Faith and Chaplaincy

Services during Full Term - all are welcome

Mondays 

8.10am Morning Service

Tuesdays

8.10am Morning Service

6.00pm Sung Compline, Motet

A short (20-minute), moving liturgy dating back to the earliest days of Christianity. Including plainsong, polyphony and a motet. All are very welcome.

Wednesday

8.10am Morning Service

Thursdays

8.10am Morning Service

1.05pm Theology in Dialogue (Mary Hyde Eccles Room)

Fridays

8.10am Morning Service

1.15pm Holy Communion

Sundays

5.30pm Choral Evening Service

Details of this term's Sunday services and preachers can be found by clicking here.

Pembroke College Chapel Choir is at the forefront of music at Pembroke, singing for services every Sunday and Tuesday during term-time.

We pride ourselves on offering high-quality music as part of worship, while maintaining a cheerful and relaxed environment to sing in. Our auditioned SATB adult choir enjoy a generous bursary of £300 and choral scholar status, despite a relatively low commitment of two services a week with rehearsals (the regular commitment is only on Tuesdays and Sundays).

Nevertheless, a rigorous choral training programme is provided with free singing lessons with our director of music and the chance to sing alongside a team of choristers from Christ Church Cathedral school. Choir social activities include our regular free Sunday meals and extra trips and events during the year. We welcome people of all faiths and none to sing with us.

We look to have a team of 2-3 organ scholars in place at any one time. They assist the music director with all aspects of chapel music. This includes playing, conducting, training singers, and learning what it takes to run a successful choir. During their time at Pembroke organ scholars have unlimited access to the Letourneau organ, one of the finest organs in Oxford. It is much sought after as a teaching instrument by organists such as David Briggs, Stephen Farr and Tim Pyper, and is regularly chosen for masterclasses run by the Betts Centre for Organ Studies. 

Our choir has a full strength of around 25-30 singers with room to expand, we are always looking for enthusiastic new members! The repertoire is diverse, ranging from 20th century classics to delightful renaissance polyphony. For a taste of our repertoire do investigate our music list on this page. We also regularly perform new commissions, including a new piece for the 400th anniversary of the college written by Tarik O’Regan, who had his music performed at the King’s coronation. 

The choir regularly sings for extra events in Oxford and beyond. This includes Christmas concerts, special college events, and recently a Fauré Requiem. Touring opportunities are frequent, recent trips have included visiting evensongs at Coventry cathedral, Tewkesbury abbey, and St. Alban the Martyr Birmingham. This summer the choir will travel to Germany alongside an Oxford alumni choir and a professional wind ensemble to perform a series of concerts in the beautiful setting of the Rhine.  

What our members say: 

"I am delighted to work with such a diverse and musically gifted choir. At Pembroke, the choral scholarship programme offers students studying any subject a chance to come together and share their passion for choral music, working alongside young boy choristers, setting an example and turning out high quality music week in, week out." - Mark Wilson, Music Director

"The Pembroke choir are a pleasure to work with, an engaging and entertaining group who are brought together by a shared love of making music together. Chapel music has given me a fantastic opportunity to develop playing, conducting, and organizational skills. The chance to train choristers and to see the progress made by the entire choir is a real privilege. Sunday evensongs are the highlight of my week and there is a truly warm, friendly atmosphere during the service and at drinks and dinner afterwards!" - George Charman, Organ Scholar

"Singing in Pembroke Chapel Choir has been a wonderful opportunity for me to make music, make friends and develop as a singer. We’re very fortunate to have Mark Wilson as our talented director and Pembroke’s stunning Chapel as our space. The choir sings at a high standard but is also a friendly environment which allows us to continue improving as we feel comfortable in taking risks and making mistakes. It’s truly a pleasure to be part of such a talented, fun and committed group of musicians.
If you’re interested in joining the choir – come along and see (hear) for yourself, or speak to the Music Director, Mark Wilson, or one of the organ scholars)." - Nadia Polonsky, Choir Member

Every term the Chaplain hosts weekly open seminars discussing a variety of topics within theology and with speakers from diverse traditions. Full details of the term's seminars can be found on our Events page.

The ornate but intimate chapel has been somewhere people have gathered since 1732 – and, perhaps somewhat romantically, there is a sense of continuity with students, staff and visitors who have met there in joy and sorrow throughout three centuries. It embodies Eliot’s phrase: ‘a place where prayer has been valid’ (T. S. Eliot, Little Gidding). Damon Wells fully restored the chapel, and endows the Chaplain’s stipend, and therefore it bears his name by authority of a former Archbishop of Canterbury.

The chapel is used regularly by the College Christian Union , it is a regular place of worship for Oxford’s Armenian Community, and where Catholic Mass is celebrated. The Armenian Martyrs icon (consecrated by the Armenian Bishop) and the seventeenth-century statue of St Margaret of Antioch (blessed by the Catholic community) are important symbols of a living and growing place of significance for a network of Pembrokians, as well as many beyond our walls. The chapel is a beautiful context for baptisms, weddings, funerals and memorial services for students, staff and alumni – please contact the chaplain about these services in the first instance.

If you’re interested in a fuller historical description of the building, please see A Gentle History of the Damon Wells Chapel, Pembroke College, Oxford (by late Chaplain Emeritus Rev Dr John Platt and the late alumnus Brian Wilson), available from the College priced £15 + post & packaging.

Weddings

The Damon Wells Chapel, situated at the heart of the College, is a wonderful place to get married.

 Eligibility to marry in the Damon Wells Chapel extends to:

• A current student
• An alumnus
• A Fellow or Fellow Emeritus or their child
• A current member of staff or their child

Marriages conducted in the Chapel require a Special Licence, granted at the discretion of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Chaplain, Reverend Andrew Teal, will be able to guide you through the application process for the licence.

With a seating capacity of 100 people, the Chapel is available for wedding ceremonies and drinks receptions during term time and vacation, based on availability. Occasionally, wedding breakfasts may be accommodated during vacation periods, subject to availability.

Blessings

We are delighted to provide a celebration in the Chapel after civil marriages/partnerships. For blessings, no Special License is required and the eligibility criteria are identical to those for weddings.

Baptisms

Current students, Fellows, staff and alumni and their children can be baptised in Chapel.

For all wedding, blessing and baptism inquiries, please kindly contact the Events Team

See more on our Venue Hire pages.