Presentation
The Cathedrals Group is a network of 14 church-based faith universities that have delivered education for almost 200 years. The session begins with Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) and the University of Chester (UoC) describing their universities’ operations in delivering multi-faith chaplaincy. Reverend David Stroud, Senior Chaplain at CCCU, explains how chaplaincy, founded and rooted in the English Anglican tradition, provides a whole-community approach. He will be followed by Imam Zeryab Elhassan, the first Muslim chaplain at a Cathedral Group university, who shares his account of engaging with and supporting newly arrived students in Chester who have never been abroad before and are studying in a non-Muslim country. Bethany Williams will close the session by detailing her work at both Chester and Manchester Metropolitan universities as an ecumenical chaplain who works across all Christian faiths. She will focus on the structure and provision at Manchester Metropolitan and how they differ from those at Chester and Canterbury.
Beth is a Christian chaplain at both the University of Chester and Manchester Metropolitan. She comes from a theological and chaplaincy studies background working in a collaborative and ecumenical way alongside the multifaith teams at both universities. As a chaplain Beth is passionate about meeting students where they’re at, creating community and welcome, and for students to have the opportunity to bring their whole identities and authentic selves to their time at university.
Zeryab Elhassan serves as Muslim Chaplain at the University of Chester, where he provides pastoral, spiritual, and faith-based support to students and staff from diverse backgrounds. As a member of the University Chaplaincy multi-faith team, he is committed to promoting wellbeing, inclusion, and a sense of belonging within the university community. A significant aspect of his role involves supporting Muslim students, offering guidance on matters of faith and personal development, and overseeing Muslim prayer facilities across the University's campuses.
Before joining the University, Zeryab served as a Chaplain at AlderHey Children's Hospital, where he provided spiritual care and support to patients, families, and healthcare staff. He is the Senior Imam leading Friday prayers at Wirral Deen Centre and remains actively involved in community engagement through his local mosque in Ellesmere Port.
Zeryab holds a degree in Engineering and has pursued further academic and professional development through a Higher Diploma in Islamic Studies and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). Combining faith leadership, pastoral care, and community engagement, he is committed to fostering understanding, respect, and meaningful dialogue across diverse faiths and cultures, while supporting individuals in their personal, academic, and spiritual development.
The Rev David Stroud is the Senior Chaplain and a sessional academic at Canterbury Christ Church University. Since joining the University in 2008 as Mission and Outreach Chaplain, he has played a central role in shaping the institution’s chaplaincy and now coordinates both the chaplaincy team and the University’s interfaith provision.
David contributes to the creative delivery of holistic education across the University, specialising in digital media engagement and strengthening community awareness of faith, spirituality, and wellbeing. As an academic, he lectures in Education and Practical and Pastoral Theology and is actively involved in the planning and delivery of foundation-level programmes.
