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Students hunker down for study and for conversations in the Student Oasis.

Students Discovering an Oasis in the Center of Harvard Yard

April 5, 2018

By Jeffrey Blackwell/Memorial Church Communications

For freshman Wassim Marrakchi, the Student Oasis on the ground level of the Memorial Church is a secret sanctuary for study, for quiet socializing and for making slatetblankit, a dish from his Tunisian homeland, for his Canaday housemates.

“This place has been a really great place for me to share nice moments with my friends, but also when I need some time alone, I can find it here,” said Marrakchi ’21. “I think more students are getting to know the space because every time I come here, I’m surprised to...

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The Divine Journey: A Painter's Mission

Vermont Artist Janet McKenzie is challenging the traditional iconography of sacred art in her paintings depicting images of Jesus, Mary and other Christian figures. By using the forms of women and people of color she is expanding the diversity of culture, race and gender into the iconography of religious art historically dominated by images of males and light skin.

In 2016, McKenzie was commissioned by Harvard Memorial Church to create a painting for the renovated student and common space on the ground level of the historic church. The painting, “The Divine Journey – The Companions of Love and Hope” is the result of more than six months of work in her small studio in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.... Read more about The Divine Journey: A Painter's Mission

The University Choir sign from the loft of Memorial Church during Pal Sunday services.

Renovation eyes evolving mission of Memorial Church

April 18, 2017

By Jeffrey Blackwell/Memorial Church Communications

The Memorial Church is fully open to the Harvard Community following an eight-month renovation designed to transform the 85-year-old building into a more accessible, comfortable and versatile place for the evolving mission of Harvard’s “space of grace.”

The multi-million-dollar project, completed in January, is one of the most extensive renovations of the church since its construction in 1932. Visitors will notice little, if any, change inside the historic sanctuary. But those who venture downstairs will discover a complete redesign of the ground floor into a contemporary space featuring a new “Student Oasis,” meeting rooms and music rehearsal suite.... Read more about Renovation eyes evolving mission of Memorial Church

Reflections on the Mission: Rooted in the Good News of Jesus Christ

Reflections on the Mission

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles that will consider the meaning and implications of the Memorial Church’s new mission statement.

By Lucy A. Forster-Smith

During the 2014-15 academic year, the Memorial Church staff and seminarians took up the task of crafting a mission statement for the church. Centered on the ironies and tensions incumbent in the life of a University Church, our mission is articulated in terms that clarify, challenge, and call us to consider the rich inheritance we are privileged to hold — and to step forward into a future that is bold in our service to the University.  
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Welcome to Fall Term 2015


By Jonathan L. Walton

Jonathan L. Walton

Friends of the Memorial Church Community,

I bring you warm greetings from the farmland of eastern North Carolina. My annual retreat from Cambridge to Carolina has been filled with wonderful books, daily walks to the fishing pond, and, most importantly, precious time with family. I also had the privilege of sailing along the Mediterranean as a lecturer for the Harvard Alumni Association’s travel adventure Voyage to the Lands of Gods and Heroes.... Read more about Welcome to Fall Term 2015

In the dust of renovation, MemChurch defines its mission

In the dust of renovation, MemChurch defines its mission
In the dust of renovation, Memorial Church defines its mission: keeping the mission of the church moving forward without disruption is a daily exercise in logis