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, where diversity and inclusivity are top priorities. 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 [Link]

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. 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

Mindfulness meditation

Take time to breath and find your inner balance with our Mindfulness Meditation sessions during term time.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a type of meditation not related to any particular faith group. Practice can reduce stress and anxiety, allow for greater focus, and increase overall wellbeing. Techniques range from body awareness to guided imagery and enable participants to be present in the 'now'. No experience is necessary; our classes are informal and everyone is welcome.

How do I take part?

Our mindfulness sessions are held on Thursdays 1:15-1:45 pm in the Chaplaincy Quiet Room. For more information, please get in touch with chaplaincy@lancaster.ac.uk.

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 Matt Guilder

Anglican Chaplain (Church of England)

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

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

Paul Taylor (Buddhist)

Paul is a lay minister in the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition and worked at the University for a number of years. He looks after the campus Zen Meditation Group and jointly helps organise Faithshare termly interfaith meetings.

p.a.taylor@lancaster.ac.uk

Rachel Beauchamp (Quaker)

r.beauchamp@lancaster.ac.uk

Sally Miller (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 to the world to Lancaster.

Sally came up to Lancaster as a student at the University and has never left! With Friends International Lancaster, she enjoys welcoming students from all over the world to Lancaster and learning more about other cultures.

s.miller8@lancaster.ac.uk

Olga Gomez (Mindfulness)

o.gomez@lancaster.ac.uk

Monica Li, (Chinese Christian Fellowship)

Monica Li is part of the Chinese Overseas Christian Mission (COCM), working with students in the Chinese Christian Fellowship (CCF) which meets in the Chaplaincy Centre every Friday at 7pm during term time.

monicafyli@yahoo.com

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.

The Chaplaincy Centre is a multi-faith service at the university that supports students from all faiths and none. For more information about their support and events, please go to the chaplaincy webpage.

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 go to the chaplaincy webpage.

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 Matt is on campus Tuesday, Wednesday and occasionally 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.