Hillsdale in D.C. Dedicates Chapel of Divine Providence
The chapel was built as part of the renovation and expansion of Hillsdale’s D.C. campus.
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale in D.C. dedicated its newly constructed Chapel of Divine Providence on March 13. The chapel was built as part of the expansion and renovation of Hillsdale’s D.C. campus. The dedication included Christian hymns, Scripture readings led by the retired Rev. Thomas Johnston, and remarks by Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn.
“If you’re going to study the good things around you, you have to be able to compare them to the perfect things to know their rank,” Dr. Arnn said at the dedication. “That leads to understanding, and that leads to worship. And in this place we’re devoted to understanding, so we’re devoted to worship. How perfect is that.”
“If you’re going to study the good things around you, you have to be able to compare them to the perfect things to know their rank.”
Article VI of Hillsdale College’s Articles of Association, displayed on a plaque in the chapel, states, “Religious culture in particular shall be conserved by the College, and by the selection of instructors and other practicable expedients, it shall be a conspicuous aim to teach by precept and example the essentials of the Christian faith and religion.”
The chapel will host private services approved by the deans and serve as a place of reflection for students.
“Hillsdale aims to preserve civil and religious liberty in America and to pass on our Christian faith and heritage,” said Matthew Spalding, vice president for Washington operations. “We hope this chapel leads our students to look to God as the source of these blessings and as the one who enables us to preserve them.”
“Hillsdale aims to preserve civil and religious liberty in America and to pass on our Christian faith and heritage.”
Hillsdale College completed renovations to its D.C. campus earlier this year. The expanded space accommodates Hillsdale’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government, Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program, and James Madison Fellowship Program, as well as public lectures, educational seminars, and Congressional briefings.
The construction of the chapel was made possible by the Flack Family Foundation. Mrs. Eleanor Flack and her husband made their careers in the timber and forestry business in Alabama. A devoted member of the Anglican Church in North America, she has two daughters, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Through the foundation, she has provided generously for a number of causes in keeping with her and her family’s Christian faith, including Hillsdale’s sacred music program, two faculty chairs in theology, and the Chapel of Divine Providence.
Designed in a classical style, the renovated campus also includes student housing and outdoor gathering spaces, as well as seminar rooms, faculty offices, meeting and study spaces, a lecture hall, and a library.
- Photos from the dedication
- Photos of Hillsdale in D.C.
- More information about the renovated campus
- Photos of Hillsdale College
- High-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo
About Hillsdale in D.C.
Hillsdale College’s campus in Washington, D.C., extends the College’s educational mission to the nation’s capital by teaching and promoting the principles and practice of American constitutionalism. As the home of the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program, the James Madison Fellowship Program, the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, and a variety of lectures and events open to policymakers and the public, Hillsdale in D.C. seeks to inspire and form students, citizens, practitioners, and statesmen who will restore America’s principles and revive self-government in the political life of the nation. For more information, visit dc.hillsdale.edu.
About the Van Andel Graduate School of Government
The Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D. C., was founded in 2019 to extend Hillsdale College’s unique teaching mission to working professionals in the nation’s capital. Its course of study, which culminates in a Master of Arts in Government, integrates first principles with prudential thinking by means of a rigorous core curriculum and careful study of primary sources. Courses are taught by graduate school faculty members and visiting fellows that boast a wide variety of scholarly expertise and experiences in government. All admitted students receive full-tuition scholarships. For more information, visit dc.hillsdale.edu/school-of-government.