HOME /

Blog

    Behind the Scenes of the Upcoming Carol Service

    The Harvard University Choir rehearses "En etsi valtaa, loistoa" by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) in preparation for the 106th Annual Christmas Carol Service.

    Carols Prayer

    By The Rev. Dr. Lucy Forster-Smith

    Holy God, on this night of all nights we stand in awe of your abundant love for us. We are so grateful for the beauty that spills over us in this season. For the profuse darkness that exposes the canopy of the heavens; for the glistening dawn that breaks over the barrenness of the winter land; for the harbor of goodness that arrives when we least expect it, we give you the glory.

    O Christ, you came into this world as a vulnerable child, showing us that the way to fullness is through taking humble frame. May we resemble your life,...

    Read more about Carols Prayer

    Lenten Study Series

    An Altar in the World book cover"My life depends on engaging the most ordinary physical activities with the most exquisite attention I can give them. My life depends on ignoring all touted distinctions between the secular and the sacred, the physical and the spiritual, the body and the soul. What is saving my life now is becoming more fully human, trusting that there is no way to God apart from real life in the real world."

    — An Altar in the World, Barbara Brown Taylor

    The Rev. Dr. Lucy Forster-Smith will lead a Lenten Study Series for four Tuesday evenings during Lent using Barbara Brown Taylor's An Altar in the World. The series will be held on February 16 & 23, and March 1 & 8 from 7-8 p.m. in the Pusey Room. All welcome! 

    Palm Sunday Children's Message

    Text from Church School Director Wes Conn's Children's Message for Palm Sunday

    Today is a special day in the Church. What is so special about today? (Palm Sunday: the day Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem and people cheered and called him a king.) This story is the beginning of what is called Holy Week, a time when we remember Jesus’ last days and the love he has for each of us...

    “It was time for Jesus and his friends to go into Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish holiday...

    Read more about Palm Sunday Children's Message

    Eastertide music from UChoir

    Spring Bursts Today

    LISTEN NOW >
    This recording presents a selection of Eastertide anthems as they might be heard in the daily and Sunday services of the Memorial Church, Harvard University, during that glorious season.
    The Resurrection narrative—theatrical to the core—has long-inspired dramatic musical representation, and this recording offers a wide variety of Eastertide joy, from sixteenth-century England, through to a series of contemporary works commissioned by the Harvard University Choir. We are pleased to offer this recording as a free download. Released April 20, 2014... Read more about Eastertide music from UChoir

    Spring Concert Sneak Peek

    The Harvard University Choir rehearsing Bach's SINGET DEM HERRN in preparation for the 2016 Spring Concert. The concert will take place on April 17 at 4 p.m. in the Memorial Church Sanctuary.

    From Dreams of Gathering to Visions of a Reconciled Humanity

    By Rabbi David. A Mersky, D.D.
    (Text of sermon from May 15, 2016)

    Good Morning!

    I am humbled, filled with gratitude and awe to stand in this place on this day at this hour. I have been here many times before, but always as the rabbi of the Class of 1965 gathered with my classmates to begin our reunion with an hour remembering our deceased brothers and sisters. Today, through the generosity of spirit of the clergy, leaders and members of this wonderful congregation, I am here in my own right.

    Until our most recent reunion, not quite a year ago, I stood here...

    Read more about From Dreams of Gathering to Visions of a Reconciled Humanity

    From the Professor's Desk

    By Professor Jonathan L. Walton

    Easter 2016 at the Memorial Church

    When Harvard University nominated the Reverend Frederic Dan Huntington to be the first Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Preacher to the University in April, 1855, his parishioners at the South Congregational Church were none too pleased. Members sent Rev. Huntington a twenty page letter objecting to this anomalous new appointment of hybrid preacher and professor. Few believed that true ministry could take place within the comfortable confines of Harvard College. Accepting this position, they asserted, was simply a way for their pastor to evade the demands of a real congregation.... Read more about From the Professor's Desk

    From the Choirmaster: Successful Terms in Song with Rose, Bach and Evensong

    By Edward E. Jones

    The Harvard University Choir ended the Fall Term with a pair of carol services featuring local composer James Woodman’s exquisite The Midwife’s Tale, alongside world premieres by David Ashley White and Carson Cooman. At the end of January the group packed its bags and left chilly Cambridge for sunny Savannah, the first stop on its brief tour of the south. Concerts followed in Columbia and Charleston.... Read more about From the Choirmaster: Successful Terms in Song with Rose, Bach and Evensong

    Church School News: Valentine Hearts, Lent and the Great Easter Egg Hunt

    By Westley Conn

    Spring Term has been an exciting time for the Church School for Children. We began with a family Valentine’s Day party, which included decorating sugar cookies and, with the creative assistance of Ann Lawson, we were able to make one-of-a-kind cards for our Valentines. This was a wonderful welcome-back from our long winter break.... Read more about Church School News: Valentine Hearts, Lent and the Great Easter Egg Hunt

    Outside the Walls: Lessons from Our Peer Institutions

    By the Rev. Alanna Copenhaver 

    This academic year I had the privilege of visiting some of our peer institutions — such as Williams College, Yale University, and Duke University — to learn about their student ministries and engagement strategies. My time with colleagues was valuable and insightful as I learned about their robust and attentive student-centered and student-driven programming.... Read more about Outside the Walls: Lessons from Our Peer Institutions

    Renovation Groundbreaking

    Photo of MemChurch renovation groundbreaking ceremony

    Representatives from Harvard University, Payette Associates, and Elaine Construction Company, Inc. gathered on June 20, 2016 with shovels in hand for a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction for the Memorial Church renovation. Pictured from left to right: Elaine Construction President Lisa Wexler; Jonathan L. Walton, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church; Harvard University President Drew Faust; Edward Elwyn Jones, Gund University Organist and Choirmaster in the Memorial Church; and Charles Klee, AIA, LEED AP Principal, Payette. (Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer).... Read more about Renovation Groundbreaking

Pages