The Cannon and Goddard Chapel
The Cannon, the replica USS Constitution cannon that Tufts students traditionally paint, and the Goddard Chapel, home of Tufts Chaplaincy
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The Cannon and Goddard Chapel
⭐ The Cannon and Goddard Chapel
The Cannon and Goddard Chapel
The Cannon and Goddard Chapel
The Cannon is a replica of a cannon from the USS Constitution given to Tufts by the City of Medford. According to Tufts legend, the tradition of painting the Cannon began back in the 1970s, when a student decided to protest the ongoing Vietnam War. In the middle of the night, she got a bucket of paint and painted the cannon solid white as a symbol of peace. Unfortunately, later that night Facilities found the cannon and painted it black again. The student was furious, so the next night she came out and painted the cannon again. But this time, she guarded it all night, so that if anyone wanted to paint over it, they’d have to get through her first. Come morning light, we had a white cannon. In creating this tradition, she established the two rules of painting the Cannon: you can only paint the cannon when the sun is down, and you have to guard it until the sun comes up again. Today, the cannon is painted to promote or recruit members for a club, to advertise, to advocate, protest, or just to have fun. It’s even been painted for wedding proposals
Another quintessential tradition at Tufts is the Illumination Ceremony, which bookends your Tufts experience. When Charles Tufts founded our university in 1852, he fulfilled his dream of “setting a light” upon the Hill of our campus. To honor his vision, every class will gather on the President’s Lawn, which the Cannon faces, the night of their Matriculation and the night before their Commencement. Candles are passed out to every student at the beginning of the ceremony, and eventually one is lit. One by one, Tufts students share their light with their classmates until the whole lawn is lit. In this moment, we all become the metaphorical light on the hill which Charles Tufts envisioned.
The University Chaplaincy hosts the Illumination Ceremony. Based out of Goddard Chapel, the stone building next to the cannon, the Tufts University Chaplaincy is a dynamic hub supporting religious, spiritual, ethical, and cultural life for all members of the Tufts community. Six chaplains-Buddhist, Catholic, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, and Protestant-make up the Tufts Chaplaincy. Tufts recognizes the importance of supporting non-religious students, and thus has the only university-funded Humanist Chaplain in the country. Many of my Jewish friends have found great community at Hillel, as well.
Another quintessential tradition at Tufts is the Illumination Ceremony, which bookends your Tufts experience. When Charles Tufts founded our university in 1852, he fulfilled his dream of “setting a light” upon the Hill of our campus. To honor his vision, every class will gather on the President’s Lawn, which the Cannon faces, the night of their Matriculation and the night before their Commencement. Candles are passed out to every student at the beginning of the ceremony, and eventually one is lit. One by one, Tufts students share their light with their classmates until the whole lawn is lit. In this moment, we all become the metaphorical light on the hill which Charles Tufts envisioned.
The University Chaplaincy hosts the Illumination Ceremony. Based out of Goddard Chapel, the stone building next to the cannon, the Tufts University Chaplaincy is a dynamic hub supporting religious, spiritual, ethical, and cultural life for all members of the Tufts community. Six chaplains-Buddhist, Catholic, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, and Protestant-make up the Tufts Chaplaincy. Tufts recognizes the importance of supporting non-religious students, and thus has the only university-funded Humanist Chaplain in the country. Many of my Jewish friends have found great community at Hillel, as well.
