The multifaith community is a group of inquisitive people who share and explore identities, perspectives, convictions and practices. We welcome all people – religious, non-religious, spiritual, non-theistic, or whatever identifier works best for you. If you’d like a few moments to connect, share, and reflect, check out these ongoing opportunities.

The way to be in the know and signup for upcoming events is to subscribe to the Multifaith group in Bates Engage.

{Pause}

Pause is a reflective secular service of music, poetry, silence, dance and art. It is a perfect break for quiet reflection and meditation.

Every other Wednesday from 9:00 to 9:30 pm in the Gomes Chapel

Hearth

Hearth is a comforting biweekly dinner where students come together from all corners of campus for food, comforting silence, and sharing in response to thoughtful queries that encourage reflection and vulnerability. Hearth happens in small groups that are facilitated by students who pose two queries (chosen by Multifaith Fellows) which are invitational, reflective and not limited to religious or spiritual topics.

Crossroads (formerly Telescope)

Crossroads is a cozy space for people looking to make genuine connections. It is a group that meets four to six times a semester to explore personal and communal identities. In this group you’ll talk about who you are, what you bring with you, where you turn for insight, what you cherish, and what you hope for yourself and others. The meetings are student-led, more fun than serious, and often engage your artistic side.

“My favorite part [of Telescope] is learning from others and seeing how much I have in common with people I would never think I would get to know.”

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Anam Cara

Sign up here!

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Arts & Spirituality

Arts and Spirituality is a branch of the Bates Multifaith Chaplaincy that explores the ways in which art-making and aesthetic experiences connect us with the Sacred, open us up to deeper inner wisdom, and connect us across differences. Recently our Arts and Spirituality fellows have offered artistic programs with haiku writing, watercolor painting, dance, movement meditation, coloring, and creative writing. In these programs no artistic skill is necessary; art as spiritual practice is focused on process (not product) and paying attention to reflective inner-stirrings and a sense of presence. 

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Multifaith Banquet

Multifaith Banquet is an annual celebration of the diversity of worldviews at Bates. In 2021, we returned to an in-person format and enjoyed a feast of delicious desserts and delightful stories about the journey to finding joy.

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Stringfellow

Bates is blessed to claim among its alums William Stringfellow of the class of 1949. Throughout his life, he fought for justice and freedom in the face of what he saw as “spiritual forces of death” that diminished and dehumanized through the means of economic, military, and political power. The Stringfellow program seeks to keep his legacy alive at Bates through creative programs that support social activists and help them learn how to sustain their vital work for years to come.

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