But on May 22, 1925, at a meeting of the Associated Harvard Clubs in Baltimore, it was resolved "that it is the sense of the Associated Harvard Clubs that the memorial of the Great War should take the form of a new church or chapel, [and that] the President be authorized to...devise methods to raise funds for the memorial."

So Appleton Chapel was razed to the ground, and the new chapel, with its Doric columns, white steeple and memorial room, was constructed in its place.

Dean of the College Willard L. Sperry described the new church in a 1938 pamphlet entitled "The Memorial Church Congregation."

"Our Memorial Church here at Harvard is technically a congregation and nothing more," Sperry wrote. "The health and strength of our present system, as well as its effectiveness, lie in the genuinely interdenominational character of our public worship."

Confronting Diversity

Today, church administrators say they try to offer an interdenominational place of worship and still maintain a Protestant character.

Rev. Ashlee R. Wiest-Laird, the President of the United Ministry, believes that the church has adapted to maintain its place in the community.

"Historically, Mem Church did have the central role of religious practice for people in the University," she says. "But I think as the religious beliefs of the student body have grown more diverse, its roles have grown more diverse."

Associate Minister in the Memorial Church Preston B. Hannibal offers an example of the church's willingness to open its doors to diverse groups.

"The first week of September, we had [Harvard-Radcliffe] Hillel upstairs conducting their High Holy Day services," Hannibal says. "Down in the Buttrick Room, the Muslim students were having their Friday prayers, and right across the hall from them the Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Fellowship was having their daily prayers."

Hillel's Rabbi Sally Finestone called the Jewish organization's relationship with Mem Church "very positive."

In addition to providing facilities for High Holy Day services, "the staff is very helpful in helping us turn the church into a synagogue," she says.

Vicky Clisham '95, the President of Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Impact, says the recognizes the difficulties that accommodating these various faiths can cause.

"I think it's hard in an ecumenical church to strike a balance between accommodating everyone's beliefs and still having a theology-based doctrine," she says. "[Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Minister to the Memorial Church Rev. Peter J.J. Gomes does that very well."

Not all students feel quite so welcome in Mem Church, however.