A special week of supporting spiritual life on the Circle

April is a busy month at Groton School and Spiritual Life is no exception, with observances of Easter, Passover, and Ramadan all intersecting this week.

“This is who people are,” said the Rev. Allison Read, Groton’s chaplain. “These are not activities. These are human beings in the world, and this is their worldview. This is who they understand themselves to be in the world. So to create space and support them allows them to be fully who they are. That’s really important.” 

Chaplain Read said that balancing a student’s spiritual needs away from home during this intensified time of observance requires a focus on coordination and support.  

The Spiritual Life team includes a group of faculty—Monika Andersson, Celene Ibrahim, Dan Moriarty, Eric Spierer, Rebecca Stanton, and Fanny Vera de Viacava—charged with overseeing different faith groups. Registrar Christina Corcoran and a group of non-faculty members—a Hindu life leader, a Catholic priest, and two evangelical Christians—also work with the team.

As major observances come up, each faith leader will reach out to Chaplain Read with their needs. For anything requiring special food, such as pre- and post-fasting meals during Ramadan or Friday’s Passover seder, Dining Hall Director Jed Coughlin is brought into the mix.

“Jed is a key partner in all of this,” said Chaplain Read.

“We communicate with other offices on campus, whether that’s academic deans, the Deans’ Office, the Health Center, advisors, coaches, to make people aware that a student is going to be participating in observance, what are their particular needs, and how do we support them?” she explained. “There’s a lot of coordination that goes on behind the scenes.”

Each morning Chapel service this week featured a Spiritual Life prefect speaking briefly about a religious observance they are undertaking this season: Ramadan, Passover, Holy Week, Good Friday, and Easter.

 

Ramadan—one of the holiest months for Muslims, marked by a period of fasting from dawn until sunset each day—began in the last week of spring break, with several Groton students participating. Spiritual Life will host a small iftar as Ramadan concludes and Eid al-Fitr takes place over Spring Long Weekend.

The eight days of Passover began at sundown on April 5. Groton’s Jewish community observes its festive seder meal at Shabbat on April 7, with assistance from dining services for this occasion and over the course of all eight days.

This year’s Christian Holy Week began with Palm Sunday on April 2, and on April 9 for Orthodox Christians. Services for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter were scheduled in St. John’s Chapel.

While it’s a particularly busy time for Spiritual Life—with Muslim, Jewish, and four Christian services to balance—they also support students of other faiths, including Hinduism and Buddhism, throughout the year. 

“It is a microcosm, because that’s what Groton School is,” said Chaplain Read. “This is what it means to be Groton School right now, in all of its diversity, inclusion, and belonging. That’s what this is about.”