Spring 2021 Chaplain Interview Series: Catholic Chaplain Lynn Cooper

Summary

In this Tufts University interview, Catholic Chaplain Lynn Cooper shares her journey from undergraduate to chaplaincy, highlighting her passion for religious studies and community care. She discusses the essence of pastoral care as accompaniment and deep listening, addressing a spectrum of student concerns from personal to spiritual. Cooper also reflects on the impact of COVID-19 on religious practices, emphasizing the need for a reimagined sacramental experience and the power of communal solidarity. Her belief in transformation and hope is palpable, as she envisions the chaplaincy's future growth in depth and diversity.

Takeaways

• 📚 Lynn Cooper, the Catholic chaplain at Tufts University, found her calling in the study of religion and community care during her undergraduate years at Tufts.
• 🔍 After graduating, Lynn explored her passion further by attending divinity school, focusing on the Master of Divinity program to understand both academic and practical aspects of religious work.
• 🌟 Lynn's realization of her vocation occurred during her time at a Lutheran congregation, where she discovered her love for university chaplaincy and working with diverse student populations.
• 🏫 Her return to Tufts as a chaplain was prompted by a desire to work closely with college students, which she considers her true calling.
• 🤔 Pastoral care, as described by Lynn, involves accompaniment, providing a non-judgmental space for listening, and walking alongside individuals as they navigate their spiritual and existential questions.
• 🌐 Lynn addresses a wide range of topics with students, from personal issues like family tensions and discernment to more profound matters such as faith and identity.
• 🏛 The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a reevaluation of religious practices, particularly the sacrament of communion, prompting a reimagining of sacramental life and solidarity within the church.
• 🍵 Lynn's fondest memory as a chaplain involves an interfaith moment, highlighting the significance of shared spaces and the beauty of different religious traditions coexisting.
• 🌱 She firmly believes in transformation and growth, both on a personal level and within the spiritual community, drawing hope from the stories of change she has witnessed.
• ☕ The best tea on campus, according to Lynn, can be found at the Tower Cafe, specifically the black mango iced tea, which holds a nostalgic value for her as a former student.
• 📈 Looking ahead, Lynn envisions the chaplaincy at Tufts growing deeper in its relationships and continuing to transform, with a focus on being a multi-faith team that supports students of all backgrounds.

Q & A

What is Lynn Cooper's role at Tufts University?

Lynn Cooper is the Catholic Chaplain and Chaplaincy Tomb Supervisor at Tufts University.

How did Lynn Cooper become interested in the study of religion?

Lynn Cooper fell in love with the study of religion during her undergraduate years at Tufts University, where it was her first experience of deep community and care within the religion department.

What led Lynn Cooper to pursue a Master of Divinity degree?

After living in Maine for a year post-graduation, Lynn Cooper decided to attend divinity school to pursue a more holistic study of religion that included practical application and work with marginalized communities.

What was Lynn Cooper's experience like during her fieldwork at a Lutheran congregation?

Lynn Cooper found her fieldwork at a Lutheran congregation not as fulfilling as she had hoped, leading her to reach out to Tufts University for a field education student position.

How does Lynn Cooper describe her pastoral care approach?

Lynn Cooper describes pastoral care as accompaniment, providing a non-judgmental space for listening, being a non-anxious presence, and walking with people through their spiritual and existential questions.

What types of issues do students typically bring to Lynn Cooper for pastoral care?

Students bring a wide range of issues to Lynn Cooper, including housemate tensions, discernment about vocation, family issues, experiences of sexual assault, and bias incidents.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected Lynn Cooper's approach to pastoral care?

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a reevaluation of communal practices like the sharing of the Eucharist and has emphasized the need for a sacramental imagination that extends beyond traditional church settings.

What is Lynn Cooper's view on the future of the Eucharist and its reception in the Catholic Church post-COVID?

Lynn Cooper believes that the pandemic has challenged Catholics to stretch their sacramental imagination and recognize the sacred in everyday life, suggesting a potential shift in how the Eucharist is understood and received.

What memorable moment stands out for Lynn Cooper from her time as a chaplain at Tufts?

