On Monday, February 24th, 2025, Rev. Brittany Longsdorf sat surrounded by candles, books of religion and poetry, and the sounds of mild construction intermixing with joyous laughter from staff members outside her office. She answered questions about her daily rituals, her sources of inspiration, and her ideas for future multi-faith programming on campus. 

A running thread through all her responses was art. Beyond loving and appreciating the arts in the day-to-day by reading a poem every morning, Rev. Longsdorf also desires to widely share the arts with students of the multi-faith community. Some ideas she has in mind include collaborating with the Murray-Dodge cafe to hold Art Nights on a regular schedule, which would be a welcome addition to the ongoing arts and faith events organized by the Deans of the Office. 

For Rev. Longsdorf, community means “a gathering of people who can bring their whole selves into a space and the many identities that they hold.” She hopes to continue welcoming Princeton students into more pockets of community which does not necessarily mean consensus, but is “a way of being seen, and seeing each other fully.” 

Being Associate Dean of Religious Life and the Chapel is a familiar yet surreal experience for Rev. Longsdorf, who is returning to campus after attending the Princeton Theological Seminary and interning at the Chapel fifteen years ago. Princeton students are still “super smart, super courageous, and also really fun,” says Rev. Longsdorf. She also experienced a surreal, full-circle moment through poetry books that connected her to the previous Dean of the ORL, Alison Boden, who advised Rev. Longsdorf while she was a student of the Seminary. 

Rev. Longsdorf warmly invites students to step inside her office at Murray-Dodge 206. When Rev. Longsdorf meets with a student for pastoral care or for a one on one conversation, she will start by lighting a candle and saying “this is sacred space, and it's a confidential space, so whatever is in the flame stays in the flame.” Whether to experience this daily ritual with Rev. Longsdorf, to talk about poetry, religion, and life, or anything else on the heart, Tigers are encouraged to reach out to her.