Quiet Days are times of silence, reflection and prayer in the Chapel. No preparation is necessary, it is simply an opportunity to enjoy some communal silence with reflections from the Chaplain or a guest to guide your thoughts. Quiet days have been led by alumni, faculty, guest lecturers and other friends of King’s and the Chapel.

Upcoming Quiet Days

April 5, 2025: ‘The Poetry of Affirmation’ lead by Luke Hathaway

Following Morning Prayer at 9am.

Dr Luke Hathaway, Assistant Professor in the Department of Arts, English Language and Literature at St Mary's University, and a long-time friend of the Chapel will lead a Quiet Day in the Chapel on Saturday, April 5th.

 He writes, 'The mystics who coined the phrase ‘the way of affirmation’ understood the apocalyptic nature of the word yes, the way it can lead out of one life and into another.

There is resonance here with the works of queer writers who have followed their/our hearts into places of coming out and crossing over, sometimes into lives quite different from those that had been scripted for them — for us — by society and culture.

Through readings from the works of poets Elizabeth Bishop, Thom Gunn, and Jericho Brown, Luke Hathaway invites you into an exploration of three such queer journeys — and of your/our own journey/s, too.'

9:00 a.m.: Morning Prayer

9:30 a.m.: Welcome & introductions; Elizabeth Bishop’s ‘Prodigal’

10:30: Thom Gunn’s ‘Dying God’

11:30: Jericho Brown’s Mary

12:30: Lunch & reflections

Luke Hathaway is a trans and queer poet, librettist, and theatre maker who makes his home in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, and teaches at Saint Mary’s University. He is the author of four books and two chapbooks of poetry, and a co-creator of numerous musical and theatrical works including most recently Eurydice Fragments (re:naissance opera, 2024) and The Sign of Jonas (Milltown Records, 2024). His book The Affirmations: poems (Biblioasis) was named a Times ‘Best Book’ of 2022.