Chaplains and Religious Life

Christian Life at Brown

Those who identify as Christian, as well as those who are curious, questioning, or otherwise unaffiliated to any faith or practice are welcome to explore programming, whether organized by the Chaplaincy or student organizations. The worship and practices are diverse and varied on Brown University's campus.

CHAPLAINCY

The Office of the Chaplains is home to two associate chaplains for Christian communities on campus. Father Justin Bolger, O.P. serves the Catholic Community and Reverend Del Demosthenes serves the Protestant Community.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Alongside the offerings of the Protestant and Catholic chaplaincies, Christian life and activities on Brown's campus are led student organizations. These organizations are advised Religious Life Affiliates (RLAs), in addition to the Student Activities Office, but are each student group is run independently by its members. 

Please see below to read more about the Catholic and Protestant Chaplaincies and Student Organizations at Brown.

Chaplains

Athletes in Action is an interdenominational Christian fellowship for any/all college athletes or athletically minded students! AIA exists to help transform student-athletes into people who will become Total Athletes: people who maximize the unique potential for which God has made them, and people who pursue God in and through sport, academics, service, leadership and their future careers.

We are a Protestant Christian group serving Brown and RISD that gathers to worship God and love people through times in the Word and in prayer and through service.

Brown Christian Fellowship is a ministry of InterVarsity.

We strive to be a witnessing community growing in love for God, God's word, God's people of every ethnicity and culture, and God's purposes in the world. At BCF no questions are off-limits and every student - of any or no spiritual background - is welcomed to explore who Jesus is and what it looks like to follow Jesus in community.

Brown Staff Christian Fellowship is open to all who identify as a Christian or who are curious about the Christian Faith. Our core members come from a diverse set of traditions. We put Jesus at the center of our lives, our minds and our hearts.Please feel free to enjoy your lunch during this time. It's totally OK to come in late and leave early. The important thing is that you show up. You will be blessed for it.

The Brown-RISD Catholic Community (BRCC) serves the students of Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Our purpose is to offer students opportunities to encounter Jesus Christ and to broaden their appreciation of their Catholic faith. We are a community of faith that strives to know, love, and serve God through divine worship, prayerful study, and charitable action. We are a diverse assembly bound together as a fellowship of believers seeking to communicate the love of God to one another and the broader community.

Christian Mindfulness Meditation is a gathering that welcomes everyone regardless of faith background to explore contemplative practices in resonance with texts from the Christian and other spiritual traditions.

We are a Christian leadership development group that meets bi-weekly for worship, meals and our leadership lecture series. Our ministry offers students discipleship, fellowship, pastoral leadership, prayer, trainings and retreats. We hold a weekly prayer meeting at our ministry center which includes pancakes! Bible studies are held weekly at our ministry center. All students are welcome!

The Graduate and Medical Student Christian Fellowship is a ministry of InterVarsity.

The Brown Graduate and Medical Student Christian Fellowship encourages and equips graduate and medical students of all ethnicities to live as Christ’s disciples, following Christ as we seek to be a redeeming influence among the people, ideas, and structures of the university and professions. Our four commitments, by God’s grace are: spiritual formation, evangelism and service, multicultural community, and integration of faith, learning and practice.

Protestants@Brown is an Ecumenical Protestant Group overseen by Associate Chaplain of the University for the Protestant Community.

Our mission is to cultivate a vibrant and united Protestant community. As a  newly formed subgroup of the Chaplains' Office, we aim to assemble a diverse council comprising representatives from all existing Protestant groups on campus. This collaborative approach will enable us to enhance our organizational efforts and coordinate a wide range of programs and events for the community.

Our vision includes community service initiatives and the hosting of inter-fellowship social gatherings designed for Protestants of various backgrounds and denominations. Additionally, we're in the process of planning special events such as guest speaker sessions, field trips, and retreats. Protestants@Brown is not supposed to take away from, but become an additive to any religious clubs or ties of your choosing. We wholeheartedly welcome everyone, as we believe there is power in numbers! 

Quakers (the Religious Society of Friends) originated in the mid-seventeenth century in England, as a non-conforming Protestant sect. The founder, George Fox, believed that there is "that of God" in every person, and anyone can communicate with God without the intermediation of an authorized priest or minister. The Quakers have no creed or dogma and, although it began as a Christian sect (and most Quakers are Christians), we welcome anyone to become a member.

The Quakers at Brown hold a mid-week Meeting for Worship in Page-Robinson Hall, with some social time before or after. Anyone is invited to attend, and we have mostly students, but also faculty and staff as well as members of the community.  

Saint Stephen's Young Adults is a fellowship of students from Brown, RISD, and other schools, as well as other young adults. On Wednesday nights, the group gathers at Saint Stephen's for Evening Prayer and Holy Communion at 6:30, followed by dinner and fellowship either at the church or a nearby restaurant. Other occasions for fun and fellowship are offered several times throughout the semester. All students are welcome at all services at Saint Stephen's, located right next to the Main Green and across from the Ratty.

As a Christian ministry, Salt and Light ultimately seeks to provide a home for students looking to learn about, pursue, or grow their Christian faith in a campus context and through the lens of the Reformed theological tradition. We are officially affiliated with Reformed University Fellowship and have an ordained minister on staff.

Religious Life Affiliates