by Lucas Jiang ‘26
Chapel is the oldest and most frequent all-school community event at St. Mark’s. However, in a mere three weeks, the dean of students office sent two all-school emails addressing the low attendance rates at morning chapel. What lies behind the dwindling participation of the longest-lasting tradition at St. Mark’s?
In an interview, Reverend Talcott observed that attendance had “always been a problem since the pandemic. Attendance at everything has been difficult,” she said, “I would say chapel attendance got worse with the pandemic and it’s hard to bring it back to where it used to be.” Reverend Talcott has been a religion teacher and chaplain for fifteen years at St. Mark’s. Since the beginning of the year, the school has taken measures to improve attendance, including merging academic and non-academic absences
“At the beginning of the year, we tried to bring people from remote chapel into the actual Chapel. They didn’t fit. Now we definitely can bring them back, but what if students decide to come back? I guess we’ll just fail and try again next year.”
Sleep vs. Chapel
Reverend Talcott reasons that students choose not to come to Chapel because they choose to value sleep over Chapel. “I don’t think it’s an irrational decision, but I do agree with the dean’s office that Chapel is a critical part of the St. Mark’s experience,” she comments.
Indeed, morning Chapel starts at 8 AM on Tuesdays and Fridays and most students have expressed that it can be difficult to wake up. Especially during cold winter mornings, leaving the bed and attending Chapel poses a daunting task to all. Many students have reported missing Chapel because of oversleeping or staying up the night before. As Howie Shi ‘26 recalls: “I just missed Chapel yesterday because I overslept, but that was the only time this year.”
Lack of interest
Yet when asked, “Would you attend Chapel more if it was moved to a later part of the day,” the majority of students answered no. In a survey asking students to rate Chapel on a scale of one to ten, an average of 7.1 was recorded with the lowest being 4.5 and the highest being 9. Interviewees who gave lower-than-average ratings answered that they did not see the purpose of Chapel. On the other hand, interviewees who gave higher than average ratings said that Chapel, especially the three minutes of silence, prepared them for the day ahead.
When asked about the purpose of Chapel, Reverend Talcott mentioned Chapel talks. “We think your Chapel talk is your gift to the community; your graduation gift to the community that has raised you for three or four years… It really is that same thing: the bearing of culture, from the older to the younger students.” Currently, the waiting list for Chapel talk sign-up has exceeded records in past years. However, despite the eagerness of sixth formers to give Chapel talks, not everyone finds them meaningful. “Sometimes it gets repetitive,” says an anonymous fifth former. Certain themes can become monotonous when mentioned repeatedly, especially to those who have been at this school for years. Nonetheless, many interviewees marked Chapel talks as their favorite or second favorite part of Chapel.
Religion
St. Mark’s is a religious center of an Episcopal school that has a widely diverse student body. As such, it is difficult to balance the needs of different groups. Rebecca Garland ‘25, a Presbyterian, hopes that “there could be a tiny bit more of scriptures and whatnot.” On the other hand, Sherry Mi ‘26 thinks the current Chapel is a great balance of secular and religious elements.
Of the twenty minutes in Chapel, around half of the time is for Chapel talks about personal experiences, five minutes for hymns, two minutes for prayers and readings, and three minutes for silence. Apart from traditional Christian music and prayers, Chapel also includes Buddhist, Hindi, Muslim, and Jewish texts to include all students and faculty. Reverend Talcott notes, “Chapel is here to serve you guys. I need to know who you are to craft a Chapel that is going to lift you spiritually. A pastor like me or Reverend Solter always has to be paying attention. Of course, you’re diverse so I can’t meet all of your needs all the time.” Perhaps another reason for the low attendance is that Chapel cannot meet everyone’s spiritual needs.
Conclusion
In summary, the declining attendance at St. Mark's morning Chapel reflects the allure of sleep, the disinterest in Chapel talks, and varying perceptions of religion. Despite efforts to address these issues, the fundamental question remains: what makes Chapel meaningful for each member of the community? Moving forward, dialogue and adaptation are needed to ensure that the longest-lasting tradition at St. Mark’s can cater to the changing and diverse needs of the community.