St Catharine's welcomes students, Fellows and staff of all faiths and none, and as the Chaplain I am here to support you in your faith, whatever your tradition and wherever you are in your life of faith. I hope you will find the information below helpful as you navigate living faithfully in Cambridge, or as you explore questions of faith or doubt, spirituality, and life generally.
The Rev'd Jonathan Collis
Acting Chaplain
The Chapel
As the College Chapel is a Church of England place of worship, it is for everyone, and all are welcome to go in and spend some time in peace and quiet. You can access the chapel from the corridor by the garden room, using your university card, and you are also welcome to use the doors in Main Court.
Multifaith Prayer Room
St Catharine's has a new multifaith prayer room, which is available to all members of the College community, of any faith or none, and their accompanied guests. It is located on the second floor of the central College building that also houses the Chapel and the Dining Hall, and is accessible via the stairs or lift. You will need your university card to access the corridor on which the room is located, and the prayer room itself. Staff wishing to use the room may need to ask the porters to add access to their cards. Students should find that access is automatically enabled, but do ask the porters if your card doesn't work on either of the doors.
More about the Multifaith Prayer Room
Support in your faith & places of worship
The Faith in Cambridge document provides information about places and organisations for a number of different faiths, in College, in the University and around Cambridge. There are so many places of worship in Cambridge, especially when it comes to Christian churches, that it can be hard to know where to start. Please contact the Chaplain for suggestions and advice if you don't find what you're looking for above.
The University of Cambridge website provides a non-exhaustive list of prayer rooms available for use, across the university and collegiate university.
Tutors and DoSs (for undergraduates) and supervisors/departments (for postgraduates) are the first port of call for issues that are impact academic work (or when academic work impacts the practice of faith), for example, if fasting means you may have a bit less energy during supervisions or labs, or when a major festival means you need to ask for an extension. The exam timetable may also conflict with religious observances, and the University's process for managing this can be helpful but may not completely deal with any clashes because the exam timetable is so complicated – it may be possible for College’s to make alternative provision if necessary. The Chaplain is happy to liaise with Tutors or DoSs, and support students in asking for special exam arrangements, if needed.
If you would like any additional information to be added to this page or to the Faith in Cambridge document, please contact the Chaplain.
