What?

Chaplaincy at Lancaster University is the department that facilitates religious, spiritual and pastoral care and provision for staff and students on campus. We serve those of all faiths and none, and are open to all.

The Chaplaincy Service

The Chaplaincy is a place of vibrant community, open to people of all faiths and none. Everyone is welcome, regardless of background or belief. We offer regular social events, faith based events, and events designed to bring people of different faiths and beliefs together.

The Chaplaincy team also offer 1-1 pastoral care for students of any faith or none. Pastoral care is a bit more informal than what counselling may offer and gives the individual an opportunity to tell their story without judgment. Chaplains frequently respond to issues around bereavement, relationship support, the big questions of life, among many others. To speak to a chaplain for pastoral support, please contact the Chaplaincy Centre.

Where?

Our activities are based out of the main Chaplaincy building, which houses worship spaces for the Catholic, Anglican and Free-Church Christian communities on campus as well as a number of meeting rooms, which can be used for quiet reflection as well as host more formal events such as meditation and support groups.

The main Chaplaincy building is also home to a cafe space, additional meeting spaces, an alternative therapy treatment room, as well as rooms for the Jewish and Buddhist communities on campus. The focal point of life in the Chaplaincy takes place in the main Chaplaincy Lounge. This is at the heart of the building and is a hive of activity during the week. The lounge is the place where students from across the different faith communities find common ground, build relationships and find mutual support and encouragement. It is always open, whether you want somewhere quiet to catch up on coursework, to meet a friend for lunch, hold a meeting or simply chat with others from the faith communities. The chaplaincy lounge is a marketplace of ideas and a common room for all those who call the Chaplaincy home. You will often find one or more of the chaplaincy team in and around the lounge.

The Catholic Chaplain's residence where many Catholic events are hosted is also located upstairs in the Chaplaincy, and the offices of the Catholic, Anglican and Lead Chaplains are also located in the main Chaplaincy building.

Most of the spaces in the chaplaincy building can be booked by staff and students via the Chaplaincy administrator - please be aware that priority will be given to groups meeting for the purpose of practising faith and spirituality.

In addition to the main Chaplaincy building, the Chaplaincy Service also includes Ash House, which is the Muslim prayer and community space on campus, located a short walk away from the main building. There are also a number of other smaller prayer spaces around campus for convenience.

The Hindu community on campus are also located outside of the main Chaplaincy building due to space, and are located in Seminar Room 16 of Bowland North.
For more information on activities taking place in the spaces above, please see the 'what's on' section or email the relevant faith contact from the team below.

What's on?

Below are the regular daily activities that happen during term time for special events, please visit our social media channels. A number of our activities happen in term-time and occasionally are subject to change - so please feel free to drop us an email Chaplaincy Office if you're thinking of coming along to an event. For more information about any of the events, please contact the relevant faith advisor/chaplain. For general enquiries (including bookings), please contact the Chaplaincy Office

University Chaplains:

Reverend John Rogers, Lead Chaplain

John is a Baptist Minister who has served as a chaplain in a variety of settings and coordinates the work of the Chaplaincy service.

J.e.rogers@lancaster.ac.uk (based in the Chaplaincy building)

Canon Michael Docherty

Catholic Chaplain

M.docherty@lancaster.ac.uk (based in the Chaplaincy building)

Reverend Emily Reynolds

Anglican Chaplain (Church of England)

M.guilder@lancaster.ac.uk (based in the Chaplaincy building)

Lauren Wilding

Salvation Army Chaplain

Honorary Chaplains and Faith Advisors:

Rabbi Natan Fagelman (Jewish)

Natan Fagleman works with students in Liverpool and the Northwest. Growing up in Manchester, he knows a thing or two about the area. He is married to Avital who also hails from Manchester and they have three young children. He has worked as both a teacher and a rabbi and has strong pastoral skills as a result. He enjoys helping people, and especially enjoys working with students.

rabbinatan@mychaplaincy.co.uk

Imam Nawaz Munshi (Muslim)

n.munshi1@lancaster.ac.uk

Anila Shoaib, (Muslim)

a.shoaib@lancaster.ac.uk

Rachel Beauchamp (Quaker)

r.beauchamp@lancaster.ac.uk

Skyler Ehly (Friends International)

The Friends International Lancaster team support international students on campus and represents a variety of local churches in welcoming those from all over the world to Lancaster.

s.ehly1@lancaster.ac.uk

Olga Gomez (Mindfulness)

o.gomez@lancaster.ac.uk

Reverend Clare Shepherd

Anglican Chaplain at Cumbria University and Honorary Chaplain at Lancaster University

c.f.shepherd@lancaster.ac.uk)

Chaplaincy Secretary/Administrator

Shirley Rawsthorne

s.rawsthorne@lancaster.ac.uk

LUSU faith societies

The Chaplaincy supports and partners with a diverse group of student faith societies.

There are also many student societies for a wide range of religions and faiths that you may join. To search for a society that you're interested in, please go to Societies and clubs.

For more information about where to find food that meets your faith's needs, please contact the relevant chaplain/faith advisor or the Lead Chaplain for more information. Prayer spaces on campus can be located by typing 'prayer' into the search box of Mazemap.

Contact and availability

The resident chaplains (who have offices on site) have an open-door policy and are often found in the communal areas of the Chaplaincy building. If they are unavailable when you visit, please contact them using the above emails and they will get back to you to arrange a time to chat.

• Father Michael's day off is Thursday
• Rev Emily is usually on campus Monday to Fridays
• Rev John usually works Monday-Friday

The Chaplaincy Secretary/Administrator's office is located off the Chaplaincy Lounge and is manned as a reception Monday-Friday, 9 am-12 noon. This is the best place to start for general enquiries.

The general email address for the Chaplaincy for all initial enquiries, including room bookings, is chaplaincy@lancaster.ac.uk.