Office of Religious & Spiritual Life
Helen Hills Hills Chapel
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063
The Chapel is located at 125 Elm Street, which is on the corner of Elm Street & Round Hill Road. Please park on the street; if you park in the lot surrounding the Chapel, you will be ticketed by Public Safety until after 5 p.m.
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Phone: (413) 585-2750
Fax: (413) 585-2794
Jennifer Walters
Dean of Religious Life
| (413) 585-2753 | Chapel B12 |
Jennifer L. Walters is Dean of Religious Life and co-director of the Women's Narratives Project at Smith. She is also involved in campus and Five College initiatives in promoting wellness, dialogue across differences of social identity, conflict resolution, and integrative learning.
Dean Walters has open office hours from 1 - 3 p.m. on Fridays, and is also available by appointment. Call (413) 585-2753 or email jwalters@smith.edu to make an appointment.
Hayat Nancy Abuza
Multifaith Program Specialist
| (413) 335-6151 | Chapel choir loft level |
Hayat Nancy Abuza is a member of the Multifaith Council. She teaches
meditation, yoga, and contemplative hiking; leads interfaith retreats for students; and spearheads the Hot Seat Ethics program. She is a Reform Jew who has
learned about many faiths. She has studied mysticism, meditation, and spiritual dance with the contemporary Sufi teacher Pir Vilayat Khan.
She is an ordained interfaith chaplain and a haiku poet. She received an A.B. from Harvard, her M.D. from Albany Medical College and completed an internship in clinical stress reduction at UMass Medical Center.
Hayat is availble by appointment. Call (413) 335-6151 or email habuza@smith.edu to make an appointment.
Matilda Cantwell
Multifaith Fellow
| (413) 585-4595 | B14 |
The Multifaith Fellow position is a two year appointment designed to address issues of religious literacy and interfaith cooperation at Smith. Matilda's background is in youth work both in the fields of ministry and social work. Her vocational interests are interfaith dialogue, community organizing, active non-violence, religious pluralism, children's spirituality, and the intersection of faith and psychoanalytic theory. Matilda's poetry has been published in Palimpsest, the Yale University Graduate Journal of Creative Writing; and Becoming Fire: Spiritual Writing for Rising Generations. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Religious Studies from Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon, an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work, and an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School.
Maureen Raucher
Office of Religious and Spiritual Life Administrative Support
| (413) 585-2754 | Chapel B7 |
Maureen Raucher has been with the College since 2002 and in the Office of Religious & Spiritual Life since 2004. She earned a B.S. in pre-veterinary and animal science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Maureen has two daughters, Mackenzie and Carlie, and lives with her family in Easthampton. In her free time from her busy life being a mom, you will find her riding her horse, Lyle.
Her responsibilities in the Office include organizing and managing daily Office operations and producing extra events for the College.
Kim Alston
Office of Religious and Spiritual Life Administrative Support
| (413) 585-2753 | Chapel B6 |
Kim Alston is passionate about helping others and troubleshooting issues. She attended Boston University, receiving a B.S. in Broadcasting and Film, and has worked as a public affairs manager, public relations specialist, and journalist.
A mother of four children, including two grown daughters and two college-age sons, she is married to Daryl and enjoys African art, dance, real estate, community service, spirituality, and writing. She coordinates administrative tasks in the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, along with event planning and program marketing. She is a member of Staff Council and serves as editor of the Staff Council Chronicle.
David Brown
Custodian
| (413) 585-2750 |
David Brown is one of the custodians for the chapel, Tilly and Gables. He has lived in Northampton for most of his life, and earned an A.A. from Holyoke Community College and a B.A. in education of the deaf from Lenoir Rhyne College. He enjoys hiking, camping, youth work and travel.
"If all else fails, ask Dave."
Anne White
Student Aid Society
| (413) 585-2757 | Chapel choir loft level |
Anne White has worked for the Smith Student's Aid Society since 1999. Her passion for stories led her to become a classics major at the University of Massachusetts, with a concentration in myth.
Among her interests, White is a regular moviegoer, an avid reader and enjoys knitting in her spare time. Because of her lifelong interest in nutrition and fitness, she enjoys cooking, daily walks and strength training.
Grant Moss
College Organist
| (413) 585-3167 | (413) 585-2757 |
Grant Russell Moss is a Senior Lecturer in music and has served since 1983 as Organist to the College. A Nebraska native, Moss is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and holds the doctor of musical arts degree from Yale University. He has appeared as soloist at summer organ festivals in Methuen (MA) and Round Lake (NY), the Great Organ Music at Yale series, and in concerto performances with all of the Five College orchestras as well as the Springfield Symphony and the Pioneer Valley Symphony. As accompanist, he has toured many times with the Smith Chamber Singers. In addition to his duties as teacher of organ, piano and harpsichord, he is conductor of the Smith handbell choir.
Tiertza-Leah Schwartz
Community Service Office Director
| (413) 585-2758 | Wright Hall, lower level |
Tiertza-Leah Schwartz earned a B.S. from Boston University, has earned graduate course work, and continues to gain wisdom and insight from her ever-evolving position at Smith.
With a special interest in local and cross-cultural community work, Schwartz is especially proud of two projects: her success working with a team to establish a preschool and Grandmother Nurture Center for infants in collaboration with an orphanage in Hefei, People's Republic of China; and as chair of the Library Trustees overseeing the Ashfield Belding Memorial Library renovation project.
As the director of voluntary services, Schwartz has the opportunity to bring people together. She believes that to build and support healthy, caring communities it is important for each community member to be engaged actively in thoughtful community service and advocacy.
















