Duke University Chapel

10/19/2026

As part of its centennial celebration, Duke Divinity School commissioned a new hymn, "Here We Gather to Remember," that speaks to the school's theme for the year of the Christian vocation to serve the Triune God. The English poet Malcolm Guite wrote the text for the hymn while the Chapel's music director, Dr. Zebulon Highben, composed the music for it, a tune titled DIVINITY 100.

"Divinity 100 has an expansive range, but it moves largely by steps, thirds, and fourths, common intervals in folksong," says Dr. Highben, associate professor of the practice of church music at the Divinity School. "The tune’s highest point—which is entirely singable by congregations—comes at the end of the text’s penultimate line."

➡️ Read more: https://divinity.duke.edu/news/divinity-school-commissions-hymn

🎶 Watch and listen to a recording of the hymn being sung during the Founders' Sunday service in Duke Chapel: https://www.youtube.com/live/n_68qvOhTGU?si=VdqwTozWotOq5-Yr&t=2979

10/18/2026

Here is the link to watch our Choral Evensong service at 4:00 p.m.:

For centuries, the church has marked the transition from daytime to...

10/18/2026

Watch the livestream of this morning's service at 11:00 a.m.:

Join us in worship that offers stirring preaching, inspiring sacred...

10/17/2026

During our All Saints' Day service, the Chapel Choir and Mallarme Chamber Players will present the world premiere of "From Death, the Rising: A Requiem" by Robert Buckley Farlee. The text for this new composition, by the poet Susan Palo Cherwien (1953–2021), blends traditional liturgical texts with scripture and poetry, weaving the voices of the faithful departed together with the collective cry of creation.

At this service on Sunday, November 1, at 11:00 a.m., we remember the communion of saints, rejoicing in the witness of our predecessors in the faith, and celebrating our unity with them through our baptism, death, and resurrection in Christ.

See service and music details, as well as a link to the livestream: https://chapel.duke.edu/event/university-worship-all-saints-day-11-01-2026/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Sunday+Service

10/16/2026

"Father, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to your love." — Rev. Bruce Puckett, assistant dean of Duke Chapel, during last Sunday's Prayers of the People

10/16/2026

We won’t have our usual carillon recital today. The weekday recitals resume on Monday.

10/16/2026

On Tuesday, Dean Powery is giving the 63rd Annual Jean Fortner Ward Lecture on Issues of Faith and Higher Education at Greensboro College.

We're only a few days away!

Greensboro College is proud to present the 63rd Annual Jean Fortner Ward Lecture on Issues of Faith and Higher Education, featuring Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery, Dean of Duke University Chapel.

🗓 Tuesday, October 20
⏰ 7 p.m.
📍 Hannah Brown Finch Chapel

Join us for an evening of meaningful conversation exploring the connections between faith and higher education. This event is free and open to the public.

Mark your calendars—we hope to see you there! 💚

10/15/2026

10/15/2026

The scripture lessons in our worship service this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. reflect the truth that everything belongs to God. Chapel Dean Luke Powery will preach a sermon "Broken Thanksgivings" and the student string ensemble Aster Quartet will play Beethoven's "Serenade in D Major, Op. 8." A representative from El Futuro will give a Mission of the Month message about the nonprofit's mission of nurturing the mental health and well-being of Latino families.

See service details and a link to the livestream: https://chapel.duke.edu/event/university-worship-10-18-2026/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Sunday+Service

Photo by Duke senior Shankul Lohakare.

10/15/2026

The scholar and popular podcast host Dr. Kate Bowler will explore the tension of life’s overlapping deep ache and great joy during a public conversation on Tuesday, November 10, at 6:00 p.m. in Duke Chapel.

Register for a free ticket: https://duke.is/m/4r2j

Dr. Bowler hosts the award-winning podcast Everything Happens and is an associate professor of American religious history at Duke Divinity School. A five-time New York Times bestselling author, her most recent book is "Joyful, Anyway." Also titled “Joyful, Anyway,” the event is Duke Chapel’s fifth annual William Preston Few Lecture. Chapel Dean Luke Powery will moderate the discussion.

In "Joyful, Anyway," Dr. Bowler illuminates the surprising nature of joy in a world filled with distraction, pain, and grief. The book gets its title from a promise she makes to a friend whose mother died suddenly: “You will never be cured of this grief, it’s true. But you will be joyful, anyway.”

Learn more: https://chapel.duke.edu/news/kate-bowler-surprising-nature-joy-duke-chapel-public-conversation/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social+&utm_campaign=Few+Lecture

Co-sponsors include: Duke Divinity School, Duke Health Office of Community Health, Duke University Hospital Chaplain Services and Education, Religious Life at Duke, and Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative.