On Sunday I had the privilege of preaching and teaching at the Adult Education hour at Calvary Episcopal Church, in Summit New Jersey. This meant I spent the weekend and the start of this week at The General Theological Seminary in New York. Now, I confess I tread carefully in disclosing my trips to New […]
On Friday, we will welcome some important guests to the campus. This is our Spring Visit Day. I will have the joy of preaching at the 8.15am opening Eucharist. Back in the last century, hybrid or distance education was a very solitary and, often, frustrating affair. Perhaps it involved listening to cassette tapes or watching […]
Since hearing the news about the retirement of our distinguished Head Librarian – Dr. Mitzi Budde, we have been hard at work thinking through our options. Dr. Budde has built a premier library, offering a high quality library service to all. We will need someone exceptional to follow her tenure. Today I am delighted to […]
It was the dress rehearsal of American Patriots last night, and it was amazing. The whole concept is extraordinary: taking regular people expressing their views and putting these views into music sounds impossible, but it works brilliantly. Over the course of 90 minutes, different voices were put into close proximity. So, at one moment I […]
Yesterday I sat with a new book – Engaging Latino/a/x Theologies: A Conversation by my esteemed colleague and friend Dr. Sharon E. Heaney. It is an important book. It is a book committed to conversation. Latino/a/x theologies are explored through six principles – teología en conjunto, mestizaje, lo cotidiano, interpreting Scripture latinamente, la lucha, and la justicia. Central […]
This is the season when there are many doctoral students who are being examined so that they can graduate in May. And normally, given there are so many, their remarkable achievement is not recognized in a commentary. However, today, I am going to make an exception and lift up the achievement of the Rev. Lorenzo […]
The Campus is a little quieter this week. This is the pause in the semester – it is Spring Break. Many students are seizing the opportunity to travel and visit with family, friends, and reconnect with their diocese. It is healthy to enjoy a pause in our patterns of work. It is not good to […]
Last night, I was the preacher at the installation of the Rev. Greg Millikin as the new Rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Evanston Illinois. It was a lovely occasion. The clergy of the Deanery joined in the celebration. The Bishop of Chicago was represented by the Rev. Canon J. Sierra Reyes. It was […]
My policy since starting in 2007 is that we keep those things required to a minimum. Given we are a graduate school, classes are important. And then given we are a place of formation, one corporate act of worship each day and lunch in the Refectory are important. On top of that, I insist on […]
Sometimes when I am traveling I use the commentary to let the VTS community know where I am. It gives the reader a sense of the reasons for an absence and, sure, it helps community members understand my absence from chapel in the morning. Today, I want to lift up colleagues who are traveling. VTS […]