Date: June 21, 2022
We’d like to welcome our doctoral students to the VTS campus today! We last had an on campus residency in 2019, and we couldn’t be happier to see students’ faces again. Having summer intensives online was worthwhile, but we have missed the rich fellowship of being together.
Around 45 students will be on campus over the next three weeks for coursework, worship, and fellowship. About 30 more doctoral students have already completed their summer residencies and are writing their theses at home. It’s amazing what our doctoral students do. All are engaged in full-time ministry, serving as parish priests, school chaplains, hospital chaplains, and other ministries. Amid these difficult schedules, they make time for the demands of doctoral work. Imagine a typical day for these students: a parish priest makes a hospital visit, then reads an essay by theologian Mercy Oduyoye over lunch, then begins writing a sermon for Sunday. She’ll often stay up late into the evening to post in an online classroom discussion. It’s remarkable what they do!
We are so happy to welcome them to VTS. If you see them around campus, give them a hearty welcome!
Rev. Ross Kane, Ph.D.
Director of Doctoral Programs
Assistant Professor of Theology, Ethics, and Culture