Student-led Communities of Faith
Spiritual practices and religious identity part of a Vassar education.
Listed below are the currently active student-led groups, supported and sponsored by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices. Whether you're a long-time member of a particular tradition or simply exploring your spiritual identity, all students are welcome at services, discussion groups, and other activities of any of these groups.
To get more information or to get involved, please contact:
Rev. Sam Speers
Associate Dean for Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices
(845) 437-5550
Meeting times and places are subject to change. Contact groups for the most current information.
Buddhist Sangha
Buddhist Sangha (from the Sanskrit for community) is for people who practice or are curious about any sect of Buddhist teachings (dharma). The group meets in Pratt House every Monday at 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday at 8:20 a.m. for sits in the second floor Meditation and Prayer Room and every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. on the first floor for a time to hang out together. Buddhist Sangha also takes periodic trips to local Buddhist centers, sponsors dharma talks and provides a forum to share questions, experiences and information related to any sect of Buddhist thought and practice. Please contact Buddhist Sangha with any questions.
Contact: buddhistsangha@vassar.edu
Chabad Jewish Community (CJC)
The Chabad Jewish Community (CJC) strives to foster an inclusive, warm, and fun space on campus for Jewish students to explore their identities. From weekly Shabbat dinners to holiday programming to social events to volunteering in the Poughkeepsie community - CJC offers numerous ways to tap into Jewish life on campus. Our goal is to make Judaism and Jewish practice accessible and relevant for all Jewish students regardless of affiliation or level of observance. Our hallmark event is weekly Shabbat dinners at the Chabad house (94 Fulton Ave - one block away from campus) where students are treated to a home cooked meal in a family-style environment. All are welcome! Meet new students, enjoy a meal and Shabbat rituals, and find a small slice of “home” away from home. Questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at the email below and follow us on Instagram at @vassarchabad.
Contact: chabad.vsa@vassar.edu
Episcopal Church at Vassar College (ECVC)
The Episcopal Church at Vassar College (ECVC) sponsors a weekly Sunday Worship at 4:00 p.m. in the second floor Meditation and Prayer Room at Pratt House and a more casual gathering for fellowship on a weekday evening TBD (last semester it was Tuesdays from 7-8). All Christians or folks curious about Christianity are welcome — we are an inclusive, queer-affirming group!
Contact: ecvc@vassar.edu
Jews of Color Caucus (JoCC)
The Jews of Color Caucus (JoCC) is dedicated to creating a welcoming and fun community. We aim to bond over our diverse heritages and share experiences that have made us who we are. We connect over hangouts, Shabbat dinners, and holiday observances. JoCC is open to all students who are interested in engaging in Jewish life or supporting us. We are all friends here! If you have any questions or if you are interested in getting involved, please contact us.
Contact: jewsofcolor.vsa@vassar.edu
Secular Students at Vassar (SSV)
The Secular Students at Vassar (SSV) promotes community for atheists, agnostics, humanists, questioning students, and other freethinkers at Vassar College. SSV seeks to dispel harmful stereotypes and misunderstandings of what it means to be an agnostic or humanist, and inform each other and the Vassar community on the meaning and liberation that secular beliefs and ethics can bring to one’s life. SSV hopes to engage in conversation with other religious groups to create more tolerant, plural societies, and advocate for and protect the rights of freethinkers, including through robust state-church separation activism. The Secular Students at Vassar did not meet this term, but we are hoping that the group will reestablish next semester. If you are interested in this group, please contact the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices (RSLCP).
Contact: rsl@vassar.edu
Sikh Student Association (SSA)
The Sikh Student Association (SSA) has both a goal of being a support system (Sadh Sangat) for its Sikh members, and raising awareness of Sikh values and struggles for the greater campus and communities. The primary goal is to provide a community of support through equality, love, and compassion. One major project of the SSA has been replacing Sikh stereotypes and unconscious stigmas with awareness of Sikhi to the broader community. SSA hosts weekly trips, on Sundays, to the local Gurdwara Sahib (a place of worship for all) at Gurudwara Midhudson Sikh Cultural Society in Wappingers Falls, NY (free transportation provided - meet at Gordon Commons at 11:30am). We also hold weekly member meetings at Pratt House (contact us for time/day), and host other events for the campus and local communities. Our campus wide events will be advertised extensively so please keep an eye out! All are welcome. Contact us for more information or see the Events Calendar on the RSLCP home page.
