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The Chaplaincy
at Bard College engages with many different people throughout our
community. In all the Chaplaincy does, the aim is to help people
develop a clearer understanding of what they believe, of how they
relate to their own faiths and to those of other faiths. We call
upon the resources of several religious and philosophical traditions
in our work, without asking others to adhere to them. Our concern
is with how the individual integrates his or her own spirituality
within a community of diverse faiths, and with how the community
accommodates the fact of diversity.
Service to the
Community
The Chaplaincy
is committed to enabling students, staff, and faculty to explore
and develop their own spiritual identities. Various academic programs
permit us to see how religious perspectives contribute to our understanding
of who we are as human beings; the Chaplaincy provides us with an
opportunity to practice and experiment on the basis of different
traditions of religion. By historic and active association, the
College belongs to the Colleges and Universities of the Anglican
Communion, but that membership is not taken to limit the scope of
our religious interests. Rather, the chaplains understand that one
of the greatest opportunities of learning is to see oneself and
the world from diverse perspectives such as Buddhism, Christianity,
Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. At Bard College, these great systems
of religion are practiced, not only studied.
The Chaplaincy
has on staff five college chaplains: an Episcopal priest, a Catholic
priest, an imam, a rabbi, and an Anglican priest. The clergy offer
study on a formal and informal basis with members of the college
community who are interested in learning more about their own traditions
or the faith traditions of others. Each chaplain is available for
pastoral care with students, administration, staff, and faculty.
It is the Chaplaincy's
goal to care for members of the college community as they confront
the challenges of living in an academic environment. Integration
of religious practice in these arenas can enhance the lives of those
individuals and that of the institution. We believe that Òthe sacredÓ
becomes manifest through addressing the whole person, their intellectual,
emotional, physical, and spiritual sides. We work closely with both
the Counseling Service and the office of the Dean of Students to
reach these goals.
The Chaplaincy
supports and advises the Jewish Student Organization, the Muslim
Students Organization, the Christian Students Fellowship, the Buddhist
Meditation Group, and the Catholic community to help students organize
and celebrate regular holy observances and to develop programming
for the campus. In addition, the clergy offer regular weekly worship.
Evensong is observed on Sundays in the Chapel of the Holy Innocents.
The rabbi offers a weekly Sabbath celebration and programming for
other festivals that fall within the academic calendar. The imam
facilitates regular worship through the Muslim calendar. The Catholic
chaplain celebrates Mass on Sundays and holy days, in addition to
providing opportunities for confession and other sacraments and
liturgies. There are several churches in close proximity to the
campus where students are welcome to worship, including St. John
the Evangelist in Barrytown, where one of Bard's chaplains is rector.
While the Chaplaincy
is deeply committed to the development of individual spiritual identity,
we are also concerned to foster a ceremonial tradition that is celebrated
and shared through the strata of the college so that at particular
times faculty, administration, students, and staff gather together
to bear witness to our common life. In addition to our denominational
activities, we also coordinate and participate in a series of ecumenical
events throughout the school year. These vary according to season
and interests. Some examples of past events have been a Festival
of Lights in early December, the building and burning of a labyrinth
at the spring equinox, and a May Day celebration.
Our Staff
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Bruce Chilton
Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion; Chaplain of the College; Executive Director of the Institute of Advanced Theology
B.A., Bard College; M.Div., General Theological Seminary, Columbia University; ordination to the diaconate and the priesthood; Ph.D., Cambridge University. Books include Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography, God in Strength, Rabbi Paul: An Intellectual Biography, Judaic Approaches to the Gospels, Revelation, Trading Places, Jesus' Prayer and Jesus' Eucharist, Forging a Common Future, and Jesus' Baptism and Jesus' Healing. Editor in chief, Bulletin for Biblical Research; founding editor, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Studying the Historical Jesus series (E. J. Brill and Eerdman's). Fellowships and awards: with Jacob Neusner, Choice magazine award, best academic book (1998); Evangelical Scholars Fellowship, A. Whitney Griswold Center (Yale University); Heinrich Hertz Stiftung, Theological Development Fund of the Episcopal Church, National Conference of Christians and Jews. (1987– ) Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Chaplain of the College, Executive Director of the Institute of Advanced Theology.
Phone: 845-758-7335
E-mail: chilton@bard.edu
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Ginger Grab
Ecumenical Chaplain
The Rev. Ginger Grab, an Episcopal priest, is assistant chaplain at Bard and curate at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Barrytown. She received a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.A. from Columbia University, and an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary in New York. She also completed a year of Anglican studies at General Theological Seminary. For the past 10 years she has been the editor of The Living Pulpit, a professional journal for preachers. An associate with the Institute for Writing and Thinking at Bard, she has been developing an Evensong program for the College and the surrounding community; during the academic year, this service of candlelight and music takes place at the Chapel at 7:30 p.m. every Sunday.
Phone: 845-757-4309
E-mail: ggrab@bard.edu
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Salahuddin M. Muhammad
Muslim Chaplain
Imam Salahuddin M. Muhammad received his B.A. in the social sciences from SUNY New Paltz. He continued his education at New York Theological Seminary and earned a Masters of Professional Studies degree in theology and counseling. A student of Islam since 1964, Imam Muhammad has successfully completed hundreds of hours of Islamic studies and is registered and certified as an Imam by the National Association of Muslim Chaplains. He is the spiritual leader of Masjid Al Jihad Al Akbar (the Islamic Learning Center of Orange County), located in Newburgh, New York. Since 1985, he has been employed as a chaplain by the New York State Department of Corrections. During this period, he has spent a great deal of time on the lecture circuit teaching Islam and has been an adjunct professor for Mercy and Marist Colleges. At home, Salahuddin is a loving and devoted husband and father. He brings this sensitivity to the campus and is particularly interested in bridging the gap between the academic and religious lives of Muslim students.
Phone: 845-758-7438
E-mail: muhammad@bard.edu
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Paul Murray
Catholic Chaplain; Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion
B.A., Bard College; S.T.B., Pontifical Gregorian University; M.A., Ph.D., Catholic University of America. Founder and executive director, Among Friends, Inc., which provides transitional housing, counseling, and job-search support to persons in crisis (1992–97). Pastoral ministry, Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. (1975–98). Publications: "A Cultural Reading of Literature on the Catholic Church in the South," Culture of Bible Belt Catholics; "The 'International Outlook,'" Place of the Person in Social Life; and articles, interviews, and book reviews in Anthropos; Technology and Disability; National Catholic Reporter; Charities, U.S.A.; Washington Blade; Living Pulpit; others. (1998– ) Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion.
Phone: 845-758-7438
E-mail: murray@bard.edu
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Lawrence Troster
Jewish Chaplain and Institute of Advanced Theology Associate
Rabbi Lawrence Troster received his B.A. from the University of Toronto and his M.A. and rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City. He is also the Rabbinic Fellow of the Coalition On the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) and the Rabbinic Scholar-in-Residence for GreenFaith, NJ an interfaith environmental coalition in New Jersey. He also serves on the Interfaith Partnership for the Environment of UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) and is a member of the editorial board of Conservative Judaism. He has published numerous articles and has lectured widely on theology, interfaith relations, Jewish environmentalism, liturgy, bioethics and Judaism and modern cosmology. He has also served as a congregational rabbi in several synagogues in Canada and New Jersey. He has always believed that a rabbi role is to be a teacher of the Jewish tradition for all of those who are seeking their own spiritual paths.
Phone: 845-758-7544
E-mail: troster@bard.edu
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