Yesterday was an important day. The national calendar of the United States has this important moment where we recognize the work that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. started and that we must progress. It is a moment when we are invited to examine our history as a nation and acknowledge the evil of slavery and […]
It is inevitable as we navigate this season that the VTS community is interested in the results of our COVID testing. In the last two weeks, two further students have come down with the variant, along with one staff member in facilities. The two students are both living in the apartments. In all cases, we […]
It is spectacular. It is a piece of extraordinary art. It takes three of the oldest buildings on the campus and reproduces, in extraordinary detail, the complexities of those buildings. I am pleased to announce that the Lego reproduction of Aspinwall, Meade, and Bohlen halls is now complete. I added the cross to the top […]
Every morning I try to get across to the Flamingo. It means I get a few steps in (which is tricky when it is so cold outside). Once there, I resist the urge to have a free cup of drip coffee. I am aware that we have two employees providing a wonderful service and some […]
It isn’t the same. Normally, the deans and the academic deans of all the Episcopal seminaries gather at one of our seminaries and share a program together at this time of year. But yesterday, it all took place on Zoom. Still the conversations were rich and thoughtful. We had the privilege of the presence of […]
Last week, during the snow storm, and with her canonical examinations looming, Nurse Julia Domenick tested hundreds of people. We are very grateful to Julia. It is truly a ministry of the moment. With the holidays, we knew reentry would generate some cases. We had been fortunate in the Fall; apart from one spouse, we […]
This is definitely the quiet season. The campus has been relatively empty over the holidays, and those who are on the campus have been focused on taking their GOEs. It is cold, so the terrace is less inviting. Neighborhood guests are few. The result is a very empty 1823. Two days ago, I dined on […]
OK I admit it. I am worried. This ancient celebration of the visit of three wise men to Bethlehem might be displaced by the anniversary of the “insurrection” or the “attack on democracy” or “the Capitol attack” or “the riot.” Naturally what took place deserves to be remembered and analyzed. It was a serious moment […]
Professional examinations are not uncommon. The examinations to be a lawyer or a tax accountant are serious. And so, the Episcopal Church has its own process. The General Ordination Examinations are designed as the mechanism to determine whether the postulant has sufficient knowledge of the canonical areas. Three-hour examinations in such topics as Church History, […]
It was early afternoon on January 2 that I learned that the weather forecast for Alexandria was snow. It was still warm. Christmas Day had almost been shorts weather. The prospect of snow sounded utterly implausible. But thanks to the hard work of the Associate Dean of Students, the Rev. Dr. Ruthanna Hooke, and the […]