The Chapel is not merely a building on campus, but rather is an important element in our commitment to promote the ideals of community, spiritual growth, service and moral development.

More than a building. As a nonsectarian school, St. Mark's seeks to develop an atmosphere of free and open inquiry into the various aspects of religious belief and spiritual practice. The School's goal is to assist students to clarify their principles, assess their values and learn to act responsibly based on their convictions as well as to develop lifelong habits of contemplation and reflection useful to them as mature adults and as conscientious members in our contemporary global civil society.
 
The mission of a nonsectarian chapel program is to provide spiritual and moral formation through the diversity of spiritual and ethical traditions reflected across our community. The Chaplain, an Episcopal priest, serves as a teacher in addition to leading Chapel services, guiding the student-driven Chapel Council program and providing pastoral care for boys, faculty and staff, families and alumni.

Community members, including students, faculty, staff and alumni, regularly speak during Chapel services, sharing personal experiences that touch on a wide range of topics.

The Choir of St. Mark's. The Chapel is also home to the St. Mark's Choir, one of the world's pre-eminent boys’ choirs. The Choir sings for many beloved and long-standing traditions of the St. Mark’s community, including monthly services of Choral Evensong in the Anglican choral tradition, the annual Festival of Lessons and Carols, Baccalaureate and regular Chapel services during the academic term. 
 
The Choir has been affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music since 1951, allowing singers the opportunity to earn medals of distinction for their achievements. The Choir is regularly invited to perform in residence at some of the oldest and most famous cathedrals around the world, including St. Edmundsbury Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, Hereford Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in England, among many others. 
 
Additionally, the Choir has performed at major venues around Dallas and sung the national anthem before Texas Rangers and Dallas Mavericks games.

The Roosevelt Family Pipe Organ.  Installed in 2015, the Organ has become a fixture of the St. Mark's Chapel experience. Modeled after great English pipe organs and built to accompany the St. Mark’s Choir, the organ adds a unique voice to the School's weekly chapel services and special traditions. 
 
Situated in the rear gallery of the chapel, the Roosevelt Family Pipe Organ is visually striking, with a case of solid oak and with wood accents to complement the Chapel surroundings. The instrument was custom-built for the St. Mark's Chapel at the renowned Orgues Létourneau workshop in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec. 
 
In October 2019, an EF-3 tornado struck campus, resulting in extensive water damage to the organ. The instrument was painstakingly disassembled, returned to its original workshop and rebuilt. The organ was reinstalled and rededicated in the fall of 2022.

The Roosevelt Family Carillon. Every quarter hour, the Chapel’s 24-bell carillon announces the time. A keyboard in the chapel tower also allows trained students to play the bronze bells on special occasions, like Commencement. The carillon was installed in 2005 as a gift from the Roosevelt Family.

A time-honored tradition. The School Verger, a student who is the chief liturgical officer of the School, leads the school’s ecclesiastical processions with the School’s virge. The virge, a staff that is the symbol of the authority of the verger, goes back to the ceremonial mace carried before academic and religious dignitaries.

The St. Mark’s virge, designed by the silversmith Michael Rybicki, was donated by Robert Parks ’72 in 2023 in honor of Steve Sebastian ’71 and Ann Heidt Sebastian.

The story of the virge was featured in the fall 2022 issue of The Pride magazine.