Spiritual and Religious Life
At Allegheny College, we cultivate spiritual wellness in all students, whether they are religiously involved or not. We recognize that intellectual development must be balanced by opportunities to explore questions of meaning, purpose, values, and vocation, and to grow in compassion and connection to others.
Spiritual and Religious Life Mission Statement
The Office of Spiritual and Religious Life (SRL) supports members of the Allegheny community in learning, growing in leadership, and developing as whole persons. We seek to nurture and encourage religious persons to deepen their engagement with their own traditions, while developing respect for difference. We work with other constituents to enhance the spiritual dimension of all persons’ lives, reach out in service to the local and global community, and address spiritual issues of concern that will lead to positive transformation of individuals, the institution, and the world.
At Allegheny College, we cultivate spiritual wellness in all students, whether they are religiously involved or not. We recognize that intellectual development must be balanced by opportunities to explore questions of meaning, purpose, values, and vocation, and to grow in compassion and connection to others.
Our Methodist Heritage
In 1833, when the young Allegheny College suffered financial constraints, it formed a patronage agreement with the Methodist Episcopal Church. The College maintains ties to the current United Methodist Church, but honors founder Timothy Alden’s wishes by taking a nonsectarian approach to religion, fostering an environment for the free expression of any faith.
Religious students can deepen their roots through:
- Christian, Muslim, and Jewish gatherings and services on campus
- Observance of important religious holy days
- SRPW groups that gather weekly to learn, study, and worship
- Retreats to steal a few hours away from campus
- Bible studies and prayer groups
- Lunch and dinner discussions
- Mission trips and service projects
- Movie nights, cookouts, and other activities that foster connection and relationships
Supporting Diversity and Inclusion
An interfaith group, MOSAIC, brings together members of different religions and non-religious students for conversation and programming, offering the chance to learn about other religions, as well as how to articulate one’s own beliefs in such exchanges. The department’s annual SRPW Week offers collaborative programming to the campus around a specific theme.
At Allegheny, we take diversity seriously, which may mean wrestling with hard questions about pluralism and conflicts between certain beliefs and social issues. We work closely with the IDEAS Center to explore how our various identities intersect, to address systemic racism, and to better support underrepresented groups.
Mindfulness and Reflection
Given the complexity of our world and of students’ schedules, SRPW offers opportunities for mindfulness and other contemplative practices that create space to pause, reflect, and breathe. Programs on meditation and mindfulness help to cultivate habits that create space in the midst of busy-ness.
Some recent events:
- Mystical Arts of Tibet Sand Mandala Creation
- An Evening with the Alexander String Quartet
- 30-Day Mindfulness Challenge
- Blessing of the Animals
- Outdoor Yoga
Care and Support
SRPW staff members are available as a resource for the community on spiritual and religious issues, and for pastoral and vocational counseling. SRPW’s office in the Campus Center’s Student Life Suite, 310, is open to all members of the Allegheny community who are looking for spiritual or religious resources, a place to hang out, or someone to talk with.
Religion and Diversity
Allegheny College Statement of Community
Allegheny students and employees are committed to creating an inclusive, respectful and safe residential learning community that will actively confront and challenge racism, sexism, heterosexism, religious bigotry, and other forms of harassment and discrimination. We encourage individual growth by promoting a free exchange of ideas in a setting that values diversity, trust and equality. So that the right of all to participate in a shared learning experience is upheld, Allegheny affirms its commitment to the principles of freedom of speech and inquiry, while at the same time fostering responsibility and accountability in the exercise of these freedoms.
As Allegheny students confront an increasingly diverse world, nowhere is that diversity more evident than in religion. Neighbors today may as easily be Buddhist as Baptist, Muslim as Methodist; in addition, more and more people claim no religious affiliation. These differences produce conflict over such hot button issues as race, sexual orientation, and abortion, both between and within religious communities.
At Allegheny College, we take seriously the challenge of creating a community of respect around these differences, and recognize that diversity itself is integral to both academic excellence and the holistic development we espouse. Each person and department is asked to commit to the College’s Statement of Community and to consider its specific application for our work.
