Spiritual & Religious Life at Lewis & Clark

The chaplaincy at Lewis & Clark College is designed to support all religious life programs that take place on campus, and has its roots in the Presbyterian heritage of the college. Recognizing the religious diversity of the Lewis & Clark community, the Dean of the Chapel seeks to facilitate moral and spiritual dialogue and growth in a context of mutual support. As Dean of the Chapel, the Rev. Mark Duntley, Ph.D. directs and facilitates a variety of programs for students focusing on spiritual and moral issues. Students help plan and lead many of these activities, including regular chapel services, special forums and lectures, small-group studies, spiritual renewal retreats, and volunteer community service projects. An Interfaith Council meets regularly in order to facilitate dialogue between faith groups and to provide religious life programming and policy recommendations. Rev. Duntley also is available for religious, crisis, and grief support and counseling.

Sr. Loretta Schaff, O.S.F. serves part-time on the chapel staff as the Adjunct Catholic Chaplain. She organizes and facilitates regular Catholic Eucharist in Agnes Flangan Chapel, the monthly Taizé prayer at the South Campus Chapel, and a number of other programs. While her work focuses on serving the needs of our Catholic students and staff, the Adjunct Catholic Chaplain works ecumenically with the Dean of the Chapel and with the various student religious groups on campus. A schedule for celebrations of weekend Eucharist in nearby Catholic parishes is provided in the following Eucharist Schedule. Please contact Sr. Loretta for further information or go to the Newman Club web page.

Rabbi Jonathan Seidel, Ph.D. started in March 2009 as our Adjunct Jewish Chaplain. Rabbi Seidel began his part-time work here by helping our students plan the annual Passover Seder on April 14th, and he will also assist with a few other programs during Spring semester. Rabbi Seidel will continue to serve as our Adjunct Jewish Chaplain for the 2009-2010 academic year, and he will be working on a new Chapel Office project involving the Chamberlin Lectureship along with serving our Jewish students here on campus and working in conjunction with the Greater Portland Hillel. An ordained Rabbi with a congregation in Eugene, Jonathan has a Ph.D. degree in Near Eastern Studies from the University of California at Berkeley, and along with teaching part-time at the University of Oregon and Portland State University he is involved in many Interfaith and Jewish programs and events throughout our region.

There are a number of religious life groups on campus that serve the spiritual needs of students. Along with the chapel programs coordinated by the Dean of the Chapel, there is the Agape Group (a Christian fellowship group), the Roman Catholic group (Newman Club), the Lewis & Clark chapter of the Greater Portland Hillel,  Zen Sangha (Zen Buddhist Meditation Group), the Unitarian Universalists, the LDS Study Group (Mormon), and the Christian Science Group. Students from a number of other traditions (including Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim) do not maintain a formal student group, but organize activities and meetings on an occasional basis. For further information please contact the chapel office by phone or request information using the Chapel Response Form.