Contact: Jasmeen Kaur (jkaur@vassar.edu) or Pavneet Saini (psaini@vassar.edu)
Unitarian Universalists (UU)
Vassar’s “UU” group engages with spirituality and social issues, working to build a welcoming community in the non-creedal traditions of Unitarian Universalists. The group has previously been a VSA organization, and currently meets on alternating Saturdays from 12-1pm in the second floor Meditation and Prayer Room at Pratt House - refer to the Events Calendar on the RSLCP home page for exact dates. Meetings can include elements of creative worship, conversation, ritual, games, shared meals, and meditation, as well as potential collaborations with the local UU community and other student faith orgs. If you are interested in being part of this renewed UU energy on campus, please contact us for more information.
Contact: Louisa Baldwin (lbaldwin@vassar.edu) or Brynna Seligman (bseligman@vassar.edu)
Vassar Catholic Community (VCC)
The Vassar Catholic Community (VCC) works to deepen and enrich the religious, spiritual, and contemplative life of Roman Catholics at Vassar and anyone who is interested in or has questions about Catholicism. The group is a VSA organization whose activities focus on faith, community life, and social justice. We strive to make mass accessible to all students by providing on-campus mass every 4th Sunday at Pratt House (mass begins at 6:00pm - first floor) and shuttles to off-campus masses all other Sundays (meet shuttle at 6:00pm - Main Circle). Please contact VCC for more information.
Contact: vcc@vassar.edu
Vassar Friends Meeting
Vassar Friends Meeting is every Sunday at 1pm at the Pratt House labyrinth (weather permitting) or in the second floor Meditation and Prayer Room. We sit together in silence for about 30 minutes, sharing the space in quiet communion. However you use this time, it can be deeply moving, relaxing, and rewarding. If you are moved to speak, you are invited and encouraged to break the silence and share. We foster equality and simplicity by gathering together to practice faith without hierarchy. As we come together as a group, we build community. You do not have to conform to any religious practices to be welcomed and wanted at meeting. You may come to as many or as few meetings as you like. No matter what inspires you to join us, we are so excited for you to be here! Contact us for more information or see the Events Calendar on the RSLCP home page.
Contact: Olivia Sibinga (osibinga@vassar.edu) or Willa Potter (wpotter@vassar.edu)
Vassar Hindu Association
Hindu Heritage is a group for people who share a practice, heritage, or interest in any sect of Hinduism. Transportation to a local Hindu temple is available monthly. Vassar Hindu Association did not meet this term but we are hoping that the group will reestablish next semester. If you are interested in this group, please contact Vassar Hindu Association at the link below.
Contact: vha@vassar.edu
Vassar Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (VXF)
Vassar Christian Fellowship (VXF) is Vassar College’s chapter of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. Intervarsity’s vision is “to see students and faculty transformed, campuses renewed, and world changers developed.” As part of Intervarsity, VXF seeks to establish and advance witnessing communities of students and faculty who follow Jesus by growing in love for God, God’s Word, and God’s people from every ethnicity and culture. VXF meets on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the second floor Meditation and Prayer Room at Pratt House. Please contact VXF for more information.
Contact: vxf@vassar.edu
Vassar Jewish Union (VJU/Hillel)
The Vassar Jewish Union (VJU/Hillel) strives to serve the diverse needs of the Vassar Jewish Community. The group is a VSA organization that sponsors weekly Friday night services at 6:00 p.m. and dinners at 7:30 p.m. in the Bayit at 51 Collegeview Avenue, as well as programming for all major Jewish holidays, cultural and educational programs that explore Jewish life and Jewish identity, opportunities for social action, and social events.
Contact: vju@vassar.edu
Vassar Muslim Students Association (VMSA)
The Vassar Muslim Students Association (VMSA) is a group for Muslims and those interested in Islam. The group discusses issues of concern in the Muslim community and the community at large. VMSA is a VSA organization that sponsors weekly meetings at Pratt House on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. on the first floor and Salat-u-Jum'ua, Friday Congregational Prayer, from 1:00–1:30 p.m. in the second floor Meditation and Prayer Room. Please contact us for more information or see the Events Calendar on the RSLCP home page. VMSA also sponsors special meetings and dinners celebrating Muslim holidays, movies, speakers, and other social events for the campus community.
Contact: vmsa@vassar.edu