Other Activities Associated with the Chapel

Many activities of the Chapel Community do not take place in the Chapel at all, among them an informal debating group called the Stokesley Society, which meets on Tuesdays at 1.00 pm in the Old Practice Room for lunch and a friendly argument on some topic of general interest. The group is named for John Stokesley (1475-1539), a Fellow of the College who was notoriously charged with having baptized a cat - among other things! - but he was exonerated and went on to become Bishop of London. There are also regular meetings presented each term under the heading, The Spirit Level. These offer a chance to reflect on matters of faith and life in a variety of settings, from traditional Oxford "desserts" with a speaker, to relaxed supper parties or film nights. Chapel Breakfast is on offer in the Dean of Divinity's rooms (Cloisters 4:2) from 9.30 till 10.45 on Sundays in Term. And Chapel Lunch follows the Eucharist every Sunday in the New Room. Everyone is welcome.

In the early 1990s, members of the Chapel community were instrumental in the foundation of Oxford Aid to the Balkans (formerly Magdalen College Aid to Bosnia). This group of dedicated young people undertook a number of journeys to try somehow to relieve the suffering of those affected by conflict in the Balkans, sometimes bringing aid, sometimes English lessons or simple entertainment, to refugee camps in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia. The Jellicoe Society has been established to link the College with inner-city communities in London. This builds on the historic relationship the College has with the people of St Mary's Somers Town (by Euston Station), site of Fr Basil Jellicoe's great 'Magdalen Missions' of the 1920s and '30s: these led to the demolition of vermin-infested slums, and to the building of comfortable, decent accommodation within the reach of ordinary working people. Members of the Chapel community also undertake an annual Retreat to Caldey Island, off the coast of Pembrokeshire in South Wales, spending three days as guests of Cistercian monks. This popular trip usually takes place over the Palm Sunday weekend in the Easter Vacation (in 2012, from Friday 30th March to Monday 2nd April).