Attending Chapel Services
A very wide range of people come to services in King's College Chapel for a variety of reasons, whether to engage in worship, to have some time out from the pressures of everyday life, or to appreciate the building and music in an unhurried way that brings some personal peace and refreshment. Some of those who attend are local and visit the Chapel regularly, but there are many who are visiting us from afar, and who may only ever be here once. Some are devout Christians, some members of others faiths, some agnostic and some atheists. All are most welcome.
The Reverend Dr Stephen Cherry
Dean of Chapel
All are welcome to attend services. This term, there is no requirement to book online. If you wish to attend a service, please arrive at the Front Gate of the College on King's Parade, approximately half an hour before the service starts..
Large groups (10 or more) must contact the Chapel Manager in advance, at chapel.manager@kings.cam.ac.uk
Please arrive in good time for the service. If you are late, college staff may not be able to let you in.
We would be very grateful if you could please keep in mind the following when attending Chapel services:
- Photography, videography and audio recording are strictly forbidden during the service.
- Our services last about an hour. Please commit to attending for the whole service.
- We regret that we cannot offer toilet facilities in College.
-
It is not possible to bring any bag, rucksack or suitcase that is larger than airline hand-luggage size.
We understand that some people who wish to share in our services may have special needs or requirements; if this is the case we warmly invite you to contact us in advance so that we can do all we can to prepare for your visit.
We recognise that our guests may have a number of different reasons for attending services in King's College Chapel. No-one attending services will be coerced into joining in anything they find uncomfortable, but we do ask people to sit and stand together as far as physical constraints allow, to stay for the whole service, and to respect the needs of those who are worshipping.
We therefore work hard to ensure that people who come have the information they need to form appropriate expectations of what we are doing and are able to follow what is happening. Such explanation is needed as what we do here does not always conform to the model of a parish church — or even a cathedral.
In Chapel we are using a lectionary devised specifically for our needs; this is because the existing lectionaries provided by the Church of England do not always suit our particular circumstances. Plainsong is often sung at services here — often in Latin: especially at Sung Eucharists and when only the choral scholars sing. In particular, the Introit, Alleluia and Communion are usually sung to plainsong from the Graduale Romanum and also, occasionally, the Ordinary parts of the Mass.
Chapel Collections
King’s College is a registered charity, and the generosity of donors around the world helps support our teaching and research, the upkeep of the Chapel and the activities of our Choir. To discover more about our fundraising aspirations, and how you can help, please see our pages on The King's Campaign.
Twenty percent of all donations received in Chapel collections is given to other charities, as determined by the College’s Charitable Donations Committee. In the past, grants have been allocated to a wide range of charitable causes, most of which are based in Cambridge, but whose reach are variously local, national or international. Most recently, recipients of grants have included: Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, Break, Cambridge City Foodbank, Cambridge Cyrenians, Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre, Student Action for Refugees, Castle School, Domestic Violence UK, Home-Start Cambridgeshire, Karuna Trust, Lifecraft, Mary’s Meals, Rare Charity, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, Saakshar School Appeal, Tibet Relief Fund, Tom’s Trust, and Cambridge Women’s Aid.
