined us for a special Evensong service celebrating the links between our two colleges. Much of the joy of Michaelmas Term, though, was found in the full in-person re-emergence of the big Chapel events in the College calendar: Remembrance Sunday, All Souls’ Day, the Advent Carol Services, the Staff Christmas Carol Service, and the ever-popular late-night Compline by candlelight. [4]

In Lent Term, visiting preachers at Sunday Evensong spoke on the Beatitudes, and included the Bishop of Beverly, the Bishop of Ely, and the Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity. We also welcomed the new Director of Bede House, Mahua Nandi, to speak to us about the work of the charity, and the former Chaplain of Clare, Julian Barker, gave a moving address at our end of term Service of Readings and Music for Passiontide. The return of actual ash to the Ash Wednesday service was a surprisingly moving reminder of the lack of tactile contact that we had endured during the pandemic. Lent Term ended with a remarkable performance of the Book of Job, featuring readings and music. [5] Also during Week 8, I finally had a haircut, and all the people rejoiced.

Easter Term featured a Sunday sermon series on the Psalms, with a range of Old Testament experts speaking, including our former Decani Scholar Arthur Keefer (2015), who preached at a special Choral Eucharist service in May. The Chapel organised plenty of extra events to help students build in times of rest and refreshment to their revision schedules – this included afternoon teas in the Scholars’ Garden, garden tours, games nights, and screenings in the Riley Auditorium. We also held a lovely gathering to thank all the College staff for their hard work over the course of the year [6].

A rather delightful quirk of Easter Term was the appearance of not one, not two, but three Graduation Services in Chapel, with services laid on for the returning 2020 and 2021 graduands, as well as for our current finalists. The Tutorial Office did an amazing job to give these extra graduations the feel of a glorious reunion, a chance to bring some closure and resolution after a period of such disruption. It did, however, mean that the Choir had to sit through my jokes at the expense of Geography students on three separate occasions. [7]

I’m hugely grateful to the whole Chapel team in making everything possible. Our group of student Wardens have been outstanding – if slightly obsessed with the 1989 Disney classic The Little Mermaid, which became the theme for our annual Wardens’ Dinner. [8] We said a fond farewell to our Head of the Chapel Office, Nicola Robertson, after six years in the post, and to our Decani Scholar, Hannah Black (2018), who took up a position at Yale. It has been a year when we have been reminded again and again of God’s kindness and faithfulness, his blessings new every morning.