The Chapel
Selwyn College was originally founded in 1882 with the purpose of “providing a University education for young men in a College at Cambridge, conducted in accordance with the principles of the Church of England”. Since then Selwyn ha grown into a college where those of all faiths, no faith and everything in between are welcomed and rejoiced in. However the college remains proud of its tradition and heritage, and committed to its original mission to widen access to a university education within a place which the quest to understand what makes a good and virtuous life, and to live it out.
The College Chapel, dedicated as an Anglican Christian place of worship in 1897, is a space of peace and beauty set apart in the heart of College and open to all for sanctuary and reflection, It seeks, through its programme of services and activities, to open the riches of it particular tradition as a resource to engage the whole communtiy in experiences of beauty and spiritual transport, and in questions of virtues and values are worth pursuing.
Services are said or sung in Chapel every day (except Saturday) during Full Term. They are open to all members of College, their families, friends and guests, no matter what their religious conviction or affiliation, and to the wider public. The Chapel also acts as Chapel for Newnham College. The Chapel has an excellent choir, largely of Selwyn and Newnham students, which sings at the evening services at 6.30pm on Tuesday, Thursday and 6pm on Sunday. Choral Evensong in particular is a traditional part of Oxbridge college life, and something well worth experiencing during your time at Selwyn.
Celebrations of Holy Communion (every Sunday morning at 10.30am and some special weekday services) follow the Anglican pattern, but all baptized Christians are welcome to receive communion and all are welcome to come to anything, whether to participate, observe, or to enjoy the music. Full details of all the Chapel Services can be found in the Chapel Card issued at the beginning of each term and on the chapel web pages at /about/chapel-and-choir. Your time at College will begin and end with a big service in Chapel: the Freshers' and Leavers' services.
The Chapel is also used for various College occasions in our collective life: the installations of new Fellows and scholars and also, from time to time, for the installation of a new Master of the College. Baptisms, weddings and occasionally funerals of College members also take place here, usually outside of term.
The Dean of Chapel and Chaplain is the Revd Dr Arabella Milbank Robinson, who is in charge of all maters connected with the services and use of the Chapel. Her college rooms are Old Court D7, and she is available to assist any junior member of the College with any sort of personal problem or difficulty, faith or spirituality-related or not. Where she is not right person to talk to she is happy to help point students to other sources of support.
The Chaplain is assisted in the administration of the Chapel by the Chapel Administrator (Rebecca Wilson) who works part-time on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays during Term in the Chapel Office (D7, tel: (7)46950, e-mail: chapel-administrator@sel.cam.ac.uk). A number of current students also assist in different ways as part of the Chapel Team.
Information about places of worship in Cambridge is available from the Chaplain (chaplain@sel.cam.ac.uk), as well as the contact details of chaplains to the various world faith communities. There are also various student faith societies in the university which students may choose to join.
