Engage with, participate in and explore our vibrant and diverse spiritual community. Because of our commitment to building a place where everyone feels welcome, we actively support eight faith groups on campus. Whether you consider yourself part of one particular faith or are looking for a spiritual home, you will have many opportunities to take part in a wide range of traditions and activities.
Each of these faith groups has a chaplain or religious advisor who meets regularly with them. Each faith group plans its own services, events, retreats and community service projects and initiates special offerings for the College community as a whole.
All faith groups are supported and advised by the Office of Community and Belonging in collaboration with the Office of Student Involvement. For more information or to be added to our email list, please complete a Contact Request Form.
Buddhist Meditation is offered weekly in the Abbey Interfaith Sanctuary. Meditation is followed by an opportunity for 1:1 or group discussion with the teacher. All are welcome!
Every Sunday during the academic year, we hold a Roman Catholic Mass at 6:30 pm in Abbey Memorial Chapel. This is a joy-filled community event, presided over by Father Warren Savage and accompanied by the Abbey Singers, who are directed by Mark Gionfriddo from the music department.
In addition, the Catholic community provides a variety of spiritual, educational and social events throughout the year, which are open to everyone. Whether it is a conversation on social issues, a discussion about theological, biblical or contemporary issues from a Catholic perspective, our annual spring retreat or making fudge for a fundraiser, Catholic events are enjoyable and participatory. There are plenty of opportunities for faith exploration and sharing as well as leadership roles on the Newman Student Leadership Board.
Leslie Fraser is advisor to the Protestant community.
Mount Holyoke’s Protestant Christian group is composed of students from many different denominations: Baptists, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Pentecostals, Presbyterians and more. All are welcome to come and study the Bible, build relationships and explore the similarities and differences between our various Christian traditions. Stop by Eliot House on the first floor (bottom level) to introduce yourself to Leslie, or email her.
Mount Holyoke Christian Fellowship is a formally organized Protestant group on campus.
FB: Mount Holyoke Christian Fellowship @mhcfiv
Tel: 413-409-9807
Email: mhcfcontact@gmail.com
Instagram: @mhcfintervarsity
Be sure to check out the Newman Association’s (our MHC Catholic student organization) Facebook page.
Manju Sharma is our Hindu advisor.
We offer weekly Puja & Conversation in Eliot House. We aim to create a welcoming community and an atmosphere of a home away from home.
Amelia Ender is our Jewish chaplain.
Mount Holyoke has a vibrant Jewish community. The Jewish chaplain coordinates Jewish life on campus. These services are equivalent to a Hillel and include weekly Shabbat services and observe all holidays.
Through collaboration with Dining Services, Kosher (and Kosher for Passover) dining is always available and included in the meal plan
Our pluralistic community is rich and ever-changing, composed of different ideas, interests, questions, traditions, skills and recipes. Affiliated with the UMass Hillel, the Jewish community welcomes all denominations and non-denominations.
The MHC JSU (Jewish Student Union)
Liza Lozovaya is the Muslim chaplain.
Assalamu Aleikum! Welcome to the Muslim community of Mount Holyoke College! We are home to everybody: to Muslims of all backgrounds and to those who are just curious about Islam.
We gather in Eliot House every Friday for Jumma Lunch. The Friday prayer follows in the Muslim prayer room (on the ground floor of Eliot House).
Muslima Conversation takes place following the prayer. It’s a no-judgment, confidential and comfortable space to discuss the issues in Muslim communities near and far.
Halal meals on campus.
Leslie Fraser is the advisor to the Unitarian Universalist group.
We gather weekly in the Abbey Interfaith Sanctuary, to offer spiritual support, worship and service activities that advance the seven principles of Unitarian Universalism. In addition, we make occasional trips to Unitarian churches in the area and engage in regular student activity groups. In the Fall semester, we have Water Communion, and in the Spring, Fire Communion. All are welcome to join us!
We believe that interfaith work enhances understanding of different faith groups and strengthens understanding of one’s own beliefs.. They are among the best attended and most popular faith experiences on campus. We sponsor various Interfaith opportunities:
Today, Eliot House is a hub of activity of the religiously pluralistic student body and serves as an office space for Community and Belonging staff who serve as chaplains and/or advisors. It is here that students can find community Shabbats, Jummah Lunches and Muslima Conversations, puja space for Hindu students and much more.
For many students, Eliot House is a place where they learn more about themselves while discovering a meaningful sense of community. It’s also a place where students can take on leadership roles, which range from planning an interfaith event and creating and leading group services to organizing a dinner celebration. We look forward to welcoming you soon.
If you have a disability and would like to attend any events in Eliot House, please contact Annie Clattenburg, 413-538-2054 or aclatten@mtholyoke.edu, one week in advance of the event to discuss your accommodation needs.
Eliot House was conceived in 1956 by the chair of the Fellowship of Faiths, a student organization dedicated to supporting Protestant, Catholic and Jewish students. The Fellowship of Faiths dreamed of a religious center that would serve all students of faith by providing “faith education, worship and social services to students.” The house marked the symbolic shift in the religious identity of the College from a Protestant to a nondenominational campus serving a multifaith student body and community.
In 1984, a space was created on the rooftop of Eliot House to include a traditional Japanese meditation garden and teahouse called Wa-Shin-An, translated as “Peace-Mind House.” Wa-Shin-An offers tea ceremonies four times during the academic year, including during Family and Friends Weekend, Commencement and Reunion II. Wa-Shin-An is a treasure for all those seeking a quiet, contemplative space for meditation and peace.
Happening at Mount Holyoke
Mount Holyoke students are finding deeper spirituality during the pandemic — despite and because of online services and events.
Mount Holyoke’s Interfaith Lunch serves up conversation — with sides of soup, cookies and laughter — every Wednesday in the new Unity Space.
The Office of Community and Belonging provides programs that support social justice education, dialogue, celebration and identity development.
