|
|
|
Meditation Space & Garden Open 24/7
Summer Retreat House Hours:
Noon – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; Closed Saturday & Sunday*
*Exception during Reunion Weekend: Open Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Visits may be available by appointment during closed hours. Please email kkeyes@colgate.edu or call 315-228-6087 for details.
| |
| | As the Academic Year Ends,
a Restorative Season Begins!
| |
| |
Message From Chapel House Director Georgia Frank
| |
|  | A Core Conversations Class arrives at Chapel House
|
|
Greetings from Chapel House, where spring blossoms are finally here! During this academic year over a third of the class of 2028 visited Chapel House with their first-year seminar classmates and professors. A variety of weekly mindfulness events filled our days: sitting meditation, sound meditation, a labyrinth walk, knitting circle, or “art of spiritual inquiry” discussion. Our sweet and gentle therapy dog, Lily, “hosted” Chapel House’s weekly family-style dinner in the renovated dining area. Humans enjoyed a hot bowl of chili prepared by Chef Ayden Simpson ‘25 and lots of Kathy Keyes' home-baked desserts. Free-flowing conversations connected students with one another and some overnight guests who joined the fun. And Lily enjoyed belly scratches and treats.
| |
| In addition to Lily, there are lots of new faces at Chapel House. Joining our amazing coordinator, Joan McCarthy, and our wondrous house manager, Kathy, is graciously resourceful Pascal Dafinis, who lives on site to assist our overnight guests in case of emergency. Jeff McArn, our new program coordinator, works closely with our twenty student associates—many of them new—who lead yoga, and sitting, sound, and indoor and outdoor walking meditations.
| |
| If you haven’t been back in a while or have been meaning to visit for the day or for an overnight retreat, please consider a visit to Chapel House. Kathy (315-228-6087; soon the proud parent of a Colgate alum! Congrats, Katie!) can help arrange a wonderful retreat for you. I wish you a restorative summer and all the delights of this glorious (if too brief) season wherever your journey takes you.
| |
| | Congratulations to Our Graduating
Senior Chapel House Associates! Isma Abdur-Rahmaan, Reanna Bartels-Quansah, Tanner Cogswell, and Ayden Simpson
| |
|
Message from Program Coordinator Jeff McArnChapel House is dedicated to providing the campus and local community, along with its overnight guests, experiences that will build up the value of meditative, contemplative, and reflective practices in one’s life. It is our intention that strengthening this value will both build an important dimension of campus community, and also serve as an encouragement to all to explore the spiritual foundation of life in a consistent and meaningful way.
| |
| | Our Meditative Programming (open to all)
| |
| 1. Yoga - This year yoga sessions were offered by Chapel House Associate Aastha Ghimire '27, who received her training and certification from the Nepal Yoga Academy. Next fall, along with Aastha, we are introducing new Chapel House Associate instructor Lael Spalter '28, who received her 200-hour yoga certification from a studio in the Washington, D.C. area. Lael will bring Vinyasa yoga into our offerings and we are delighted to have her join Aastha in leading our yoga community.
| |
| 2. Guided & Sitting Meditation - We are saying a graduation goodbye to one of our longtime meditation leaders Tanner Cogswell '25, who led Morning Meditation throughout the year and assisted with Recoup & Soup during the spring semester. Also departing, but just for the fall semester, is our meditation leader Gillian Lustenberger ‘27. Gill will be studying in South Africa in the fall but will return to us next spring. Gill helped with various aspects of our meditation life including the introduction of Recoup & Soup in the fall, and the introduction of Sound Healing Meditation in the spring.
| |
|  | Chapel House Associate and yoga instructor
Aastha Ghimire '27
| |  | Chapel House Associate and yoga instructor
Lael Spalter '28
| |  | Meditation Associate Gillian Lustenberger ‘27
| |  | Meditation Associate Tanner Cogswell '25
| |
| | |
| 3. Sound Healing Meditation - We introduced Sound Meditation in the spring semester with the acquisition of beautifully resonant quartz singing bowls. In addition, a " rain stick" was generously donated by community member and frequent Chapel House visitor Regina Silvestri which, along with a new ocean drum, has enhanced “The Art of Relaxation” under the able leadership of Meditation Associates Gillian Lustenberger ‘27 and Nell Droege '28.
