Services & rites of passages
More information about services, sacred gatherings, rites of passage, and the Chapel's Unitarian congregation.
Wednesdays (term-time only)
Chapel services are on Wednesday evenings at 5.45pm. We welcome any who would like to come: students, staff and visitors alike. These services are organised by our Chaplain together with the Director of Music, and we are also privileged to host a wide variety of wonderful speakers from the University, and beyond. This is a space to contemplate beauty, goodness and truth through music, readings, sermons, poetry and prayer—as well as the very Chapel building itself.
We hold a number of special services throughout the year including Advent, a Holocaust Memorial service, LGBTQ+ celebration and the Royal Charter service.
In the weekdays the Chapel is also available for prayer. If you are a student interested in contributing to a Chapel service, have a speaker you would like to hear or want to use the space for prayer, please get in touch with our Chaplain, the Revd Dr Joanna Tarassenko.
Sundays
The Chapel also hosts a lively social justice focused Unitarian Sunday congregation, the Manchester College Oxford Chapel Society. The college is proud of its nonconformist roots and honours its connection to the dissenting tradition through the presence of the Unitarian congregation that gathers there and through the unique historic collection of dissenting materials that we hold in our Library. All are welcome to this service.
Weddings
As a non-denominational chapel with Non-conformist roots, the Chapel is the only Oxford University chapel licensed for same sex weddings and one of the few to conduct these services for non-alumni. Inclusivity for all genders and commitment to equal marriage is a principle of this community. Services are conducted by various local ministers. We welcome applications from couples wishing to marry.