Chapel Bulletin (September 6, 2026) - Flipbook - Page 3
Rev. Bernard L. Richardson, Ph.D.
Dean of the Chapel
As the fourth Dean of the historic Andrew Rankin
Memorial Chapel, the Reverend Dr. Bernard L.
Richardson is the executive officer for religious affairs
at Howard University. Dr. Richardson is perhaps most
widely recognized by the University community and
leaders across the nation for his prolific prayers and
insightful spiritual guidance.
Dr. Richardson has set an example in affirming religious diversity and freedom both
on campus and throughout the community. He has the distinction of being the first
to officially establish a Muslim chaplaincy at a U.S. university. Dr. Richardson has
built upon the Chapel9s social justice legacy by opening the Chapel to the interfaith
leaders who birthed the Million Man March, welcoming anti-apartheid and
religious leader Archbishop Desmund Tutu as a Chapel speaker, and hosting
President William Clinton and the World AIDS Conference.
Under his leadership, Rankin Chapel is known as one of the most effective chapels
in the nation. The Sunday service, a center of thought and leadership, reaches a
worldwide broadcast audience of over one million. Generations of students cite the
life-changing impact of Chapel initiatives instituted by Dr. Richardson including:
Chapel Assistants, HU Alternative Spring Break (HUASB), HU Day of Service, the
Interfaith Advisory Board, Youth Justice Advocates, the HU Coalition for Good
Trouble and the University9s first Children9s Defense Fund Freedom School. After
securing $2.5 million in funding from the Lilly Endowment establishing the
Spiritual and Ethical Dimensions of Leadership initiative (SEDL), he launched a
series of Learning Labs to produce spiritually sensitive leaders. He led the worship
service for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington honoring those who
organized and marched. He twice hosted President Barak Obama9s White House
Interfaith Community Service Campus Challenge with the first international
delegations in 2015.
Scriptures:
Proverbs 3:5-6 NRSVue
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight. 6 In
all your ways acknowledge him, and he
will make straight your paths.
Philippians 4:6-7 NRSVue
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but
in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. 7 And the peace of
God which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.
This is the word of God for the people
of God. Thanks be to God.
This Week at Rankin
Join us online for Meditation Mondays with
Dean Richardson every Monday morning at 9
AM on all Rankin Chapel social platforms.
@HowardUChapel on IG, X, & FB
@RankinChapel on YouTube
Dr. Richardson has advanced the connection between scholarship, spirituality and
service. His impact was marked in 2015 by the White House with a place on the
Higher Education Interfaith Community Service Honor Roll. This honor was
largely due to the Alternative Spring Break program that Dr. Richardson developed
in 1994. In 2006, he persuaded FEMA to grant permission for Howard students to
serve following Hurricane Katrina, opening the door for other volunteers and
leading to the recognition of the ASB students by ABC9s World News Tonight as
their Persons of the Week. ASB has become Howard University9s flagship servicelearning program that, through fundraising, is offered at no cost to students.
Certified as a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and Mindfulness for Emerging
Adults Teacher, Dr. Richardson launched the Wellness Collective and the Howard
University Mindfulness Training Initiative that provide transformative support to
the university community.
If your organization would like to do a
Call to Chapel, please visit
bit.ly/acalltochapel
Dr. Richardson, a tenured Associate Professor at the Howard University School of Divinity, has made scholarly contributions in the
areas of pastoral care and counseling. Among his distinguished lectures are the Parks/King Lecture at Yale University and the Indaba
Revitalizing Social Work in South Africa. Dr. Richardson is an ordained minister in the A.M.E. Zion Church who has previously served
as a pastor, counseling specialist, mental health therapist and faculty member at several institutions.
Dr. Richardson has earned a B.S., Sociology, Howard University; M. Div., Yale University Divinity School; M.A. and Ph.D., Michigan
State University, and an honorary Doctor of Divinity, Carthage College.
His numerous honors include: The Presidential Award for Ecumenical Service from the National Council of Churches in 2025, the
2024 Association for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education Lifetime Achievement Recognition Award, the 2022 President9s
Lifetime Achievement Award from US President Joseph R. Biden for the highest honor of community service; the Howard University
2018 Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement in the field of Religion; Washington, DC Hall of Fame; MLK Jr.
Board of Preachers of Morehouse College; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; Phi Delta Kappa Honor Society; National
Institute of Mental Health Fellowship; Crystal Apple Outstanding Educator Award, Michigan State University; Special Citation of
Achievement as orator for the 139th Opening Convocation of Howard University; Benjamin E. Mays Fellowship for Ministry; Perth
Amboy High School Hall of Fame. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
