Chapel

The spiritual identity of ESD is grounded in the Christian faith, expressed through the liturgy and tradition of the Episcopal church. We are an institution whose spiritual self-understanding is Christian, but also a place where students of all faiths are welcomed, respected, and loved by God. Every human being has value because God has created them in his own image. We endeavor to understand what it means in the 21st century to love God, ourselves, and our neighbor.

All students and faculty at ESD attend daily chapel services.  We celebrate the good news and message through both word and sacrament. Four days a week our chapel program consists of an abbreviated form of Morning Prayer, as found in the Book of Common Prayer. The chaplain, students, faculty, and guest speakers provide “chapel talks” that strive to articulate love of God, self and neighbor. Wednesdays we celebrate Holy Eucharist in a more formal/traditional service.

Music, creativity, and media are used to convey different messages in Chapel that in some way support our identity. Since we are created in God's image, we also bear creative qualities that allow us to worship more fully. We provide both a traditional worship and a more contemporary worship on Fridays. Through media, music and creativity we hope to make relevant spiritual teachings to the student of today. The hope is that they will not only realize their value because of what God has done for them, but that each student finds in themselves the desire to truly give back to a world – to neighbors - who need their help, love and mercy.