Date: June 3, 2026
Virginia Theological Seminary is a place where history is made.
This may come as a shock to many who do not take the opportunity to stop and notice the world-changing things that happen on the small patch of earth nestled on top of a hill in Alexandria, Virgina. From the Holy Hill, there has flowed generations of priests, deacons, bishops and lay leaders. Leaders of faith from around the world have rested in the halls, found respite on the campus grounds, and found nourishment in food and conversation in our refectory. Virginia Theological Seminary is a place where history is made!
Faculty members have formed and ferried bright-eyed seminarians from wayward discernment to paths of purpose and vocation. Administrative staff have sustained the missional integrity and the beauty of the campus. All of this has happened while Virginia Theological Seminary has balanced the tightrope of being rooted in tradition while letting the blossoming branches of our vision stretch this seminary into what it can be. To be a part of the Virginia Theological Seminary community is to be both a testament and a testimony.
Listen closely. You may hear in the very halls you walk an echo of saints whispering “Look, how far God has brought us!” while at the same time hear soon-to-be saints say to each other, “Look, how far we have to go,” while shouldering their backpacks (and the world) on their way to class. The fact that Virginia Theological Seminary holds this tension together is the very reason why you can expect to walk up this holy hill, through the doors of Immanuel Chapel, and leave transformed.
We are formed by what we remember. We are transformed by what we treasure.
I offer this small reflection in the Dean’s Commentary to the VTS community to challenge you to not only remember your time at VTS, but to cherish it. Treasure what is important about this place and treasure your opportunity, as a part of the VTS Community, to be co-conspirators in the task of helping VTS shape history. Each student, alum, faculty, staff, or friend helps to shape history when we add our story to the VTS story, and when we add our treasures and gifts to what is cherished and nurtured in this community. We do a big thing! We do a meaningful thing! We do something transformational!
Don’t believe me.
Recently, esteemed curator, Riley Temple, made a remarkable discovery in the papers of The Rt. Rev. John and Mrs. Esther Burgess that were submitted to VTS through the care of their children. Mr. Temple found an original draft of Martin Luther King’s letter from the Birmingham Jail. King’s letter is a seminal document of importance for faith leaders who revere King’s legacy and witness and for those who seek to transform the world around them. This is a true treasure of a find, especially in these times where memory is maligned and the need for spiritual and societal transformation is great.
Riley’s discovery is the type of magic you find at Virginia Theological Seminary. Magic made possible through a vibrant network of community and history-making co-conspirators. The Burgess family chose the best place for this treasure to be cherished. King’s challenge of transformation now lies at the heart of VTS in the Bishop Payne library. At the center, at the heart of the Holy Hill, is a priceless part of history that invites us to remember and challenges us to uphold the commitment for meaningful transformation.
Remember. Treasure. Transform.
The Rev. Canon Aaron Rogers
Anglican Studies Class of ’23
Vice President, Alumni Association Executive Committee
Canon for Ministry, The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio