Kurt Hahn's great spiritual legacy was one of participation, of not standing on the sidelines. His favourite Biblical passage was the parable of the Good Samaritan, which encourages us to turn our faith into action, challenging and crossing the false boundaries that so often divide people of different creed, colour and country.
Through our chapel activities and our International and Spiritual Citizenship Programme we try to turn Hahn’s vision into a Spiritual reality, so that the exploration of faith at Gordonstoun is active, fun, challenging and rewarding for all of our students.
At the root of our chapel activities are our assemblies, and we are fortunate in having two very special but very different places of worship, St Christopher's and the Michael Kirk. But chapel activities extend far beyond these two buildings, into our Small Groups Programme, our pastoral care provision, and into (we hope) the lives of everyone in the community.
St Christopher's
The whole school meets in St Christopher's at the start of each day, except Sundays. The building’s modern design allows staff, students and visitors to put together an exciting variety of multi-media exploration, and speakers of all faiths visit regularly and address issues of faith, community, cultural and global awareness. Meanwhile, on Sundays, we invite the whole school community to ecumenical worship.
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The Michael Kirk
The Michael Kirk (the original estate chapel) sits at the top of the school’s Silent Walk, surrounded by woodland. On Sundays the Kirk is used for communion. Midweek its quiet intimacy provides the setting for our candlelit meditations. However, its most important function is as a place of prayer, thought and reflection, and large numbers of students and staff regularly use the Kirk as a place of real retreat from the business of school life.
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Small Groups Programme
Our assemblies enable us to explore faith and spirituality in their broadest senses. Our Small Groups Programme allows students to deepen that exploration. Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim groups sit alongside pastoral groups such as our Peer Mentors Service and social justice groups such as Amnesty International in St Christopher’s Meeting Place and are open to all who are interested.
In providing for this deeper exploration we are supported by a number of national and international bodies, incuding: the Network of Buddhist Organisations and the Western Buddhist Order; the Church of Scotland, the Episcopalian Church, The Roman Catholic Church, and The Baptist Union of Scotland; the Gandhi Foundation and the Hindu Council UK; the Muslim Youth Helpline, the Elgin Islamic community; and the Scottish Interfaith Council.
Ramadan at Gordonstoun
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