A memorable moment for Lynn Cooper was when a student shared his experience of visiting the Vatican, and they listened to the call to prayer from the Muslim chaplain, which was a profound example of interfaith community and shared holy space.

What does Lynn Cooper believe in, and how does it influence her work as a chaplain?

Lynn Cooper believes in transformation, which is reflected in her work as a chaplain through her commitment to personal and communal growth, and her approach to pastoral care that supports individuals in their spiritual journeys.

Where does Lynn Cooper see the Tufts University Chaplaincy growing and transforming in the future?

Lynn Cooper hopes to see the Tufts University Chaplaincy deepen its relationships and continue to grow outward while also going deep, with a focus on being part of a multi-faith team and supporting students from diverse religious and philosophical backgrounds.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Journey to Becoming a Chaplain

Lynn Cooper, the Catholic Chaplain at Tufts University, shares her personal journey of becoming a chaplain. She discusses her undergraduate experience at Tufts, where she fell in love with the study of religion. After graduation, she pursued a Master of Divinity degree, which led her to work with marginalized communities. Despite initial uncertainty about her vocation, she found her calling in pastoral care, particularly at Tufts, where she returned to serve as the Catholic Chaplain after a stint at a Catholic high school.

05:00

🤝 The Essence of Pastoral Care

Pastoral care, as described by Lynn, is about accompaniment and providing a non-judgmental space for students. She emphasizes the importance of being a non-anxious presence on campus and walking alongside individuals as they navigate their spiritual and existential questions. Lynn discusses the wide range of issues students bring to her, from personal conflicts to grappling with faith and identity. She also touches on the unique care chaplains offer, which complements but differs from traditional counseling services.

10:00

🌟 The Universality of Pastoral Care

Lynn wishes for more students to know that pastoral care is available to everyone, regardless of their religious or spiritual background. She encourages students to reach out, emphasizing that chaplains meet people where they are, without judgment. Lynn also reflects on the impact of COVID-19 on pastoral care, noting an increase in students seeking to reconnect with their faith and the challenges of adapting traditional practices, such as communion, to the new reality.

15:01

🍵 Reimagining Sacraments in the Time of COVID

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a reevaluation of sacramental practices, particularly communion. Lynn discusses the significance of the Eucharist and the challenge of maintaining its communal aspect during a time of social distancing. She invites a reimagining of sacraments, suggesting that everyday moments and interactions can be sacramental, embodying a sense of the holy. Lynn also expresses a sense of loss for traditional practices like the shared chalice and looks forward to new ways of experiencing communion as churches reopen.

20:05

🌱 Memorable Moments and Beliefs in Transformation

Lynn recounts a memorable moment of interfaith harmony at Tufts, where a student shared his experience of the call to prayer during a meeting in her office. This moment exemplifies the power of sharing sacred space and being in community with individuals from diverse religious backgrounds. Lynn also shares her belief in transformation, drawing parallels between the changing seasons, personal growth, and the transformative potential within all people. She emphasizes a 'gritty hopefulness' and the importance of embracing transformation in both personal and communal contexts.

25:05

☕️ Future Visions for the Chaplaincy and Campus Life

Looking ahead, Lynn expresses a desire for the chaplaincy at Tufts to deepen its relationships and continue growing, both outward and deep. She is proud of the multi-faith team and the opportunities for interfaith collaboration. Lynn also shares her personal preference for the best tea on campus, the Black Mango Iced Tea from the Tower Cafe, which holds a special place in her heart as a former student and current chaplain.

Keywords

💡Chaplain

A chaplain is a religious leader who provides spiritual care and guidance, often within specific institutions like universities, hospitals, or the military. In the context of the video, Lynn Cooper is the Catholic chaplain at Tufts University, offering pastoral care and support to students. The role of a chaplain is central to the video's theme of spiritual guidance and community care.

💡Pastoral Care

Pastoral care refers to the spiritual and emotional support provided by religious leaders to individuals or groups. It often involves listening, guiding, and accompanying people through various life challenges. In the video, Lynn describes pastoral care as accompaniment, walking with people, and creating a space for processing and asking questions, which is integral to her role as a chaplain.

