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Home > College Offices > Religious & Spiritual Life > New Students
New Students
If you would like to have a faith group contact you about their events, please complete the Faith Group Contact Request form.
June 2008
Dear Incoming Students,
A few weeks ago I attended my first Laurel Parade, a time-honored and beautiful Mount Holyoke tradition that takes place during the commencement weekend celebration. The parade begins with the oldest among the alumnae classes who have gathered for their reunions and ends with the graduating class. What a lovely sight as these strong, spirited and intellectually superior women wend their way to our founder, Mary Lyon’s grave, and hoist the laurel chain over the fence.
Perhaps you’re wondering why I’m writing about graduation when you’re just about to start your college careers. But having recently graduated yourselves, you know that commencements are both endings and beginnings. As we said farewell to the class of 2008, we were also preparing our hearts to receive you, the Class of 2012. So it is with a growing sense of enthusiasm and warmth that I, along with the rest of the Office of Religious & Spiritual Life staff, welcome you to Mount Holyoke College.
Eliot House, the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, is located between the Amphitheater and Art Museum. It is a place where you can come for rest and renewal, sit quietly for prayer or meditation, join other students for our regular Wednesday noon interfaith lunches, or just hang out with your friends.
The main purpose of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life is to nurture individual spiritual practice and communal religious life for students, faculty and staff of all faith traditions. Our chaplains and religious advisors work closely with our students to plan worship services, social events, community outreach, discussion groups, kosher and halal dinners, guest speakers, holiday programming, and a variety of multi-faith learning opportunities. We invite you to be a part of this energetic community as we explore what spirituality means to us and wrestle with some of the difficult moral issues that face us in the 21st century.
Some students at Mount Holyoke identify strongly with a particular religion; others would define themselves as spiritual but not religious. At Eliot House, we welcome everyone!
On this website you will find a listing of some of the religious groups that are active at Mount Holyoke College. Although the list does not cover every faith group here, it does give you a sense of the breadth and depth of religious pluralism on our campus. Every service – every offering – is open to the entire community. To that end, I would especially like to invite you and your family to join us on August 31st any time between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM for our Hospitality Oasis. Stop by, greet our chaplains and advisers, tour our building, relax and enjoy some simple refreshments with us.
At Eliot House our doors and hearts are always open. We are here to listen, guide, counsel, and encourage you. We look forward to welcoming you to Mount Holyoke College very soon.
Peace and Blessings,
Rev. Gladys G. Moore
Dean of Religious Life,
On behalf of the Eliot House Staff, College Chaplains and Religious Advisors
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