The Soul of Belonging: St. Anne’s-Belfield Chapel in the 21st Century

By Bob Clark, P. ’19 & ’22

At my 25th Upper School Moving Up Chapel, I reached out my arms for the closing benediction in Grisham Hall, but for this occasion, the entire Class of 2023 joined me with arms outstretched spanning the breadth of the stage. The outstretched arms embodied a sacred physical gesture, a mudra of St. Anne’s-Belfield School Chapel, celebrating tradition, community, and the spiritual dimension of life. Smiles and tears abounded, myself included.

A journey into Chapel is not an antiquated religious endeavor, but rather reflects the vibrant, evolving heartbeat of the school in the 21st Century.

From Perspectives magazine, Summer 2011

While innovation appropriately drives many conversations in education, exceptional schools also embrace the timeless along with the timely. United by more than a century of students and alumni, Chapel remains the oldest continuous tradition of St. Anne’s-Belfield; the call of the Soul echoes anew in each generation.

When campuses closed in March of 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, pressing questions in my email box included: What will we do about Chapel? Should we wait a few weeks and focus on a slim-downed, sermon podcast? Members of the senior class, however, rallied quickly. Without missing a beat, Andreas

Rivera Young ’20 gathered an ensemble of musicians and readers, our intrepid Audio-Visual Performance Specialist worked his magic, and we released our first Upper School Chapel recording that Friday afternoon, including a full order of service from prelude to benediction, all from the socially-distanced locations of our homes. I remember Andreas saying, “We have senior speakers for the rest of the year. I don’t want to miss any!” Yearning for connection, our community heartbeat continued through online chapels each week. Stone steps in the Clark family meditation garden became the symbolic setting for another year of Moving Up Chapel.

The intentional choice to center student voice provides the key to understanding Chapel’s navigation of the complex interplay between innovation and timeless tradition. Chapel leaders across the divisions celebrate the increase in student voice. 137 middle schoolers participated in MS Chapel last year and even more this year. Lower School Chapel features numerous “class chapels” involving the contributions of all class members. Perhaps the most impactful innovation has been the expansion of student musical offerings across divisions in developmentally-appropriate ways. Orchestrated by our fabulous music teachers, Chapel nurtures a beautiful venue for integrating the performing arts, student voice, and the spiritual dimension of life. At its heart, Chapel embodies a celebration of community, a continual encounter of seeking to know each other well.

We come together not as one religion but from many forms of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taosim, skepticism, atheism, agnosticism, and more. Our diverse stories provide profound opportunities to learn from and to deeply listen to each other.

Innovation and increase in student voice is counterpointed by the enduring traditions that span the divisions. Chapel buddies unite kindergarteners and fourth graders, and the relationships continue into Middle School. “The Birthday Song” remains a perennial favorite cherished by Lower School students and beyond. Moving Up Chapels culminate the transition between each and every academic year. Candles continue to be lit on an altar in Grisham Hall nearly a century old or its replica on the Belfield Campus. Lessons and Carols sends kindergartners through seniors off for two glorious weeks of winter break. The anchors of tradition remain strong and well.

An additional element indelibly shapes the contemporary Chapel experience: the role of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). In my opening words for Chapel each fall, I always share a variation of the following: “We come together not as one religion but from many forms of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taosim, skepticism, atheism, agnosticism, and more. Our diverse stories provide profound opportunities to learn from and to deeply listen to each other.”

Indeed, research shows the most rapidly-growing demographic in American society is the “Nones,” those who when asked about their religious identity answer “None of the Above” or “Atheist” or “Agnostic,” and this is especially true among the younger generation. As of 2023, 28% of Americans identify as a “None,” up from 16% in 2007. In one sense, much has changed in the demographics of Chapel since the merger between St. Anne’s and Belfield Schools over fifty years ago. In another sense, however, the message of belonging rings eternal; its circumference just gets wider, from ecumenical to interfaith to the secular-religious divide itself. It especially intrigues me that 49% of the “Nones” describe themselves as “spiritual.”

One of the things I cherish most about my profession in independent school chaplaincy is the opportunity to work with young people as they encounter and navigate complex issues of meaning. Sermons about loss, change, identity, unconditional love, connection, wonder, and more shape our Chapel year, each from a unique voice authentic to their roots and hopeful for collective growth. We hear stories of grandpa’s blue and green plaid Bible, of fleeing a cherished homeland in Afghanistan, of Buddhist stupas in Colorado, of Buberian encounters with the unhoused in Charlottesville. Belonging is not merely a buzz word; it’s the existential yearning for wholeness that animates humans across time and space; it spans the intersectionality of all forms of identity. Cici Yu ’24, beautifully expressed this at the recent Moving Up Chapel. “The concept of belonging is where you make your own category rather than meeting the shape of someone else’s fit.”