💡Divinity School

Divinity schools are educational institutions that focus on the study of theology, religious leadership, and ministry. Lynn mentions attending divinity school to pursue a Master of Divinity degree, which is a holistic program combining academic study with practical ministry. This decision was pivotal for her journey to becoming a chaplain.

💡Vocation

A vocation is a strong sense of purpose or calling to a particular occupation or way of life, often with a spiritual or moral dimension. In the video, Lynn discusses how students might be discerning their vocation, such as whether to become a doctor, reflecting on how one's career path can be seen as a calling.

💡Marginalized Communities

Marginalized communities are groups that are often excluded from social, political, or economic opportunities due to their identity. Lynn mentions her desire to work with marginalized communities as part of her ministry, highlighting the video's focus on social justice and inclusion within religious practice.

💡Eucharist

The Eucharist, also known as Communion, is a Christian sacrament that involves the consumption of bread and wine as symbols of Jesus's body and blood. Lynn discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the practice of Communion, emphasizing the need for a reimagining of sacramental practices and a sense of solidarity within the Church.

💡Solidarity

Solidarity is the unity and agreement of people based on shared interests, objectives, or standards. In the video, Lynn speaks about the importance of solidarity within the Church, especially during the pandemic, as a way to foster a sense of unity and shared experience despite physical distancing.

💡Transformation

Transformation refers to a profound change in form, appearance, or character. Lynn believes in transformation as a concept, citing personal growth, relationships, and the broader themes of Easter and new life as examples. She sees transformation as an ongoing process, both personally and within the university chaplaincy.

💡Multi-faith Team

A multi-faith team is a group of religious leaders or advisors representing various faith traditions, working together to support a diverse community. Lynn is proud to be part of Tufts University's multi-faith chaplaincy team, which includes representatives from different religious backgrounds, reflecting the video's theme of interfaith cooperation and understanding.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or the capacity to adapt to change. While not explicitly mentioned in the video transcript, the theme of resilience can be inferred from Lynn's discussions about supporting students through various challenges and her own journey of learning and adapting as a chaplain.

Highlights

Introduction of Lynn Cooper, the Catholic Chaplain at Tufts University, who uses she/her pronouns.

Lynn's journey from being a Tufts undergraduate to becoming a chaplain, influenced by her love for the study of religion.

Decision to attend divinity school without prior knowledge of ministry, driven by a desire for holistic study.

Lynn's realization during divinity school that her true calling was to work with college students.

The importance of accompaniment and non-judgmental spaces in pastoral care.

Pastoral care as walking with people, learning side by side, and creating space for processing and questioning.

Range of issues students bring to pastoral care, from housemate tensions to existential questions.

The unique care chaplains offer, complementing counseling and mental health services.

Lynn's perspective on how COVID has affected students' faith and their need for pastoral care.

The challenge of reimagining communion and sacraments during COVID, emphasizing solidarity and sacramental imagination.

Reflection on the shared cup in Catholic communion and its significance.

Lynn's memorable moment of interfaith harmony at Tufts, listening to the call to prayer in her office.

Belief in transformation and growth, inspired by personal experiences and the current season of Lent.

Vision for the future of Tufts University Chaplaincy, focusing on deepening relationships and growing as a multi-faith team.

Recommendation for the best tea on campus, the Black Mango iced tea at the Tower Cafe.