| |
|  | Sound Healing Meditation led by Jeff McArn
| |  | Lily, Gillian Lustenberger (L) and Nell Droege (R)
with the rain stick donated by Regina Silvestri
| |
| | |
| 4. Walking Meditation - Leigha Schultze ‘26 and Isabel Drexler Booth ‘27 served as Meditation Associates for our walking form of meditation. We started out in the dead of winter inside on the canvas labyrinth, now a permanent feature of our Meditation Hall. When the weather warmed up (finally!) we switched into our weekly Nature Walking Meditation, making our way mindfully through various trails in the hills above Chapel House. Following walking meditation was our Fireside Hang—time spent reflecting a bit on the meditation experience, working on puzzles, origami and crafts, journaling, or reading by a cozy fire in the Library with some tea and cookies. Ahhhh!
| |
|  | Lily, Jeff McArn, and students walk the labyrinth
| |  | Students participating in Nature Walking Meditation
| |
| | |
| 5. The Art of Spiritual Inquiry - Every Friday afternoon a committed group of ten students came together to engage in a three-part hour: individual reflection and journaling, group sharing either on a particular theme or “what’s on your mind?” and finally a short group reading and discussion from an aspect of a spiritual tradition from around the world—Rumi’s Islamic poetry, the wisdom of the Gita, Thich Nhat Hanh’s view of Buddhism, the parables of Jesus, and the meaning of the Sabbath accounted for some of our inquiry.
| |
|
Special Events13 Days of Green Kick Off in the Coop—We partnered with Japanese Oshaberi club and intern Kotomi Shimizu to make origami cranes with all the students who dropped by.
Sunrise Forest Meditation during the 13 Days of Green—13 souls braved the early morning gathering to engage in a walking meditation to the quarry and into the forest hills before returning to the Chapel House Dining Room for a quiche, fruit and Dunkin' Donuts breakfast.
Kites and Popsicle Surprise—This spur-of -the moment happening inspired by mastermind Kathy Keyes brought us out onto the old golf course across from Chapel House.
De-Stress Fest with the Center for Women's Studies—Lily captured lots of hugs by sharing her bubble-makers.
| |
| Getting the Word OutIn addition to the De-Stress Fest, we met many wonderful students at events across campus, including the Student Involvement Fair and the Spring Semester Meditation Club sign-ups. We also posted lots of posters, and welcomed curious passers-by to come in, explore, and participate in all we have to offer. And once the weather warmed, we enticed them with our “Pause” Pod—yet another way to engage in meditation at Chapel House. Indulge yourself with a gentle sway. Bring a book and settle in for a spell… day or night!
| |
|
Chapel House Associate Kaliyah Honore ‘27 writes about Chili With Lily In addition to being a Chapel House Associate, Kaliyah Honore ‘27 works for Colgate's Office of Communications. Her article about “Chili with Lily" appeared on Colgate's social media pages. Kaliyah captured exactly why the weekly event has been a big success. Although Lily was not available for comment, Ariana Thompson ‘27 shared that “What I love most is the approachable and warm vibe," and Pallen McArdle ‘27 praised how "Chapel House is able to provide a more peaceful environment."
| |
|  | Associates Isabel Drexler Booth '27, Ayden Simpson '25, and House Manager Kathy Keyes prep for Chili with Lily
| |  | Director Georgia Frank and therapy dog Lily share warm vibes and chili with students
| |  | House Manager Kathy Keyes with Kitchen Associates Esme Hudson '28 and Ayden Simpson '25
| |
| | |
| This Summer for Students on Campus,
Staff, and Community Members
| |
| Explore & Discuss Poetry with Us! Discover and share poetry alongside fellow poetry lovers. We have over a hundred collections of poetry spanning cultures and centuries available to browse in our Library (open Monday through Friday noon to 4:00 p.m.) including Maya Angelou, Ross Gay, Ḥāfiẓ, Langston Hughes, Mary Karr, Mary Oliver, Li Po, Rainer Maria Rilke, Rumi, and Kevin Young, to name just a few. Then share your new (or old!) favorites during monthly discussion meetings here on the last Wednesday of each month (noon to 12:45 p.m., May 28, June 25, July 30, and August 27). Light refreshments will be served, or feel free to bring a vegetarian lunch. Just drop in, or email Chapel House Department Coordinator Joan McCarthy for more information.
| |
| Interested in learning more about Chapel House?
| |
| Through the Eyes of Our Student Associates
| |
|  | Shanely Perez '25 at Chili with Lily
| |  | Jeff leading meditation at Shaw Wellness Center
| |  | Nell and the new sound bowls
| |  |
| | |
|
|
|
|
