Supporting Student Religious Practices

A Guide for Curry College Staff and Faculty

At Curry College, we celebrate that students bring their full selves—including their spiritual and religious identities—into their college journey. Although we are a secular institution, the College values students who sincerely claim their religious and spiritual identities and seek to observe and practice their traditions during their time with us. We acknowledge and embrace religious identity as part of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This guide offers practical suggestions for how Curry College staff and faculty can support the needs of religiously diverse students and foster interfaith-friendly environments. Our goal is not only to comply with the religious accommodation statute, Title XXI, Chapter 151C, Section 2B of the General Laws of Massachusetts, but also to ensure that students with sincerely held religious and/or spiritual beliefs feel a true sense of belonging within our community.

Connecting with Curry’s Office of Spiritual Life

The Office of Spiritual Life at Curry College serves as a resource for students, staff, and faculty seeking to engage with questions of meaning, purpose, and spiritual wellbeing. The office supports student organizations connected to spiritual and religious life, offers programs that promote reflection and community, and provides individual support for students navigating their spiritual journey. It is also a resource for cultivating multi-faith awareness and inclusion across campus.

Our campus includes The James P. O'Toole Chapel, located on the second floor of the Student Center, provides a welcoming space for worship and prayer services that is open to all students, staff, and faculty whenever the building is accessible. This space may be used for prayer, meditation, or quiet reflection without a reservation.

Holidays, Religious Observances, and Traditions

Campus calendars, programs, and events are shaped by many factors, and one important consideration is how religious, and spiritual observances may affect student participation. We encourage staff and faculty to consult Curry College’s Multi-Faith Holiday Calendar when planning meetings, events, or programs. This resource highlights a wide range of religious and cultural observances and can help identify dates when attendance, availability, or engagement may be impacted.

It is important to note that not all holidays or observances require adjustments to campus activities, as many can be faithfully observed without affecting daily schedules. However, work-restricted holidays (marked “no work” on the calendar) often require students to prioritize their faith practice. On these dates, students may be unavailable for classes, rehearsals, meetings, performances, or other commitments—and may also refrain from email or digital communication.

Whenever possible, please avoid scheduling mandatory programs or high-stakes events on work-restricted holidays. If avoiding a conflict is not possible, staff and faculty are encouraged to provide equitable alternate accommodations to ensure students are not disadvantaged.

Additional Multi-Faith Calendar Options

In addition to Curry’s Multi-Faith Holiday Calendar, staff and faculty may find it helpful to embed an external calendar into their own scheduling tools. For example, the Yale University Chaplain’s Office provides a multi-faith calendar that can be integrated with Google, iCal, Outlook, and other platforms, making it easy to see upcoming observances while planning assignments, meetings, events, or performances.

For those seeking to learn more about the meaning and significance of holidays, the Harvard Divinity School Multi-Religious Calendar offer concise explanations and are regularly updated to reflect upcoming observances.

The Office of Spiritual Life at Curry College will also share brief information about holidays and observances through campus communications and programming throughout the year.

For questions, resources, or additional support, please contact Rev. Dr. Marcus Hill, Director of Spiritual Life at Curry College at marcus.hill@curry.edu or by phone at 617-333-5233.

*This guide and linked multifaith calendar were developed based on resources from Emerson College’s Office of Spiritual Life.