Transcripts

good afternoon

i'm in the interfaith center with the

tufts university chaplain interview

series

i'm here with the catholic chaplain now

would you like to introduce yourself

yes my name is lynn cooper i use the she

series pronouns

and i'm the catholic chaplain and

chaplaincy tomb supervisor here at tufts

university

great um we just have a few questions

for you

today we'll start out with how you came

to be a chaplain at tufts

um well i was an undergraduate at tufts

i graduated in 2002 and when i was here

as a student i just i fell in love with

the study of religion

it just made me come alive in fact i

kind of i knew i wanted to study

religion when i was going to college

um and so that was one of the

requirements that i had not that i told

anyone but the requirements that i had

personally for the school that i wanted

to go to

and it really was my first

experience of deep community and care

within the religion department um

and after graduation

um i went to live in

uh maine for a year and during that time

i decided

no i want to go to divinity school and

um

you know i at the last second i looked

at the

uh at the different programs and i said

wow the master of divinity just sounds

so kind of more holistic you know it's

not just the academic study of religion

it's

how do you work with people how do you

show up for um

marginalized communities and folks and

like how do you

um put into practice what you're

learning in the

in the classroom and so without

any knowledge of what the word ministry

meant or pastoral

or vocation or discernment i signed up

for divinity school

for the master of divinity and i knew

from

the first probably first two minutes of

the first day that i was in the right

place

i didn't know why wow but i thought i

heard the woman who

who became my advisor i heard her speak

at the um

the opening retreat for my program and

as i said i didn't i didn't understand

why i was there but i knew i was in the

right place

um and so in divinity school i had um

i did some field work at a parish at a

lutheran

congregation and i just it just didn't

it just wasn't the kind of work that was

making me come alive and

so my last year i ended up reaching out

to the university chaplain at tufts and

kind of with my tail between my legs

very last minute

do you have room for a field ed student

and they already had two field ads that

year

and they graciously made room for me

um and while well we didn't use the

language this language then it was

really

my work and my task for that position

was

to uh work with the nuns right um

people who are don't identify with a

religious or philosophical tradition

um not um

folks who we wouldn't ordinarily see

walk through our doors

that was the work i was doing and

i loved it i absolutely loved it but

then out of divinity school i ended up

getting a job at

alboy's catholic high school which was

really wonderful

but i knew that my call was really to

work with college students

and a year later i got the call to come

back to tufts

and their catholic chaplain had left

and here i am so i began and i don't

think i really knew what a catholic

chaplain was

um but i was

learning as i went and

a lot of it was uh you know really

learning how much i didn't know

and learning how much

i couldn't have known you know i had

never

set up for liturgy before um

but i also wasn't allowed to be an altar

server as a child so how was i supposed

to know

you know there were things like that

where

the learning curve was kind of steep but

um

you know on the day-to-day the pastoral

presence the ministry of presence was

you know helped me help me

uh grow some roots here yeah

i think that's um if i can take the

questions a bit out of order here

because i think that that leads us into

a very

uh interesting question there about

pastoral care because a lot of

a lot of these interview series are set

up to try to

expose people more to the resources that

we have available with the chaplaincy in

terms of pastoral care

and in terms of in terms of ministry in

terms of resources

so how would you describe pastoral care

what does it mean to you

when i think of pastoral care the image

that really comes up to me

is uh is accompaniment

um i can provide a listening ear

in a non-judgmental space a non i could

be a non-anxious presence

is my greatest hope that i am um

on this campus and beyond um

but pastoral care you know i think we

all have different

um we connected to the different parts

of this terminology

and um but when i really think of the

work that i do

and the pastoral care that um takes

shape

in my ministry it's really one of

walking with people

and learning side by side and listening

deeply

and um and creating that space for

processing

creating that space um for asking

uh sometimes really difficult and

dangerous questions you know depending

on where you have grown up

some theological questions or

existential questions could have been

too dangerous to even entertain um

and so it's really about creating

a spaciousness for

folks who are exploring and folks who

sometimes we meet people who are really

hurting um

sometimes we meet people who are just

really curious

and often it begins with i don't know

what this is supposed to look like what

am i supposed to say

which i hear all the time and it's just

a you know

i try to put people at ease and just say

this is just a conversation like let's

let's just get to know each other

um yeah

that's lovely um when when you have

those sorts of conversations you know

when people come to you

and um are are hurting or are

stuck with some sort of question uh in

their minds

what what sort of topics do you usually

come up like

what do people usually come to you with

yeah well a whole a whole wide range of

of issues anything from

um you know a housemate

uh tangles or tensions

um questions about

discernment or like you know i want to

be

