Chapel News

Chapel Choir offers Live Broadcast of Choral Evensong on BBC Radio 3
Wednesday 18th April 2012

Keble College Chapel Choir featured live on BBC Radio 3 on 18 April as they broadcast Choral Evensong from Keble College Chapel.  The service was extremely well-received and was then broadcast again on Sunday 22 April 2012.  This was the first time Choral Evensong has been broadcast from Keble College Chapel, an historic event in the life of the College.

Chapel Hosts Arts Week Exhibition - 11-18 February
Tuesday 7th February 2012

Keble College Chapel will be hosting 'the F word: images of forgiveness' exhibition from Saturday 11 February until Saturday 18 February.  This exhibition is a thought provoking collection of arresting images and personal narratives exploring forgiveness in the face of atrocity.  This exhibition is owned by The Forgiveness Project, an international organisation based in London, and has been displayed in over 300 venues worldwide.  The exhibition will be open to the public.  For more information, see www.theforgivenessproject.com.

Old Member to be Chapel 'Artist-in-Residence' for Arts Week 2012
Monday 6th February 2012

Ian Knowles (Keble 1983), an iconographer and artist, will be Artist-in-Residence in Keble College Chapel from Monday 13 February to Thursday 16 February when he will be completing his Keble Trinity Icon, which is being gifted to the Chapel.  During his stay, Ian will offer a talk on Icons for Arts Week at 5pm on Tuesday 14 February and a lunch on Praying with Icons at 1pm on Thursday 16 February.  To see the Keble Trinity and its amazing progress so far, see: www.kebletrinity.blogspot.com.

Chapel Choir Returns from USA Tour
Thursday 21st July 2011

21 Members and Friends of Keble College Chapel Choir, led by Mr Simon Whalley (Director of Music) and the Revd Jenn Strawbridge (Chaplain) returned from a 12-day choir tour to the USA on Thursday.  The choir tour met with great success, singing 13 concerts and services in their time away in Boston, Manhattan, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia.  The churches in which they sang include St Paul's Cathedral in Boston, St Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St John the Divine in Manhattan, as well as St Mary the Virgin in Times Square, Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia, St Mary's in Arlington, Virginia, and Washington National Cathedral.  The tour also coincided with the Warden and Director of Development's trip to the East Coast and the Warden joined the choir as a bass in many of the concerts and services.  During their time in the States, the choir also offered a variety of concerts to gatherings of Old Members in each city including a concert at the Harvard Faculty Club and at the Metropolitan Club in Washington DC.  This tour was made possible by generous donations from Old Members and by the Keble Association.

Organ Nears Completion
Friday 10th June 2011

Steady progress continues to be made on the installation of the new Tickell pipe organ in Keble Chapel.  The organ was delivered to the College on May 3 and the builders have made steady progress, so much so that by 1 June the physical assembly of the organ will be virtually complete and the next stage of putting in the pipes will begin.  The pipes, which arrived last week, fill the entire sanctuary of the Chapel and number in the 1000s.  One of the final touches will be to install the polychromatic Butterfield pipes across the casing.  After the pipes are installed, the tonal finishing and voicing of the organ will begin on 6 June and continue for approximately four weeks.  This splendid new instrument will then have the summer to settle into its new space before being dedicated on the first Sunday of Michaelmas Term (9 October 2011) by The Rt Revd and Rt Hon, The Lord Robin Eames, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland (1986-2006)

Chapel Closure to the Public
Monday 28th March 2011

The Chapel will be CLOSED to the public from 22 April to 17 June 2011 for the installation of our new pipe organ.  During this time, The Light of the World will not be open to the public.  Our apologies for any inconvenience during this time of construction.  Daily prayer and Sunday services will continue as listed on the Chapel home page and in the Worship and Services/This Term in Chapel sections found to the right.

Organ Preparation Begins in the Chapel
Monday 10th January 2011

Over the vacation, seven stories of scaffolding arrived in the Chapel to prepare the organ loft structure for the new pipe organ.  Work, including the installation of a steel beam, strengthening and leveling of the loft, and restorative work on the rarely seen stained glass window, will continue until the organ's arrival in mid-late March. Daily worship continues in the Chapel under the shadow of scaffolding.

Advent Lessons and Carols
Monday 15th November 2010

Keble College's Advent Lessons and Carols Service will be offered on Sunday 28th November. This beautiful service, lit by over 1200 candles, is offered to the community as we enter into the season of Advent and prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas.

Remembrance Sunday
Sunday 14th November 2010

For Remembrance Sunday, Keble Chapel was honoured to welcome Major Tom Banks (Keble 95) and members of the Oxford Officers Training Corps to Sung Eucharist with the Chapel Choir. It was a beautiful service offered to remember those who have lived and died for the service of others.

Compline Begins
Thursday 21th October 2010

A new service begins at Keble tonight: Sung Compline. This is a new offering by the Chapel to the Keble and Oxford community. This 20-minute service gathers in candlelit darkness and is sung entirely by Keble College Choral Scholars. Join us on Thursdays of Weeks 2,4,6,and 8 of Term to sit and pray in the silence and beauty of Keble Chapel. Compline (also called 'Night Prayers') is a wonderful way to close the day and is considered by many to be a nightcap for the soul.

Organ Voicing
Friday 15th October 2010

On Friday, five of Keble's Choral and Organ Scholars gathered in the Chapel while various pipes from Ken Tickell's workshop were voiced in the Chapel. It was the first chance for the builder and members of the College community to hear parts of our new organ.

Chapel in Freshers Week
Thursday 7th October

At 3 pm and 3:30 pm there will be tours of the Chapel, including  the roof-top followed by tea in the Cloister

At 6:00 pm there will be Freshers' Open Choral Evensong (5:00 pm Open Rehearsal) followed by Pre-Dinner drinks in the Cloister.

New Chaplain
Wednesday 30 June 2010

Keble has appointed the Revd Jenn Strawbridge as Chaplain for five years starting on 1 September 2010 in succession to the Revd Allen Shin. Jenn was ordained in 2004 and has served in important Episcopal Church parishes with strong Anglo-Catholic and choral traditions in New Haven, Connecticut (where she took regular services for Yale University students) and Arlington, Virginia, and has also been an inner-city hospital chaplain. She did an MSt in Theology at Keble in 2001-2 and is currently working for her D Phil on New Testament theology with Professor Christopher Rowland and the Revd Dr Teresa Morgan. Jenn has served as Assistant Chaplain at Keble for the past year, and holds Gosden and Bampton Studentships for her doctoral studies. She will be following a highly-appreciated tenure of the Chaplaincy by Allen Shin, during which time the Chapel community has been greatly strengthened and a steady stream of vocations has been nurtured from among the Keble community. We are immensely grateful to Allen and his wife Clara for their outstanding service and their many friends at Keble and beyond join in thanking them and wishing them well in the next stage of their lives.