Chaplaincy at Digby Stuart College
Flourishing in Faith and Friendship
At Digby Stuart College we have a wonderful and rich heritage gifted to us by our founders the Society of the Sacred Heart, a women's religious congregation founded in 1800. Your college chaplain, Ginny, and community worker, Joanna, are here along with a wider multi-faith chaplaincy team to help the community to flourish. They creates spaces and opportunities for those who want them to practice and explore faith, and to promote friendships across our diverse community. Sabiha, Muslim Chaplain, is also here for all our students and provides support to Muslim student life within the college and the wider University.
Ginny Jordan-Arthur – College Chaplain
Sabiha Iqbal - Muslim Chaplain
Chapel community
As members of the multi-faith team we work with our colleagues in offering an inclusive chaplaincy service to the whole university alongside offering chances for our Catholic community to grow together. You are welcome here, as you are, and we are here to listen to your story. We hope to create a vibrant and engaged chapel community which holds at its core the gift of hospitality that celebrates each other's joys, and supports through hardships.
As a community, one of our highlights is to invite students and staff to join us on our annual Easter pilgrimage to Lourdes with HCPT. This is a week-long trip supporting disabled and disadvantaged children while they enjoy a pilgrimage holiday in the South of France. You must be willing to laugh, be prepared to be challenged and most importantly make a fool out of yourself for the sheer delight of those we're supporting. Just ask one of us for more details.
Spaces
We have three beautiful chapels for private and gathered prayer.
The Sacred Heart Chapel, is the heart of the college and final resting place for Mother Digby and Mother Stuart. The Sacred Heart Chapel also houses the reserved Blessed Sacrament and is where, as a chapel community we gather to celebrate the Mass. The St Thomas Chapel is open all day as a quiet meditation room and the main Digby Chapel, though often a teaching space, when free is open for you to spend time in the sanctuary where we have prayer stations.
Prayer Rooms. Prayer rooms are situated on main campus and Whitelands. The closest to Digby Stuart College are in Froebel College (brothers are in Medical Centre annex building and sisters are in Old Court building), and Southlands College, Queens Building (brothers QB 54 and sisters in QB 55).
The prayer rooms are accessible with your ID card throughout the day, and people of all faiths are very welcome to use them. Each room provides space to pray, relax, read, and contemplate. These rooms are rooted in the Islamic tradition and therefore there is a dedicated space for ablution (Froebel only), and prayer mats and copies of the holy Quran are provided. Please see the Chaplaincy website for further details and a map. Friday Jummu'ah prayer takes place on campus, for further details please see our social media platforms or email Sabiha (Muslim Chaplain).
Islamic prayer rooms in Froebel and Southlands have prayer mats available and copies of the Holy Quran. Ablution facilities can be found on campus.
We are also home to The Base, the chaplaincy social space and kitchen. The Base is open every day and here you will find plenty of space to chill out. We have books, games and puzzles for you to enjoy as you settle down with a drink that you can make for yourself in our kitchen. During term time we offer a simple weekly community lunch here which includes vegan and vegetarian options. You will also find vegetarian, vegan, kosher, and halal food on offer in the college diner and shop.
The Base, along with the Chaplain and Community Worker offices, is located in Erasmus House.
On sunny days, we have a beautiful Peace Garden and Fr Roberts Memorial cherry tree walk in Barat Square between the Chapels and Erasmus House. There are plenty of spaces for you to use to unwind, pray, socialise and reflect while you're with us at Roehampton. These spaces are open to all students and staff from across the colleges.
Multi Faith Chaplaincy
Our chaplaincy provision offers support for people across a range of faith traditions, reflecting the heritage of the four colleges and the identities of our students today. We are committed to exploring ecumenical and inter-faith work across the campus and to demonstrating the common commitments of all faiths to nurturing a happy and supportive community.
The chaplaincy team are experienced at listening and offering pastoral and spiritual guidance and prayer to all in our community. Chaplains are here to support students and staff and you are welcome to talk confidentially about any problems or concerns you might have.
Our programme, location of prayer rooms and details for the whole multi-faith team can be found on our University chaplaincy page:
The Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies
As part of our commitment to our foundations we offer the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS), which is validated by the Board of Studies of the Bishop's Conference of England and Wales. It is designed for teachers in Catholic schools to equip them with a basic understanding of the Church, its teaching and way of life, and to enable them to contribute to the maintenance of the ethos of the Catholic school. It is also suitable for anybody who wishes to deepen their Christian faith through the Catholic tradition. Our modules are open to all staff and students and you can find more information by visiting here.
Barat House Intentional Community
Joanna Grennan, our Chaplaincy Community Worker, lives in and facilitates the Barat House Intentional Community here on campus. Barat House is part of an ongoing commitment between Digby Stuart and Southlands colleges to celebrate ecumenism.
Every year a community of students are invited to live in Barat House for an academic year, supported by our two resident Chaplaincy Community Workers (CCWs) and supported by the college Chaplains. With the support of the chaplaincy, the students are expected to work together to create an intentional community, guided by the Christian ethos of Southlands College and Digby Stuart College. The intention is for the community to forge a new way of living in a University context, drawing on religious beliefs and values to inspire and have an impact on others. This will be an opportunity to explore faith in action with an emphasis on ecumenism and the shared values between the Methodist and Roman Catholic Churches. Equality, social justice and a commitment to improve the lives of others will inform the ethos of the community.' When you start thinking about your accommodation next year why not see if living in intentional community is for you!