um a doctor but i want to

think of this as a vocation how do i do

that when no one else is really talking

about that

or you know

students who are wrestling with family

back home whether it's you know a family

member who

is ill a family member who has passed

um or tensions within the family that

get brought out in different ways when

students leave home sometimes it's a

respite away

from it and sometimes um other things

are surface

you know i've had conversations with

students

who are seeking support after experience

of sexual assault

after bias incidents

and you know we offer a unique kind of

care

that often it goes really well with

counseling mental health

services their offerings but ours is is

of a different um a different shape

and so it really it's really a wide

range right now

um and this happens all the time

but i feel like because of covid and

because of just this moment

there's been a lot of clarifying fact

clarifying energy around and so

um there's a lot of people who are

looking to reconnect with their faith

who maybe had you know some negative

experiences with

the church or with their tradition as we

know churches hurt people better than

anybody

and so it can be a real

challenge to say okay there's this

institution that hurt me

but like my identity my religious

identity

is not is more than just the institution

like it

is something that is part of me and so

reclaiming that identity

can be a really important part of one's

formation certainly spiritual

development

so that's another another really uh big

theme that comes up

right uh issues around identity

sexuality

yeah yeah

so for those students that maybe haven't

come

to you or to any other of the other

chaplains

looking for pastoral care um

could you maybe uh say you know is there

anything that you wish that they knew

about pastoral care or even the people

that do come to you

something that you wish everyone knew

about pastoral care that you don't think

is a very

widespread piece of information hmm

that's a good question

[Music]

um

just that it can be for everyone you

know i think

you know i have friends who i call to um

sometimes you know they put on their

chaplain hat for me

and it's really helpful uh or a

spiritual director to talk to you about

these things like i

i think like normalizing it in this way

i mean our students

are so deep and so

substantive and like the things that

make them

tick and the things that drive them and

you know it's it's really demanding work

to take a step back and ask the

questions of like

why like why do i feel this way where is

this energy coming from um

and it's very counter cultural too so

like it's

i think it makes a lot of sense that

this

especially within a university

environment that's like very high

achieving

and at times like life gets really

imbalanced that

you know while we do see a lot of people

we don't you know there's tons of people

we never encounter

um and uh you know that's fine but i

would also just say that i think that um

this kind of

support could be um

you know it's so different from like

academic work spiritual

spiritual life you know it doesn't use

the

same rubric it doesn't um it's not as

linear

um so yeah we just i would just say that

the invitation is always there

you know like it's really hard to

offend us i think i don't always just

say maybe i shouldn't speak for

everybody but i feel like

you know we meet people where they are

and if someone

reaches out once and then like doesn't

follow up i'm not like

where is that person you know they left

me hanging it's like

you just call the next time or you know

like you send an email the next time you

want to

it's it's as i said it's not a it's a

non-judgmental space and i think

we try to embody that a most gracious

way because everyone's

experiencing their own challenges

especially in this moment

right of course

yeah so that's sort of like people can

reach out no matter what challenges that

they're experiencing not just

they don't just have to be struggling

with uh do i become a priest

or yeah i don't know how many people are

struggling with that particular question

in this day and age but uh

yeah all right so

moving off of the uh pastoral care

questions

um i'm curious what's uh

because you've mentioned that there's a

little difficulty involved with kovid

um and a lot and you see a lot of people

coming with

uh pastoral care with regards to kovid

or just issues that have come up with

regards to that

um so i'm wondering what is a

ritual a practice or an idea that's been

sort of on your mind lately in in it

especially with regards to covid but if

if it doesn't have to be that's been

grounding you

or that's been uh sort of

eating at the back of your mind sure

i mean the big one off the top of my

head is

communion you know um

which for many people is like the reason

why they go to mass is to receive the

eucharist

um and as we know like not everyone

receives the eucharist

like even in non-coveted times this is

um

there are communities all across the

globe who only receive eucharist

once a year there are people who

attend mass every week and choose never

to receive eucharist

there are people who are homebound who

don't receive

um and i think this what i've been

thinking a lot this year

is that this is a real moment for

solidarity

um around the church and a reorienting

of in kind of a

kick to our sacramental imagination from

my context as a catholic like sacraments

are big

you know there's baptism and matrimony

and

you know what is how is a sacrament

defined it's an an outward sign of god's

grace so something made

physical um and we have these official

ones

but then we have like the everyday ones

of like sitting here and talking to

you know conor elliott who i love

you know like this is a sacramental

moment of like

getting to learn from you and and and

and learn together and see where we go

um

[Music]

