Worship is one of the most important and significant aspects of community life at Luther Seminary. The entire community, under the guidance of the seminary pastor and a staff that includes the seminary cantor and sacristans, promotes a vigorous program of corporate worship with a wide variety of opportunities for participation.
Students, faculty, staff, and significant numbers of visitors assemble
for Daily Chapel, Monday through Friday at 10 a.m. Daily worship is a singular occasion for the community to gather; and it provides a rich opportunity for worshipers to express their faith in prayer and praise, in confession and absolution, in reflection and thanksgiving.
The services make use of traditional ancient forms as well as contemporary expressions of liturgy. Holy Communion is celebrated every Wednesday during the school year. Members of the faculty most often provide leadership in chapel. However, students from all degree programs, international students, and guests from the wider church frequently preach and offer liturgical leadership as well.
Members of the seminary community also contribute to the worship life in many other ways. Trained organists from the MSM program play on a regular basis. Schola Cantorum, the seminary choir, provides a wide variety of choral music throughout the year. The seminary hosts a resident brass ensemble that frequently plays in chapel. Students participate in various instrumental and vocal groups. Liturgical dance is scheduled at various intervals as a part of chapel. Congregational singing in the acoustically rich nave is robust and is a memorable experience for many who gather for worship.
In addition to daily worship in the Chapel of the Incarnation located in the Olson Campus Center, the seminary provides other opportunities for community worship and singing. The Reformation festival and periodic “Hymnjams” are additional occasions for singing and confessing. Student recitals and services (that are part of the MSM degree requirements) enrich community gatherings in the chapel.
Occasional services, healing services, and festival worship are conducted in the several chapels on campus: the Meditation Chapel in the Campus Center, the Chapel of the Cross in Northwestern Hall, the small chapel in Bockman Hall, and historic Old Muskego Church on the campus. These services, often student led, range from Morning Prayer to Evening Prayer and Compline. Provision is made for those who wish to avail themselves of private confession, private meditation, and small prayer groups.
