The summer before starting at HDS, Cody Hooks (he/him) undertook a pilgrimage through northern New Mexico to visit LGBTQIA+ elders and gather up fragments of their collective history. Many had lived through the peak of AIDS and forged ways of caring for one another in the midst of devastation, “making lives of soulful abundance out of a sometimes impossible world.”... Read more about Modeling Multireligious Community: Cody Hooks, MDiv '22
Soon after Suzannah Omonuk (she/her) began studying at HDS, she came across an application for a student grant funded by Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Initiative, which examines Harvard’s connections to slavery through ongoing discussions, programming, and research. Omonuk learned about slavery as a child growing up in Uganda, but these lessons did not fully explain the aftermath seen and felt in the US and beyond. She began writing a poem, “The Story of Venus,” both to give voice to an enslaved young woman who worked on Harvard’s campus in the 1700s and to process her own experience as a young African woman in the United States. “I thought, what better way to do it than place myself in the shoes of another young Black woman who came to this country and who walked the streets of Harvard under completely different circumstances?”... Read more about Modeling Multireligious Community: Suzannah Omonuk, MDiv '23
As an undergraduate at Ambedkar University Delhi in India, Swati Chauhan (she/her) started reading the many Ramayanas in a comparative literature class. At first, she approached the tradition strictly through a literary lens, focusing on character development and plot structure. When asked about its theological content, she saw this as outside her scope: “People would ask me questions like, ‘What do you think about Rama as a god?’ or ‘What do you think about the Ramayana’s appropriation by the ‘Hindu nationalists’?’ and I would say, ‘That’s not my thing.’”... Read more about Modeling Multireligious Community: Swati Chauhan, MTS ’22
Magazine editor Phillip Picardi, MRPL candidate, runs a popular newsletter, "Religiously Blonde," and podcast, Unholier Than Thou and looks at the intersection of religion, spirituality, and culture.
When the renewed Swartz Hall finally reopened its doors this semester, it welcomed members of the HDS and Harvard communities separated since the start of the pandemic to a renewed building, one that reflects a changed (and changing) Divinity School.
The Rev. Erica Williams, MRPL '22, spoke about the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at Boston Vaccine Day held in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
Students and faculty will soon return to campus after more than a year away. Orientation starts in two weeks. The fall semester begins on September 1. Nevertheless, there are still more than a few days left to enjoy the beach, lake, shady tree, or porch swing all while crossing another book or two off those summer reading lists.... Read more about HDS’s 2021 Summer Reading List
Summer has always been a time to catch up on that ever-growing reading list, whether it be for work, for pleasure, or, this summer, for knowledge and strength in these uncertain times. Below, members of the HDS community shared what they’re reading.... Read more about HDS’s 2020 Summer Reading List
Ashley Lipscomb, MDiv '20, was selected by her student colleagues as the class speaker for HDS Commencement 2020. The following remarks were delivered by Lipscomb during the Virtual Diploma Awarding Ceremony on May 28.... Read more about 'Be the One'
Each spring, Harvard Divinity School's Office of Ministry Studies organizes the Billings Preaching Prize Competition. This year's competition was held remotely, and the winning sermons can be viewed online as part of the final Noon Service for the spring semester held on April 29.... Read more about A Sacred Radiance: 2020 Billings Preaching Competition