and i think that this moment is

challenging

us as catholics to um

stretch that sacramental imagination and

like look at our dinner tables

as holy places and look at our

walks on the sidewalk as like walking

towards communion like

and seeing jesus in the faces

of like go you want the eucharist like

go look at people's faces like there's

jesus

you know it's not he's not just

in the host um he's out in the world

um and i think that

that's especially powerful to me right

now as i'm seeing churches open up again

and people having to like get the

reserve their spaces

to be present and i know how powerful it

is to be

in person and also

um you know i'm just not ready to

receive yet

like i i don't want to receive you chris

yet i might on easter when we when we

with our community um if you know people

want to

but um yes and the other big thing i

i'd say is i think a lot about the cup

um for those of you who don't know um

in in catholic uh congregations there's

you know the uh communion there's the

body of the bread

that's distributed and then a cup of

wine the blood

and it's one cup that's shared with

everyone

so a few weeks back i was cleaning out

the sacristy

and um

and there were just so many vessels

there were so many vessels in the

sacristy of

you know sets that people have given us

i mean they're all gifts

um i've never purchased anything

those kinds of um objects

um uh in my

in my 13 years here they've always

they've always existed they already were

here

sometimes some of them have inscriptions

that they were gifts

like in someone else's name um

there were just so many

chalices and i

it just gave me pause because i thought

you know we're

we're never going back there like

they're not i don't they're not going to

be used in the same way

um and

um

and really for many catholic

congregations

they only just started receiving from

the cup like

historically only priests received that

were able to consume

um the blood and so it just

it just it you know there's just a

sadness and a sense of loss there and

also

um a sense of reality that like this is

just not tenable

um it was probably never a good idea

like public health-wise

um but you know there's something really

powerful and really beautiful about

the shared the shared cup you know it's

so embodied it's kind of so

sensuous that you're like sharing this

vessel

um and um

yeah that's just something else that's

on my mind of like how

covet and everything is gonna change our

experience of

yeah and already has changed our

experience of um

these elements of catholic tradition

which i think

yeah are important but they're not all

of it you know

and um

plenty of people have very live very

rich sacramental

lives and they don't receive communion

and we have a lot to learn from that

instead of this transactional

way of consuming you know

it's there's more to be there's more

work to be done there

than just waiting in line to consume and

then you're like okay i'm done

right yeah no i understand that

cool well it seems like we're a little

short on time i believe

but um i have a few more questions that

i do want to get through um

first of all um just a general question

what's the most memorable moment that

you've ever had working as a chaplain at

tufts

could be your favorite event could be

just a random

time like walking through campus

um i have i have one that i've i've

written about so

it's it's very uh it's something i've

reflected on quite a bit

and it was uh i was in the inter this is

a bunch of years ago i was in the

interfaith center in my office

and a student was coming

a young man who had just visited the

vatican with his family

and he wanted to tell me all about it

and often people just assume that i've

been and i've definitely never been

so like i was like i was telling you all

of it you know and

so as he was telling me this

um the it was friday and so

joomo was beginning and

the former muslim chaplain

nila balosh who began when i began we

began together the same year and we had

just

graduated from harvard divinity school

together so she's like

like a soul sister i'd say in some ways

and um

her husband was singing the call to

prayer

and it might you might make me cry

just talking about this but we were

sitting in my office and um

just and he just stopped talking

and and we listened to the call to

prayer

and then we listened to the silence

after the call of prayer the call to

prayer

and and we had been called to prayer

you know it was this

profound gift um and just such

such kind of like a concrete example of

like what happens when you share holy

space and like what happens when you're

in community

with um you know people from other

religious traditions and philosophical

traditions and

you know this person from a very very

catholic family traditionally catholic

family talking about the back

like moved to tears you know he

he had never experienced jima before he

