Religious Life

Admitted Students

Bucknell offers you a variety of lively and warm religious groups in which to participate, as well as opportunities to explore your personal spirituality.

Three communities of faith serve the largest religious groups on campus.

Catholic Campus Ministry serves Bucknell's Roman Catholic community. Father Michael C. Letteer, is Catholic chaplain and celebrates three Masses on campus each weekend: Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. as well as Masses during the week in the Newman House Chapel. Newman House is the home of CCM and is a "home away from home" for students, providing community meals, programs, and a place to relax.

More Information: Catholic Brochure (PDF)

The Rooke Chapel Congregation is the interdenominational Protestant church on campus, serving students from many different Christian backgrounds - from Episcopal and Evangelical to Methodist and Mar Thoma. The Rev. Ian Oliver, university chaplain, serves as pastor of the church, which has Sunday morning services at 11 a.m. The congregation has its home at the Chaplain's House, where students gather for weekly meals and social events. Protestant students are also served by a number of local and national Christian Fellowship groups and by local churches.

More Information: Protestant Brochure (PDF)

Bucknell Hillel is the Jewish student organization on campus and serves students from a wide variety of Jewish backgrounds. Rabbi Serena Fujita is the Jewish chaplain and helps student-leaders coordinate weekly Shabbat services and dinners, holiday celebrations, and a variety of Jewish cultural and social programs. The Berelson Center for Jewish Life is the home to the Jewish program.

More Information: Hillel Brochure (PDF)

Students from many different religious backgrounds come to Bucknell. There are opportunities to explore and practice many of the world's religions, including weekly Zen Buddhist meditation, gatherings of the Muslim Students Association, and courses which study Native American, Asian, and many other religions. Bucknell has an interfaith service team, which brings together students from different faith groups to participate in community service and then reflect on their experiences of working together from their own traditions.

Bucknell has a variety of active and supportive Religious Groups on campus. Each has its own style and personality. We recommend that new students visit different groups in their tradition to see which suits them best.

Canterbury Club
Catholic Campus Ministry
DiscipleMakers Christian Fellowship
The Gathering
Hillel
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
Latter-Day Saints (Mormon)
Muslim Students Association
Orthodox Christian Fellowship
Rooke Chapel Congregation
Voices of Praise Gospel Choir
Young Life
Zen Buddhist Meditation

More information is at Chaplains and Religious Life Website

The Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life is a center for exploring the ways your college education can connect with broadening and deepening your spiritual life through service. The OCRL helps sponsor two service trips each spring semester to Nicaragua, where Bucknell students and staff sponsor a medical clinic in a refugee camp. Catholic Campus Ministry has many opportunities throughout the academic year for local and surrounding community service projects. Hillel sponsors a Jewish Heritage tour each spring, which is open to the entire campus community. In the past, they have traveled to Eastern Europe, Russia, and Peru, supported by the Fund for Human Tolerance and Understanding. Bucknell also has an active chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

More Information: General Religion Brochure (PDF)

If you are looking for a community in the Lewisburg area connected to your home church or religious community, the OCRL can link you up with an area group that welcomes college students. Local Churches.

Bucknell is committed to the idea that the religious diversity and spiritual depth of students and faculty in our community contribute to the high quality of the educational experience at Bucknell. Bucknell is a place to explore, a place to be nurtured, and a place where you will find friends and kindred spirits.

If you have any questions about religion at Bucknell, contact any of us:

The Reverend Ian B. Oliver, University Chaplain
570-577-1592

Father Michael C. Letteer, Catholic Chaplain
570-577-3766

Rabbi Serena Fujita, Jewish Chaplain
570-577-2273