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COLLEGE NEWS I Jesus College Annual Report 2022
The Chapel Eleanor Lancelot, Assistant Chaplain This academic year has seen the life of the Chapel return to its usual pattern of in-person services and events, while continuing to engage a wider community via online streaming of Sunday Evensongs. It has been a pleasure to open our doors again to members of the public and to alumni, who form an integral part of our community, to join our rhythm of worship. The year has seen a diverse group of visiting speakers for our Sunday evening addresses. Former Archbishop of Canterbury, The Rt Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Williams of Oystermouth began our Michaelmas series entitled ‘Money, Sex, Power’, which drew a congregation of over 200 people. We seek to maintain an ethos of welcome and flourishing, and our mission is always that the Chapel is a space in which students, Fellows and staff can explore life’s big questions, their identity, and their place in the wider world. Our recommended read for the term was The Book of Queer Prophets, and a group met weekly to explore the relationships between sexuality, religion, identity, power, vocation and belonging. In November, the College’s faith societies came together for an interfaith dinner to get to know each other, and build understanding and awareness. Michaelmas also saw the return of our Tuesday Evensong ‘Nanosermons’: short, punchy talks delivered by a range of students on a topic of their choice. In Lent Term, we were joined by speakers who work in charity and the Third Sector, who explored the work of a number of charities linked to the College and to Cambridge (including Abbey People, Red Hen and Lyn’s House) and reflected critically on the history and future of the charitable sector. It was also a pleasure to meet members of the Salmon Youth Centre for discussion and dinner, and to learn more about this organisation that seeks to inspire young people living in inner city London to reach their potential and contribute positively to the communities in which they live. The Term culminated with two services of Choral Evensong recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 – it was a privilege to share our worship with the programme’s broad following. The Chapel seeks to be a ‘community within a community’; a space which engages with a broad range of the College and the wider public. Easter Term saw two joint events: with Muslim students for Iftar, the breaking of the daily Ramadan fast, and with Jesus College Jewish Society for Lag B’Omer, coming together for food and fellowship by the light of a bonfire. Earlier in the term, we gathered for a Vigil in Chapel for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBiT). Our year of Sunday Evensong addresses culminated with a series entitled ‘Scandalous’, in which speakers of Jewish and Christian faiths explored some of the most unfamiliar and difficult texts from the Scriptures, and offered ways of reading them which engage with real-world contemporary issues. Claire Foster-Gilbert, Visiting Fellow at Jesus and Director of the Westminster Abbey Institute, led an illuminating discussion on how Julian of Norwich, a 14th century mystic, can influence our ecology. Students took a breather
