Date: June 2, 2026
In seminary, the rhythm was so steady we hardly noticed it—classroom, chapel, lunch. Study, worship, community. We moved through those spaces every day, not realizing how much they were shaping us. Only later did I understand that those three practices weren’t just part of seminary life; they were the quiet architecture of a priestly vocation.
To the Class of 2026, and to all of us still learning how to be priests in real time: don’t leave those habits behind. The classroom taught us to stay curious. The chapel taught us to return to God even on the days we’d rather hide. And the lunch table — those long conversations, the laughter, the confessions — taught us that ministry is not survivable alone.
In the 18 years since I graduated from VTS, I’ve tried to keep those threads alive. Each year I take at least one course—usually something in the category of “things they didn’t teach me in seminary,” which turns out to be a very large category. Morning Prayer has become a daily anchor through A Morning at the Office, the podcast Wiley Ammons (Class of 2011) and his wife, Laura, produce with such care.
I’ve been part of the same small group for 16 years. Our monthly gatherings provide a place where I can be supported, corrected, and honest. And after ten years as a Title IV intake officer, I’ve noticed something I can’t ignore: clergy who enter that process are almost never in an active small group. Community isn’t a luxury. It’s vocational health.
May we keep tending the practices that first tended us.
The Rev. Sven vanBaars ‘08
Co-Chair of the Class Stewards
Rector, Abingdon Episcopal Church
Abingdon, VA