A Question of Faith

Over the last few weeks I’ve had series of conversations with alumni from the 1970s, 80s, 90s & 2000s about the impact of chapel. Stories of the joys of singing hymns like Guide Me Oh Great Jehovah and Jerusalem, the stress and sense of achievement of chapel speeches, walking down to Sunday services at St. Jude’s, and the sense of belonging to something larger than self. I was particularly struck by the stories of a couple of alumni from 15 and 25 years ago, neither of whom were raised in a religion nor consider themselves religious today. In both cases, however, they talked about the lasting impact of chapel at Appleby – the at times contemplative focus on the big life questions; the sense of comfort from ceremony and ritual; and the affinity for place. One of them told me that, despite his lack of formal religious pursuits, he sometimes takes time to sit quietly in churches to reflect, a practice he relates back to his Appleby days.

While in China, I found that conversations with alumni (both Chinese and Western) echoed those back home. The discussions with parents and prospective parents, however, were tinted with a deep worry about the moral development of young people, about the underlying societal values. Chinese culture is remarkable – rich, ancient, complex and deep. (One fellow reported that he traced his genealogy back 37 generations.) The last century has changed these foundations as societal structures were destroyed then re-designed, religion was banned then allowed, and the day-to-day lives of the Chinese people have repeatedly undergone both Revolutionary and revolutionary change.

In five separate meetings, I heard how in Mainland China today, while most people identify themselves as Buddhists, many of these do it for appearances – “good for business”. Many of our parents have as an over-riding goal to ensure that their sons and daughters will develop skills that will allow them to succeed in life and, at the same time, develop a strong moral compass connected to community good. While the context and the manifestation of these issues may be different between Canada and China, directionally they are the same.

A few months ago, we announced that Canon Bob Lennox will be retiring after 25 years of exemplary and impactful service as the Chaplain of Appleby. I know that many will miss his thoughtful, caring and steady hand at the helm of the chapel and spiritual program at the school.

Before we start the search for his successor, Fraser Grant and I asked Tom Karcz, our Assistant Head of School (Community Life) to work with a consultant Canon Dr. Tim Elliott to review our current practices, seek the input of the Appleby community, and review various models for chaplaincies at other schools. All of this with the intention of defining where we will be going over the next ten years with this extraordinarily important aspect of the Appleby experience. Canon Elliott had a very enthusiastic and stimulating range of input. I understand that the number one area of comment has been around the balance between our Anglican traditions and the increasingly multi-faith (and no faith) nature of the student body.

While spirituality is by no means the same think as morality, they both play on the same field. If you buy in to the idea that both accelerated change and diversity are having a greater influence on day-to-day life, then it is hard not to also believe that moral development is becoming is an increasingly important aspect in what our mission refers to as leaders of character. The challenge in many secular schools is that there isn’t a common language or foundation to engage students in the conversations that will help calibrate their own personal moral compasses. Similarly, no school should pretend that it has a monopoly on the nature of religious truth. Teenagers deserve the benefits of religious and philosophical literacy centred on the principles of inquiry and openness as they travel their own paths. One of the benefits of an Anglican foundation is latitude for the right Chaplain to strike this balance and allow the exploration of other denominations and faiths as part of the spiritual experience. That is also one reason why so many alumni and parents have reported that their initial concerns about participation in chapel evapourated in the light of experience and knowledge.

I think Appleby has been doing a very good job in this area, and I look forward to finding a successor to Canon Lennox who will be able to fill his ample shoes and strike this delicate balance