For Spiritual, Religious and Personal Well-Being, the Statement of Community means we do not shy away from difficult conversations around sexual orientation, abortion, inherent racism in religious traditions and institutions, or conflicts that arise within a religiously diverse society. Instead we continue to seek productive means of engagement – not for the purpose of changing or silencing each other, but of hearing each other with honesty, openness, and sometimes with pain, while being willing to confront our own biases. We further commit ourselves to campus anti-racism conversations, using the Roadmap for Addressing Systemic Racism & Racial Injustice at Allegheny College.
Through such encounters, we hope to make Allegheny a community of safety and hospitality for persons of all identities and beliefs, and to equip students with the tools to engage in such conversations when they leave here.
Religious Observance on Campus
The following services are offered when classes are in session.
Roman Catholic Mass
Led by Rev. Fr. Jeff Lucas,
Catholic Campus Minister
Sundays, 6:30 p.m.
Ford Memorial Chapel
Pre-registration is required to comply with COVID-19 protocols. Please email newman@allegheny.edu to register.
Jum’ah Prayers
Led By: Fellow of Muslim Life
Fridays, 12:30 pm
PAM House
Email ica@allegheny.edu for information about periodic lunches.
Shabbat Services and/or Dinners
Led By: Fellow of Jewish Life
Fridays, 5:00 pm
Jewish Community Center or Hillel House
Email hillel@allegheny.edu for details.
Allegheny College Protestant Christian Life and Services
Contact Mollie Little here for information about area churches
Other Observances on Campus:
- Jewish High Holy Days
- Passover Seder
- Ash Wednesday
- Good Friday
- Advent/Christmas
- Earth Day
- Islamic celebrations of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha
- Hindu Festivals of Diwali and Holi
- Memorial Occasions
- Wheel of the Year and other Pagan Rituals
SRPW maintains a list with information about congregations in the area and coordinates a tour of local churches in the fall semester, to assist students in finding a church home in Meadville. Please contact the dean of SRPW if you have questions about what resources are available for specific religious communities.
Contact Dean of Students Office
Spiritual and Religious Life Staff
Affiliated Staff: Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO)
The Coalition for Christian Outreach is a campus ministry organization that calls college students to serve Jesus Christ. The CCO works with local congregations to develop students to be passionate leaders who serve Jesus Christ in their studies, jobs, communities, and families.
Mollie Little is on staff with the CCO and advises Allegheny Christian Outreach (ACO), a student-led, evangelical, interdenominational fellowship. She also advises the Lighthouse, a Christian women’s discipleship house. Mollie mentors student leaders, and loves to connect with students one-on-one. Her full-time job is mother to three teenagers, and she and her husband Jeff love to open their home to students.
Affiliated Staff: Catholic Diocese of Erie
Rev. Fr. Jeff Lucas, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, is Catholic Campus Minister, Newman Advisor, and Pastor of The Epiphany of the Lord Parish in Meadville and St. Hippolyte Parish in Frenchtown. He celebrates Masses during the academic year on Sunday evenings and meets with Newman on Monday evenings. He is available during office hours on Tuesdays from 1-4 PM in Campus Center Room 310A or by appointment.
All staff are available to meet with students during posted office hours or by appointment.
External Links of Interest
To assist students in the spiritual, religious and well-being journey, the Spiritual, Religious and Personal Well-Being Office suggests the following websites. In clicking these links, you will leave the Allegheny College website.
- Beliefnet: A multi-faith e-community that addresses religious and spiritual needs by providing inspiration and information in an interactive way.
- Interfaith Youth Core: A movement of young people of all faiths and traditions working together to change the world.
- Parliament of the World’s Religions Next Generation: A new initiative that is part of global religious gatherings that date to the 1890s.
- Religica: Religious and spiritual traditions seeking to be forces for good in the world.
- United Religions Initiative (URI): A global grassroots interfaith network that cultivates peace and justice by engaging people to bridge religious and cultural differences and work together for the good of their communities and the world.
- World Council of Churches Youth Web Site: A gathering spot for young people from across cultures and religious traditions.
