Date: January 29, 2026
It was a joy to gather in the Chapel yesterday – the first time we have done so this semester. Our Associate Dean for Chapel, the Rev. Dr. Shawn Strout, presided at the altar, and the Rev. Dr. Ruthanna Hooke offered a thoughtful and challenging reflection, inviting us to live less safely in this moment, grounded firmly in the witness of Scripture. It felt good, and deeply right, to be back together in that sacred space.
Chapel really matters. It is the intentional pause in our day when we turn our attention to what ultimately matters most. It is all too easy for days to slip by without stopping to acknowledge the Creator who loves us, sustains us, and calls us to learn how to love in return. Chapel interrupts our busyness and reminds us that our lives are more than tasks, deadlines, and meetings.
The deeper purpose of Chapel is to cultivate a habit – one practiced at least once a day – that we carry with us for the rest of our lives. Days without this pause are, in a real sense, diminished and damaged. Morning Prayer in Scott Lounge has been good, and we are grateful for it; returning to Chapel is also good, and different in its own important way. Let us recommit ourselves, together, to this daily practice for the remainder of the semester.
The Very Rev Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and President of Virginia Theological Seminary.