Chaplains

At The Claremont Colleges, Chaplains serve as confidential spiritual counselors, emotional leaders, and provide ethical leadership to the campus community at large. There are four Chaplains onsite, a Rabbi, Imam, Catholic Priest, and Protestant Minister. Though each Chaplain holds a specific faith, they encourage and support all religious and spiritual student groups and communities on campus. It is the goal of the Chaplains to strengthen individual faith and promote interfaith relations. The Chaplains offer religious support, engagement opportunities, and foster a faith community for students as they pursue their education.

Video Overview

Our Chaplains

Father Joe Fenton

Catholic Chaplain

Visit Father Joe Fenton’s Page

CUC Public Safety andMcAlister Center for Religious Activities 2017

Rabbi Danny Shapiro

Jewish Chaplain

Visit Rabbi Danny Shapiro’s Page

Imam Adeel Zeb

Muslim Chaplain

Visit Imam Adeel Zeb’s Page

Chaplain Services

Virtual Programing

Chaplains Event Calendar

Prayer & Meeting Spaces

Staff & Affiliates

Meet the Chaplain’s Staff

Student Organizations

Religious Affiliates

Chaplain Information

Mission

At The Claremont Colleges, Chaplains serve as confidential spiritual counselors, emotional leaders, and provide ethical leadership to the campus community at large. There are four Chaplains onsite, a Rabbi, Imam, Catholic Priest, and Protestant Minister. Though each Chaplain holds a specific faith, they encourage and support all religious and spiritual student groups and communities on campus. It is the goal of the Chaplains to strengthen individual faith and promote interfaith relations. The Chaplains offer religious support, engagement opportunities, and foster a faith community for students as they pursue their education.

Religious Life Newsletter

We are excited to share our weekly Religious Life Newsletter! Each week we highlights the religious/spiritual news of The Claremont Colleges. In every issue we will be sharing upcoming events, student organizations, and spiritual programming.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter

FAQ's

Are there religious services I can join?
Yes! The Chaplains host weekly Shabbat Service, Jummah Prayer, and Catholic Mass. If these services do not align with your faith, we can connect you to student organizations (Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, LDS, etc.) that host services and worship as well.

Do I have to be religious to join events or services?
No. The Chaplains support all students regardless of faith or being nonreligious. Fill free to join any service, event, or meal. At these events, there is no pressuring or recruiting. The Chaplains want you to make friends, join fun events, and grow as an individual whether that is through faith or community.

How do I meet with a Chaplain one on one?
Contact our office via email, phone, or in person and we will schedule a pastoral counseling appointment for you. Remember that these meetings will remain confidential. The Chaplains are not mandated reporters, thus anything you share will be confidential and respected.

Can I pray privately on campus?
Yes, the McAlister Center for Religious Activities has a private prayer room. You can access the prayer room anytime, no sign-in required. In the prayer room, we have prayers rugs, worship clothing (hats, shawls, kippot), and religious texts available if needed.

Major Religious Holy Days

Date	Holiday	Religion
FALL SEMESTER
September 18-20, 2020	Rosh Hashanah	Jewish
September 27-28, 2020	Yom Kippur	Jewish
October 2-9, 2020	Sukkot	Jewish
November 14, 2020	Diwali/Deepavali	Jain/Sikh/Hindu
December 12, 2020	Our Lady of Guadalupe	Catholic
December 25, 2020	Christmas	Christian/Catholic

SPRING SEMESTER
February 12, 2021	Chinese Lunar New Year
February 17-April1, 2021	Ash Wednesday/Lent	Catholic
February 26, 2021	Magha Puja*	Buddhism
March 27 – April 3, 2021	Passover	Jewish
March 28-29, 2021	Holi	Hindu
April 2, 2021	Good Friday	Christian/Catholic
April 4, 2021	Easter	Christian/Catholic
April 12 – May 12, 2021	Ramadan	Islam
April 14, 2021	Vaisakhi*	Sikh
May 12-13, 2021	Eid al-Fitr	Islam
May 26, 2021	Vesak*	Buddhism

SUMMER
July 19-20, 2020	Eid al-Adha	Islam
August 20, 2020	Muharram	Islam

*Dates may vary based on region and moon cycle.

Swipe Access

Swipe access to the McAlister Center for Religious Activities is currently unavailable.

Reserve A Space

Reserving spaces at the McAlister Center is currently unavailable.

Upcoming Events

Wed 28

Zen Meditation

October 28 @ 8:00 am - 9:30 am

Thu 29

Hanging with the Chaplains

October 29 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Thu 29

Halaqah

October 29 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

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