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.
We celebrate the 19-day Feast and Holy Day observances.
In recent years, we have undertaken initiatives such as Education Under Fire, a movement to raise awareness about the denial of higher education to minorities in Iran.
Mindfulness meditation is held on Wednesdays from 4:30–5:30 pm in the Abbey Interfaith Sanctuary. All are welcome; no religious affiliation or meditation experience is required. Feel free to try it once, or come every week!
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.
Be sure to check out the Newman Association’s (our MHC Catholic student organization) Facebook page.
Manju Sharma is our Hindu advisor.
SHRI (Students of Hinduism Reaching Inward) was founded by a group of dedicated Mount Holyoke students in 2001. Today, we have our own prayer room in Eliot House.
Our aim is to create awareness about Hindu customs in the Five College community. We organize various Hindu festivals during the academic year. In the fall, there is Navratri (Nine Nights) and Diwali (Festival of Lights), which commemorates the return of Lord Ram to his capital Ayodhya after defeating Ravana, the king of Lanka. Diwali celebrates the victory over evil. In the spring we celebrate Holi, a festival of colors to celebrate the beginning of Spring.
We have a group of committed students who 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 Student Union (JSU) coordinates Jewish life on campus and is equivalent to a Hillel. Additionally, we and the other consortium colleges are affiliated with UMass Hillel. JSU is an active student group, both diverse and inclusive. Whatever your denomination or non-denomination, you will be warmly welcomed and included; we will do our best to help you find a place to express and share your spiritual, religious, cultural and social interests.
Our pluralistic community is rich and ever-changing, composed of your ideas, interests, questions, traditions, skills and recipes! By listening to your stories, your amazingly varied and unique backgrounds, we all grow and learn from each other. All are welcome and valued.
Liza Lozovaya is the Muslim chaplain.
Assalamu Aleikum! Welcome to the Muslim community of Mount Holyoke College! Our faith group is hAssalamu Alaikum! Welcome to the Muslim community of Mount Holyoke College! Our faith group is home to everybody: to Muslims of all backgrounds and to those who are just curious about Islam.
House Lounge every Friday. The Friday prayer begins at 12:45 pm in the Muslim prayer room (the ground floor of Eliot House).
Muslima Conversation takes place in the Eliot House Lounge from 1–2 pm. It’s a no-judgment, confidential and comfortable space to discuss the issues in Muslim communities near and far.
The Muslim prayer room is complete with prayer rugs for anyone wishing a quiet space for their daily prayers.
For Halal dining options visit the menus website.
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.
Contact information:
FB: Mount Holyoke Christian Fellowship @mhcfiv
Tel: 413-409-9807
Email: mhcfcontact@gmail.com
Instagram: @mhcfintervarsity
Leslie Fraser is the advisor to the Unitarian Universalist group.
We gather once a week in the Abbey Interfaith Sanctuary at 6 pm on Fridays. In addition, we make monthly trips to Unitarian churches in the area and engage in regular student activity groups.
Group meetings offer spiritual support, worship and service activities that advance the seven principles of Unitarian Universalism. For more information, contact Leslie Fraser or UU chairs Theo Claire-McKown and Pearl Schleinig.
We believe that interfaith work enhances understanding of different faith groups and strengthens understanding of one’s own beliefs. Interfaith lunches are held most Wednesdays and host about fifty students each week in a cross-faith discussion. They are among the best attended and most popular faith experiences on campus. We also sponsor the Interfaith Living-Learning Community, where students can deepen their own values/mindful practices and explore the values of their community members with curiosity, and where they respect seeking meaning and purpose.
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.
