In this newsletter you will find:
- An invitation to join us for our Advent Community Read
- Two spring programs, one on reproductive justice and another on slavery, racism, and reparation in The Episcopal Church
- Resources to honor Native American Heritage beyond November
- A Save the date for an in-person alum event in the Boston area in 2025
- And more!
Dear Friends,
As we enter this holy season of Advent, I find myself grappling with a world that feels increasingly out of control. Leaders struggling for earthly power have exploited the fears of many of our neighbors; they have convinced many that safety lies in isolation, withdrawal, and hoarding what we have for ourselves. In the face of rising prices, wars, hunger, and displacement, we’re told to put ourselves first and settle for the fleeting comfort of a satisfying private life.
But that is not the way of Christ and that is not God's dream for us. Yes, our history is littered with foolish, greedy, hate-filled leaders who would rather us turn against each other than turn towards one another. But our history is also full of people who choose a different way - the way of love and collective liberation. Margaret Wheatley, an inspiring author and thought leader on social change, asks, “Is it possible to create islands of sanity in the midst of a raging, destructive sea?” Can we cultivate communities rooted in love, mutual care, and justice, even in the midst of chaos?
Advent is a season of both waiting in God’s sacred silence and darkness while laboring for hope and joy yet to be born. The labor before us is insurmountable alone. I pray that this season renews our urgency to stand together against forces of fear, to draw near to one another, and resist the forces that seek to isolate us. May this Advent season remind us of the sacredness of stillness, of waiting, and of dreaming of the ways we can respond to our unique call to usher in God’s holy Kingdom in the year ahead.
Faithfully,
The Very Rev. Lydia Kelsey Bucklin, '15
President and Dean
Upcoming Programs
Join Us for an Advent Community Read & Author Conversation: Trash by Cedar Monroe '13
You’re invited to join us in reading Trash: A Poor White Journey by Cedar Monroe ‘13.
In Advent, Christians experience a season of sacred waiting and hoping. We stand ready as midwives to birth a more just world. Monroe is frank about the depth and scope of the labor before us - the challenge of liberating those made and kept poor in a nation with abundant wealth. In this holy season, Trash will challenge us to reconsider harmful stereotypes of poor white Americans and urge us to build coalitions across race and class for our collective liberation.
On December 12 at 3pm ET, the EDS community will gather online to discuss our learnings from the book in conversation with Cedar, the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, and others. Register here and order your copy of Trash today!
All are welcome and encouraged to join this conversation as a diocese, parish, prayer circle, or other group. Whether you’re joining as a group or individual, you are welcome to use the discussion questions available on our website to guide your reflections.
The Sacred Work of Reproductive Justice
The fall of Roe v. Wade eliminated legal access to abortion in 25 states (and counting) across the US., exacerbating existing public health crises related to reproduction and raising troubling questions related to religious liberty, bodily autonomy, and the human rights of pregnant people. Christian activists and leaders have been the driving force behind the current rush to criminalize abortion, often using religion as a weapon in the debate. In this course, we will examine how Christianity has been used in public debates about abortion, reframe the issue as a question of reproductive justice, and explore the church’s role in changing the public narrative about abortion in the country.
This course will be offered virtually from February 4 to March 11, 2024 on Tuesdays from 6-8pm ET. The course will be capped at 25 students and is being offered on a sliding scale, pay-what-you-can basis with financial aid available.
In conjunction with the course, EDS will host four online conversations with scholars and faith leaders working on issues of abortion and reproductive justice. These will be open to the public. Stay tuned for more details!
Learn more and register
Spring 2025 Course: “Choosing Justice & Making Amends in Biblical & Modern Witness”
The course, offered by EDS in partnership with the Iona Collaborative at Seminary of the Southwest, will address the challenges of slavery, racism, and reparation in The Episcopal Church through careful engagement with the Christian scriptures. Starting with the complicated biblical witness on slavery, the course will consider what we should do with the positive use of the language of enslavement that appears in both the scriptures and the BCP. The course will draw direct links between the biblical treatment of slavery and modern affirmation of it in the Anglican and Episcopal Churches and will discuss the interpretive approaches available for rejecting the language and paradigms of slavery. The course will also consider biblical texts linked to racism and address interpretive approaches oriented around anti-racism. Finally, students will consider the biblical witness on making amends for corporate sins and the sins of previous generations, and discuss how these biblical imperatives relate to modern reparations movements.
The instructor for this course is Dr. Jolyon G . R . Pruszinski, Lecturer in the Department of Religion at Princeton University, and Consulting Historian for the Reparations Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey.
*** Individuals need not be enrolled as students at Seminary of the Southwest in order to participate in this course.
News
Read: How can Episcopalians honor Native American Heritage beyond November?
By Leora L Tadgerson ᒥᔅᑯᐦᐧᐹᑲᓂᐦᐧᑫ, Director of Reparations and Justice, Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan and Chair of Executive Council on Indigenous Boarding Schools and Advocacy
Leora outlines specific ways that Episcopalians can deepen our commitment to justice through education, active support for Indigenous-led initiatives, and sustained reconciliation efforts.
Read the Article
Listen: The Church’s Role in Indian Residential Schools and a Path to Reconciliation with Dr. Anton Treuer
Much of what defines religion in the United States today can be traced back to its historical and contemporary relationship with indigenous peoples, including the traumatic legacy of Indian residential schools—many of which were church-run. In this special episode for Native American Heritage Month, the Rev. Steven Paulikas and Dr. Anton Treuer explore the intergenerational impact of these schools and the role of churches in reconciliation and healing.
Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Post-Election Interfaith Vigil for the Healing of the World
On November 6th, the day after the election, EDS, the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, and the Episcopal Diocese of New York hosted a post-election Interfaith Vigil for the Healing of the World. In this time of national anxiety and uncertainty, hundreds of people joined in person and online to ease each other’s fears, reflect, and experience peace.
Select Media Coverage
CBS News: Interfaith prayer service held in NYC to bring people together after the election
Eyewitness News/ABC7: Post-election day interfaith service at St. John the Divine embraces unity over division
Harlem World: New York Religious Leaders Gather At Post-Election Day Interfaith Vigil For Healing Of The World
The New York Times: Election Results in Key New York Races (featuring Bishop Matt Heyd, Chair of the Board of Trustees of EDS)
Alum Corner
Save the date an in-person alum gathering and celebration in the Boston area the weekend of May 2-4, 2025. Further details will be announced soon - we look forward to seeing you there!
Alum Spotlight: The Rev. Sandra Albom ’14 ’17
The Rev. Sandi Albom is a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts serving as Priest-in-Charge at the Episcopal Church of the Atonement in Westfield, MA.
"My time at EDS awakened for me a desire to combine parish ministry with my spiritual grounding in the recovery community. EDS gave me the inspiration and the practical ministry tools to experiment with ministry in multiple ways - serving the recovery communities in our church basements and bringing recovery spirituality and practices to the ‘upstairs church,’ broadening the understanding of addiction as a shared human experience,” reflects Rev. Sandi.
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 December 19, 2024, featuring the Rev. Sandra Albom ’14 ’17.
Registration is required—sign up now!
In Memoriam
EDS extends our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the following alums:
- Allan H. McCue ’56.
- The Rev. Louis H. Temme '70
If you wish to notify EDS of the passing of an alum, please reach out to edsinfo@eds.edu.