Date: May 22, 2026
I would imagine that many departments across VTS are entering this summer season of annual reports, grant writing, and strategic planning. Gathering impact stories, photographs, program reflections, and data is more than administrative work, it is an act of remembrance. Our collective efforts not only measure outcomes, but bear witness to how faith, justice, and community formation have taken shape within and beyond our community.
This summer, I have the privilege of participating in a curatorial fellowship exploring the life and legacy of Ralph Ellison. As I find myself headed into this adventure into archives, museums, and cultural institutions alongside undergraduate students, I am reminded how deeply this work connects to the mission of the Saint Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice.
Over the past year, the Center has invited students and community partners into practices of public witness, advocacy, and truth-telling. Justice work also requires preservation. Archives are not simply collections of objects and documents; they are testimonies of memory, struggle, resilience, and hope. As but one example, the African American Episcopal History Collection discovered an early typeset copy of Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail in its archives this year. What a testament of struggle and hope.
Throughout scripture, remembrance is sacred: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord” (Psalm 77:11). This spiritual practice of remembering calls us to steward stories with care and integrity. Faith and justice work is not only about shaping the future, but also about preserving the histories and cultural memories that help communities imagine a more just world.
Rev. D’ana Downing, MDiv
Program Coordinator of the Saint Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice