Mission
Hendricks Chapel is the diverse religious, spiritual, ethical and cultural heart of Syracuse University that connects people of all faiths and no faith through active engagement, mutual dialogue, reflective spirituality, responsible leadership and a rigorous commitment to social justice.
Welcome Letter from the Dean
For generations of students, Hendricks Chapel has been a place of sanctuary, engaged learning, and personal transformation. William H. Powers, the first Dean of Hendricks Chapel, described the Chapel’s role as sustaining “the soul-life of the University.”
Hendricks Chapel has always been a place of active learning, at least as profound as the classrooms and lecture halls that encircle it. Dean Charlie Noble and Chapel Choir director Arthur Poister taught students many lessons. Some were explicit, in Noble’s sermons. Others were implicit, including Poister’s drive for excellence in performance, and in life.
Throughout the years, the character of Hendricks Chapel’s influence on students’ lives has not changed. Dean Jack McCombe brought a steady presence to a turbulent time, while Dean Richard Phillips nurtured the Chapel’s legacy through the writing and publication of the Chapel’s history. Dean Thomas Wolfe’s quiet reassurances calmed many and his leadership expanded the role of the Chapel in interfaith dialog. Today, I have the privilege and responsibility to carry on these rich traditions.
Hendricks Chapel remains the moral and ethical heart of the University. Chapel programs reach across disciplines to encourage critical thinking about the religious, moral, and ethical issues of our time and create soulful citizens, prepared to grapple with the human complexity of decision-making. Today’s Hendricks Chapel teaches students of every faith, and of no faith, to bring the heart and mind together.
Years ago, much of the funding for Chapel programs came from off-campus sources. Local churches and synagogues joined with national denominations to fund the chaplaincies and support students. Today, the Chapel itself must raise the funds to meet student needs.
As you contemplate your own year-end giving, I invite you to consider a gift for the future of Hendricks Chapel. Your gift will ensure that Hendricks Chapel remains the “soul-life” of campus connecting people of all faiths and none through active engagement, mutual dialogue, reflective spirituality, responsible leadership and a rigorous commitment to social justice. Your donation will support future generations by providing the necessary funds for student programs, community outreach and emergency financial grants for students in crisis.
Thank you in advance for your consideration. Gifts may be sent by check or online.
Thank you for being part of the living legacy of Hendricks Chapel now and into the future.
Rev. Tiffany Steinwert, Ph.D.
Dean of Hendricks Chapel
