About Us

At its very best, a university community is a place where time is spent not only in worthy and imposing intellectual pursuits but also deep spiritual exploration, growth, and engagement.  Students gather at Yale University from around the globe, representing different cultures, races and nations.  For many, religious and spiritual community is critical to their identity, their motivation, and their success.  Personal growth is nurtured not only from ideas presented by professors in classes, but also by the exciting challenges of learning alongside other people and communities who hold very different beliefs.  These college years mark the beginning of a lifelong search for meaning.

The Chaplain’s Office is committed to complementing the University in its task of educating students and expanding the boundaries of human knowledge.  We are committed to fostering respect and mutual understanding among people of different faiths and cultures as well as actively promoting dialogue within the University. We seek to bridge classroom and co-curricular discussion of religious, ethical and spiritual topics, facilitate the presence of a wide variety of religious resources and groups on campus, and encourage dialogue and partnership between religious groups and individuals for the common good.

Yale Religious Ministries (YRM), convened and supported by the Chaplain’s Office, is a University council of professional clergy and laypersons representing the more than 30 religious and spiritual traditions that constitute an important part of Yale’s diversity.  These advisors and their groups provide valuable spiritual, moral and cultural support to Yale students.

The Chaplain’s Office supports many groups of students working to encourage meaningful conversation across boundaries. The InterFaith Forum at Yale (IFFY), a group composed of students representing diverse religious and spiritual traditions on campus.  The Chaplaincy Fellows are juniors based in the residential colleges who work to support sophomores in conversations rooted in big questions around meaning, purpose, authentic success and happiness. The Chaplain’s Office also hosts regular study breaks in the  basement of Bingham Hall, interfaith service projects, lectures, discussions, celebrations and much more.

Religious and Spiritual Make-up of the Classes of 2019-2022