In this newsletter you will find:
- The announcement of EDS’ new President and Dean, the Very Rev. Lydia Kelsey Bucklin
- A podcast interview with Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe
- And more!
Announcing EDS President and Dean the Very Rev. Lydia Kelsey Bucklin
On Monday, August 5, EDS announced the Very Rev. Lydia Kelsey Bucklin as the new President and Dean of Episcopal Divinity School. President Bucklin, a 2015 EDS graduate, most recently served as the Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan. She succeeds the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas. “I am deeply honored and humbled to be called as the President and Dean of our beloved EDS. Now is the moment for EDS to build on its identity as an institution of theological education dedicated to excellence, committed to community transformation, and focused on equity and inclusion,” shared President Bucklin. “I am hopeful for the role that EDS will continue to play in forming leaders for this Church. The EDS staff and I are excited to join you in this new period of growth and transformation.”
Please click here to read the full letter from President Bucklin, available on our website.
And please click here to read the full press release announcing President Bucklin’s appointment, also available on our website.
Strategic Planning Update
EDS is thrilled to welcome the Very Rev. Lydia Kelsey Bucklin as the next President and Dean. Dean Bucklin looks forward to continuing to work with the EDS staff and board to further refine and operationalize EDS’ mission and core values.
Programs
EDS Pilgrimage Partnership with Seminary of the Southwest
EDS is partnering with Seminary of the Southwest to increase the number of students SSW will bring to this year's Civil Rights Pilgrimage, including the annual Jonathan Myrick Daniels pilgrimage which takes place on August 10th, 2024. Sponsored by the Dioceses of Alabama and the Central Gulf Coast, the Jonathan Daniels pilgrimage commemorates Daniels, a seminarian of Episcopal Theological School (later to become EDS), who was killed while assisting efforts to register Black voters in Alabama. The expanded student group from SSW will participate in the pilgrimage and visit several other educational sites, including the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the 16th Street Baptist Church, and the Edmund Pettus Bridge. EDS is proud to continue its support of this historic pilgrimage and to partner with Seminary of the Southwest around leadership formation for racial justice.
Honoring the Life and Legacy of Canon Ed Rodman
The Rev. Canon Ed Rodman was a civil rights activist, the founder of the Union of Black Episcopalians, an esteemed professor at Episcopal Divinity School, and a driving force for justice in the Church. Join EDS for a screening of the short documentary about Canon Rodman’s life and ministry followed by a panel conversation with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Rev. Hershey Mallette Stephens, Katrina Browne, Bishop Mark Beckwith, and others about what we continue to learn from Canon Rodman and how to carry forth his legacy.
Register here to join.
Protecting Religious Liberty and LGBTQ+ Rights with the Rev. Dr. Patrick S. Cheng and Elizabeth Reiner Platt, Esq.
On October 5, 2024, Join EDS and the Columbia Law School Law, Rights, and Religion Project for an online seminar on how faith leaders can protect both religious liberty and LGBTQ+ rights. The seminar will explore the current landscape of religious liberty law in the United States, and it will provide a number of resources to equip faith leaders to constructively engage with these issues in their local contexts. The cost is $20 and scholarships are available upon request.
Click here to register.
News
Interview with Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe on EDS’ Leading Voices Podcast
This June, EDS launched its new podcast mini-series, Leading Voices: EDS at General Convention. Be sure to check out episode five, which features Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe! In this episode, Bishop Elect Rowe joins the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas in exploring the role of institutions in igniting broader change, the evolving landscape of theological education, and the importance of adapting to new ways of carrying forth God’s mission.
Episcopal Divinity School Celebrates Past, Present, and Future at General Convention
This June, EDS spent a week in Louisville, Kentucky at the 81st General Convention. During this time, EDS hosted two significant events: a luncheon with alums and friends, and a retirement reception for former Interim President the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, whose term officially came to an end on June 30, 2024. After a year of strategic listening and planning, both of these events offered the space for EDS community members to come together to joyfully celebrate where EDS has been and to look forward to the bright future that lies ahead.
Click here to read the full story. 
EDS Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Women’s Ordination
On July 29, 1974, eleven women dared to be ordained the first women priests in the Episcopal Church. In honor of this fiftieth anniversary, EDS produced a limited run of commemorative tote bags and hosted a Facebook giveaway.
Click here to learn more about EDS’ work to honor the fiftieth anniversary of the Philadelphia Eleven. And be sure to check out the recording of EDS’ December conversation with former Interim President Kelly Brown Douglas, Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward (one of the Philadelphia Eleven), and Bishop Mary Glasspool about the winding journey to women’s ordination.
Interview with Cedar Monroe ’13 on their new book, Trash: A Poor White Journey
Episcopal Divinity School alum Cedar Monroe ’13 released their first book, Trash: A Poor White Journey in March 2024. EDS Director of Strategy & Operations Miguel Escobar spoke with Monroe about the book, their time at EDS, and their work to expose injustice and organize for a better world.
“After all I witnessed and experienced, I have come away with a deep belief in the goodness of ordinary people, a deep belief in our natural ability to love and care for and defend each other, and a deep anger at the powers that (often successfully) try to force us to hate each other to keep their own power,” says Monroe. “I hope that poor white people can find themselves in this story and imagine ways to organize across race and oppose the white supremacy that makes them a danger to themselves and to others.”
Click here to read the full interview.
Alum Corner
Alum Spotlight: The Rev. Michael Chaney ’13
The Rev. Michael Chaney ’13 is a bi-vocational priest in the Diocese of Georgia where he is also a Professor of Film & Television at SCAD in Savannah, Georgia.
“EDS was the place God called me to be at the time God needed me to be there.” says the Rev. Chaney. “I am deeply grateful for the formation experience with my cohort and the success of the distributive learning program. I continue to lean into the anti-racist and anti-oppression foundation of my seminary education as a lens to better understand the Gospel, my own privilege, and the growing need for justice in creation. My classes with Larry Wills, Julie Lytle, and Patrick Cheng helped shape my understanding of how the secular and quotidian world can point us toward glimpses of the divine.”
Click here to read the full alum spotlight. 
Join us on Zoom every third Thursday at 1pm ET for Connect: Monthly Gathering of EDS Alums, where we will connect with one another, hear about the diverse contexts EDS alums are serving in their work and ministry, and stay up to date on all things EDS!
Our next connect session will take place on August 15, 2024, featuring the Rev. Dr. Karen Coleman ’03,’12.
Registration is required—click here to sign up!
In Memoriam
EDS extends our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the following alums:
- Norene M. Carter ’85, ’95, former Director of EDS’ Feminist Liberation Theology program
- William V. Rauscher Jr. ’57
If you wish to notify EDS of the passing of an alum, please reach out to edsinfo@eds.edu. 
As EDS begins this new chapter, we are confident that together we will shape a future that honors our rich heritage while embracing the ever-evolving needs of theological education. Stay tuned for more updates and exciting developments ahead!