Although there was uncertainty concerning the religiosity of this year’s Chapel theme “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26) at the start of the academic year, the Vestry has addressed skepticism by providing diversity in speeches and broadening the scope of the theme to appeal to more people.
While Episcopal has traditionally maintained a faith-based, Christian Chapel theme, last year was a departure from convention, as the theme was adapted from a quote from Mahatma Gandhi. The Vestry faced opposition from the community regarding the theme’s secularism and lack of a faith component. Consequently, this year’s theme aimed to reestablish Christian doctrine and faith into the Chapel program of this Episcopalian school. Unsurprisingly, however, the Vestry yet again faced skepticism in choosing the Biblical excerpt, as this was the first quotation in recent years that directly alluded to God and Christian theology. Some in the community were concerned that the theme had the potential to isolate nonreligious students and students of other faiths.
Yet not only has the Vestry alleviated these fears, but it has also succeeded in provoking greater interest in Chapel, by striking a balance between speeches with Christian underpinnings and speeches that do not directly contain a theological component. In fact, Senior Warden of the Vestry Connor Boyle ’13 stated in his opening speech that “Every speaker [the Vestry] brings in will be asked to deliver a speech that benefits or informs the Upper School.” Following up on that speech in mid-October, Boyle expanded on the Chapel program’s new policy by indicating that all speakers will be asked to touch upon “faith, ethics, or character.”
With speakers that have reflected on myriad subjects including love, humility, community service, the ethics of business, and inner holiness, the Chapel program has admirably addressed community disquiet by appealing to a large audience, while also adhering to Episcopal’s founding, Christian principles.
The Episcopal Academy community has become one of great diversity, a fact that has made it difficult for the Vestry and other student-run organizations to respond to the needs of the entire student body. It is with this in mind that students must become aware of the effort that goes into the Chapel program, a program that often faces significant criticism. Each and every speaker is not simply brought in to fill a time slot, but rather to educate and inspire the Episcopal community. As a unified body, we must, as Boyle indicated, “consider clearing [our] minds and really listening to what someone has to say.”

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