---
title: "What it Takes: Campus Chaplains"
date: 2023-12-07T05:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/what-it-takes-campus-chaplains"
section: Articles
---
# What it Takes: Campus Chaplains

*December 7, 2023* — by [Karen Shih ’09](/author/karen-shih)


> Four Religious Leaders on Faith, Resiliency and Connection at UMD

*Memorial Chapel 01292013 1960 1920x1080 — The Memorial Chapel is the hub for faith-based activities at the University of Maryland, but the reach of its chaplains, serving various religions and denominations, extends to every corner of campus and beyond.*

High on the hill above Baltimore Avenue, iconic [Memorial Chapel](https://stamp.umd.edu/centers/memorial_chapel) stands as not just a landmark but a beacon, where the University of Maryland’s faith leaders offer anchoring and stability to students leaving their families for the first time.

About a dozen [chaplains](https://stamp.umd.edu/centers/memorial_chapel/chaplains) of different faiths and denominations shepherd students in their spiritual journeys. While Memorial Chapel serves as the hub, many have their own spaces on or around campus, such as Maryland Hillel, the Catholic Student Center (CSC) or the Muslim prayer space in Cole Field House.

No matter the tradition, the goals are the same: amid the more raucous sides of college life, to keep students engaged in the faiths they were raised in; to help them make sense of the world as they set off into adulthood; to guide them in giving back; and to celebrate special occasions and traditional holidays.

Maryland Today talked to Hillel Rabbi Ari Israel, Catholic Rev. Conrad Murphy, Hindu Rev. Kiran Sankhla and Muslim Imam Tarif Shraim to learn why working with college students is so unique, how they’ve helped students cope during this challenging semester and the special bond they share.

**On What Brought Them to UMD and Serving College Students:**


*Tarif Shraim — Imam Tarif Shraim*


*Ari Israel — Rabbi Ari Israel*


*Kiran Sankhla — Rev. Kiran Sankhla*


*Conrad Murphy — Rev. Conrad Murphy*




**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [What It Takes](https://today.umd.edu/topic/what-it-takes), [Student Experience](https://today.umd.edu/topic/student-experience), [Multicultural Community](https://today.umd.edu/topic/multicultural-community)