Echoing this underlying theme of belonging, James Carter ’23, closed an especially beloved Chapel with the words: “Take it from me. It’s taken me a long time to find my place in the world, but I know who I am now. I’m James, and I know that I’m not alone, not by a long shot, not anymore.”

The profound significance of introspection, meaning, and community spans time and space. I see its roots in the classics of spiritual literature: St. Augustine’s Confessions, Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara, Lao Zi’s Tao Te Ching, and many more. I’m also drawn to researched-based, contemporary expressions like the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University, founded by professor Lisa Miller.

The art of belonging in action, St. Anne’s-Belfield Chapel remains uniquely positioned as an enduring ritual for deep reflection, communal learning, and creative expression. We continue to fulfill the mission statement articulated over 100 years ago by Mary Hyde DuVal: “We wish our students to become strong in body, broad of mind, tender of heart, responsive in soul.” When I stretch my arms out at the close of each week for the benediction, we experience a community expression of timeless blessing.

Alumni Reflections on Chapel

The best way to appreciate Chapel continues to be the voices of alumni.

Korben London ’16

Looking back, I think about how cool it felt when someone would ask you to be a part of their Chapel by sharing a quote, scripture, or performing. It was something you would never turn down, as it felt like an honor for someone to want you to be a part of something so deeply ingrained into the fabric of the school, as well as their own personal journey as many chapel sermons were about.

Giving my own Chapel was a tough but rewarding experience. Oftentimes at that age you attach your identity to trivial or materialistic things, but the process of writing a Chapel allowed me to take a deeper look inside to what was important to me, which was huge for my development as a young adult.

Helen Ambrosi ’22

As I look back at the 15 years I spent at STAB, Chapel is still my favorite piece of such an amazing place. Chapel created a calm and special environment where I felt like I got to know my peers and teachers so well. I graduated only two years ago, but I often miss the weekly time to be able to listen and be still. Listening to the beautiful sermons and incredible music by our own classmates is what I miss most. I gave my sermon the spring of my senior year and I had an incredible time doing so. It is my favorite memory of my senior year and felt like the perfect way to say goodbye to St. Anne’s-Belfield. With each special message shared, it makes you feel connected to something greater within our school.

Peter Hartwig ’12

STAB Chapel was one of the single most formative forces in my young life. Now as a chaplain myself at an independent school, I really don’t think this is an overstatement in the least. STAB’s Chapels, all the way from the old Lower School auditorium to my one alumni sermon in Grisham Hall, constitute for me a long and sacred chain of moments in which I learned just about everything I know about the Good Life. I remember, though, moments when I was asked by friends to read or sing or pray in a Chapel — those are such cherished memories for me when I felt seen by my friends, honored by my community, and opened to God. It remains my prayer that generations of STAB students will continue to find that particular and precarious grace of a school Chapel for many years to come.

Teddy Oakey ’22

In general, I think of outdoor Chapels as some of my best memories from St. Anne’s. I remember great joy from listening to a friend tell an engaging story while surrounded by peers on a nice day on the field.

I strongly believe my sermon was my first true attempt at self-expression, and I think this is true for most people who delivered a chapel sermon. It was really the first time I had a chance to sit down, of my own accord, and figure out: “Who am I?” The process of applying oneself, one’s beliefs, and one’s character into a single block of text is crucial for the development of any of us, and is not easy by any regard. The Chapel program at St. Anne’s lowers the barrier to entry for self-consciousness by inserting students into a comfortable, warm environment of supportive friends and faculty, which ensures the act of sharing one’s story will be a positive experience. I look back on my sermon as the starting block for a lifetime of fulfilling self-determination. Personally, I believe the Chapel environment catered to students has left lasting influences on all of us, especially in partnership with a strong Religious Studies program at St. Anne’s. In particular, the conjunction of delivering a sermon and participating in the Comparative Religion Senior Seminar has set me on a course of religious inquiry for the rest of my life.

Sasha Rinkevich ’23

Giving a Chapel last March as a member of the Class of 2023 is one of my most cherished memories, and to this day I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to do so. To me, the Chapel tradition exemplifies everything that I love about St. Anne’s-Belfield: the incredibly warm sense of community, genuine curiosity and value of learning about others’ experiences, and empathy and connection. I found myself amazed, time and time again, that someone you may have never spoken to or appear to have anything in common with can share an experience or emotion that resonates with you so deeply. I carry so many Chapels that I’ve heard over the years with me. My worldview has been forever shifted by the stories I have heard, and I could not be more grateful to have grown up with Chapel.

As I go forth into this week before me, the peace, love, and fond memories of Chapel will certainly be with me.