didn't know arabic he didn't it didn't

matter

like he heard the call to prayer and um

it's my favorite memories

that's really lovely

yeah i i actually last year i worked

fridays here

in the ifc so i got to hear the call to

prayer

every week and i'm really missing it now

as it happens

um all right

uh

so what this is a random

off the completely off the cuff question

what's something that you believe

oh i believe in transformation

that's what i believe

um you know we're in this season of

transformation in spring

um those little flowers that were just

poking up

a week or two ago now are opening on our

i can see on my walks and

um you know i've seen human beings in my

life

and myself uh transform our way of

living in the world and being and i've

seen relationships

transform i see you know we're in this

season two of lent and heading towards

easter which is

the resurrection you know new life being

possible

um and i feel like i carry with me all

those stories of

whether there are stories in the

scriptures or stories from my life or my

friend's life

and um all those

kind of inform my

my sense of hopefulness you know like a

gritty hopefulness

like a kind of a big picture hope not

like a particular

i've got a laundry list of hopes i want

to see in action but

like kind of a just a big picture

posture towards hope um also my son's

obsessed with transformers

and so throughout the day so many times

he does the

i probably have one like on the table oh

they're all over there but

um throughout the day you know he does

the sound like

and and he'll yell transform

and it's like um it's like an imperative

like that's how i

hear it i hear it as he's kind of

declaring it into

being like calling out to me to

transform like it's

it feels like it's you know i'm being

called from another

plane to always remember the need to

transform and grow

and um

yeah and it's just one of like something

i'm thinking a lot about right now

as i look across the room you can't see

but it's

all filled with transformers and they

all have their own stories and like in

different shows and whatever

but um yeah spirit's calling us to

transform

whether it's a four-year-old boy or

someone else in your life or

the trees

well speaking of a transformation and

uh growth um do you have

do you have an idea of where you would

like to see the tufts university

chaplaincy go in the future how you

would like it to transform and grow

well if it's transformation in the past

if it is anything like

you know is going to tell me anything

it's that this

i trust that it's going to continue to

happen you know it's been i've been here

for 13 years and have seen

you know the the approach and

and methods change dramatically and

always you know have that student center

core

but um i'm excited to see

where we're gonna grow i think

um i think the big thing for me would

would be to deepen

some of the relationships that we

already have

um and that takes time and it takes

people and it takes commitment um

i think we've just kind of like

scratched the surface of some of that

um but i am so delighted that we

you know our chaplaincy team is is

growing and

um with our new hindu advisor an

afrikaner spirituality advisor

and um you know i'm really proud to be

part of

a multi-faith team that's a team

that's like really rare you know often

it's

um you know people can be kind of siloed

and i think

that the way our our infrastructure is

built and our kind of connective

tissue is is is built it's uh it's just

gonna get deeper so that's my hope

i would say to continue to grow outward

but to go

deep

oh well i think that's a really good

note

uh to end on uh i just have one

final question for you uh which is

what's the best coffee on campus

ooh

well the res cold brew

or nitro is pretty good but i gotta say

i don't drink that much coffee anymore

um which is too bad for me but i love

tea

and the best tea on campus though the

best tea on campus

i love because it just takes me back

takes me back to being a student because

they've had this

forever whether it was at um brown and

brew or now at the tisch

the tower cafe is the black mango iced

tea

i don't think i've had that i'll have to

try it or or black tea

peach or whatever it is but any either

one of those will do

on like a just getting warm spring day

yeah well that's the perfect timing

because uh by the time these interviews

are out well it's already spring but

it'll still be just getting warm early

spring

awesome lovely well thank you so much

um for your time and

thank you so much for being with us here

in this space

and if anyone wants to contact you

or is looking to

receive pastoral care or just wants to

talk

where can they reach you oh they can

reach me

by my email which is just lynne.cooper

at tusk

lynnn.cooper or my

extension which is 2044.

wonderful well thank you so much awesome

thank you so much connor

great to be with you it's wonderful to

be with you too