Located on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Memorial Church serves as a central gathering place, bringing together students, faculty, staff, and the broader community for worship and major university events. With seating for approximately 1,500 attendees, the church hosts weekly worship services, morning prayers, and major university events, including convocations and commencement ceremonies.
The congregation reflects the diversity of the university itself, bringing together students, faculty, staff, and members of the surrounding community. This broad audience spans generations, from students in their 20s to longtime parishioners, creating a need for inclusive solutions that support a wide range of listening preferences.
The Challenge
As the role of the church continues to evolve, leadership identified an important opportunity: the sanctuary did not have an assistive listening system in place.
“We wanted to ensure that everyone who enters this space can fully participate,” the facilities team shared. “Accessibility is part of creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.”
The physical characteristics of the sanctuary added complexity. With its large footprint, balcony seating, and high vaulted ceilings, delivering clear, intelligible audio to every seat presented a challenge. At the same time, any solution would need to respect the architectural integrity of the space remaining discreet within the church’s clean, minimalist interior.
The team was also looking beyond traditional assistive listening. They wanted a forward-looking solution that could serve today’s congregation while adapting to future needs.
Technology Selection & Deployment
To explore potential solutions, the church engaged The Henderson Company, who worked closely with leadership to evaluate technologies that could meet both accessibility and aesthetic requirements.
“A project like this is about more than just audio coverage,” said John Beaudette, Rep Principal and Sales Director of The Henderson Company. “It’s about understanding how people experience the space and finding a solution that supports that experience both functionally and visually.”
The team selected an Auracast™ broadcast audio system, recognizing its ability to deliver high-quality, one-to-many audio directly to personal devices such as hearing aids, earbuds, and headphones.
Infinium was ultimately chosen for its flexibility and ease of integration with the church’s existing AV system. The system supports multiple audio streams, allowing the church to expand its offerings over time such as providing multilingual audio during special events.
The system was installed by Parsons Audio, with careful attention to placement and integration. The design ensured consistent audio coverage throughout the sanctuary including balcony seating while keeping transmitters discreet within the architectural environment.
The Results
With the new system in place, Memorial Church now offers a modern, inclusive listening experience for its congregation.
“It was much more cost-effective than installing an induction loop, and the receivers are an easy option for anyone who doesn’t have their own Auracast device yet. The quality is really great - we love it!” Jesus Romo Llamas, the Director of Events Strategy and Management at the church.
The system delivers clear, consistent audio throughout the sanctuary, enhancing speech intelligibility during services and events. At the same time, its discreet design preserves the visual character of the space. By adopting Auracast™ technology, Memorial Church has established a scalable platform for the future; one that supports accessibility today while enabling new ways to connect with its congregation in the years ahead.
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