Every Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:50 a.m., the Chaplains at MIT invite all members of the MIT community into the Chapel for an interdenominational gathering to reflect, pray and meditate. The service, known as Tuesdays in the Chapel, features musical selections and guest speakers of all faiths.
"Tuesdays in the Chapel offers people the opportunity — at the beginning of the day, early in the week — to reflect and pause," says Robert Randolph, Chaplain to the Institute, who has organized the weekly gathering since September 2009. "One of the things I'm aware of, having been here for a long time, is that MIT people do not pause very often, so this is an institutionalized way to do that."
Spiritual but not religiously oriented, the gatherings feature different perspectives from the community and center around a broad theme. This year's theme, "If I could change one thing about …", has prompted eclectic responses from speakers across the MIT community.
"If there were one thing I would change at MIT, it would be to be more accepting of the answer 'I don't know,'" Robert Ferrara '67, senior director of strategic planning, communication and alumni relations for the Division of Student Life, said in his reflection on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Ferrara is a regular attendee of the service.
"Tuesdays in the Chapel is a lovely way to start the day," Ferrara says. "Speakers choose whatever insights they'd like to share, and they generally appeal to everyone."
Each gathering concludes with the opportunity to connect with other members of the community over coffee and donuts in the Religious Life Center (W11) before work and class begins.
"Sometimes, we're not a very introspective community," Randolph says. "[Tuesdays in the Chapel] gives people the opportunity to get together, reflect and talk."
For more information including a list of this semester's speakers, visit the Tuesdays in the Chapel website.
"Tuesdays in the Chapel offers people the opportunity — at the beginning of the day, early in the week — to reflect and pause," says Robert Randolph, Chaplain to the Institute, who has organized the weekly gathering since September 2009. "One of the things I'm aware of, having been here for a long time, is that MIT people do not pause very often, so this is an institutionalized way to do that."
Spiritual but not religiously oriented, the gatherings feature different perspectives from the community and center around a broad theme. This year's theme, "If I could change one thing about …", has prompted eclectic responses from speakers across the MIT community.
"If there were one thing I would change at MIT, it would be to be more accepting of the answer 'I don't know,'" Robert Ferrara '67, senior director of strategic planning, communication and alumni relations for the Division of Student Life, said in his reflection on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Ferrara is a regular attendee of the service.
"Tuesdays in the Chapel is a lovely way to start the day," Ferrara says. "Speakers choose whatever insights they'd like to share, and they generally appeal to everyone."
Each gathering concludes with the opportunity to connect with other members of the community over coffee and donuts in the Religious Life Center (W11) before work and class begins.
"Sometimes, we're not a very introspective community," Randolph says. "[Tuesdays in the Chapel] gives people the opportunity to get together, reflect and talk."
For more information including a list of this semester's speakers, visit the Tuesdays in the Chapel website.
