master of religion and public life

Navy headshot of Zachary Zumwalt

HDS Alum Centers Religion in Context through Navy Chaplaincy

November 8, 2023

Zachary Zumwalt, MRPL ’23, is an active-duty Navy chaplain (20 years) who has served in Korea, Japan, and around the United States. As a member of the second MRPL cohort, he explored religious literacy in the context of the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps—specifically how it could inform emerging work in conflict prevention within the Indo-Pacific region.... Read more about HDS Alum Centers Religion in Context through Navy Chaplaincy

President Claudine Gay stands behind a podium in the James Room speaking to a seated crowd.

At Harvard Divinity, Claudine Gay Sees ‘Aspirations for What We Can Achieve as a University’

September 11, 2023

“Those who founded the nation’s first non-sectarian theological school in 1816 would be astounded by this gathering, which represents these ever-widening circles of inclusion.”

Harvard President Claudine Gay shared those words while addressing a crowd of nearly 200 Harvard Divinity School community members on Thursday during the School’s 208th Convocation. She pointed out that two centuries later, the School’s mission has evolved beyond “to quote early advocates, ‘the serious, impartial, and unbiased investigation of Christian truth’ to ‘a just world at peace across religious and cultural divides,’” noting that the student body now represents more than 40 different faith traditions—as well as those of no faith tradition.... Read more about At Harvard Divinity, Claudine Gay Sees ‘Aspirations for What We Can Achieve as a University’

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The Hidden Breakthroughs in Our Breakdowns

August 16, 2022
Phillip Picardi, MRPL '22, at 28 left a very successful career in journalism at Teen VogueThem, and Out to go back to school and get a degree from Harvard Divinity School. “It was a way to hop completely off the career track and see where my spirit, not my ego, wants to take me,” he wrote. 
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Maggie Rogers’s Higher Calling

July 24, 2022
“I think part of creating anything is having hope that there is something else that’s possible,” said Maggie Rogers, MRPL '22.
MRPL 2022-23 candidates

Announcing Public MRPL Final Presentations

April 12, 2022
Join us in witnessing and celebrating the inaugural cohort of Master of Religion and Public Life candidates as they present their final projects that engage the complexity of religion within their vocations. 
Lawrence S. Bacow

The View from Mass Hall: A Just World at Peace

December 15, 2021
"At a moment when growing tension between modernity and fundamentalism threatens much of the world, Harvard Divinity School is both a balm and a beacon," writes Harvard President Lawrence S. Bacow.
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Boston Vaccine Day Held In Roxbury

September 22, 2021
The Rev. Erica Williams, MRPL '22, spoke about the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at Boston Vaccine Day held in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

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