For the Wonderstruck podcast, host Elizabeth Rovere, MTS ’95, spoke with Mark Vernon, philosopher and psychotherapist, discussing how to recover the "vertical dimension" or realm of soul and spirit as a way of living with more depth in an increasingly disoriented age. https://bit.ly/49s588O

At the 2025 American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature (AAR/SBL) Annual Meeting, Harvard Divinity School faculty were recognized for their outstanding contributions to religious scholarship. Read more: bit.ly/44Ntjxa

Eighty-one percent of adults under 30 say they use their phones too much. For the Harvard Gazette, HDS's Monica Sanford, assistant dean for multireligious ministry, discusses strategies to cultivate focus and attention in a world full of captivating screens. Read more: https://bit.ly/3YzYt7t

Before we say goodbye to 2025, we spent some time looking back at our favorite stats from the year. Follow the link for more reflections on the impact the Harvard Divinity School community had on campus, in communities, and across the country. https://bit.ly/4aJ0tSr

Introducing our “In the Classroom,” series featuring Matthew Ichihashi Potts, MDiv ‘08, PhD ‘13, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister. He discusses his course “Apocalyptic Grief” in the latest Harvard Religion Beat episode: www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/11...

Are you...ready for it? A new student organization at Harvard Divinity School discusses the artistry and fandom of Taylor Swift, intertwining how pop culture shapes identity, community, and religious imagination. Read more: https://bit.ly/495UWnt #TaylorSwift

We are thrilled to announce that Starr King School for the Ministry recently donated the Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book Collection to our @hdslibrary.bsky.social. The collection is comprised of approximately 1,300 volumes documenting the development of Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism.

Harvard Divinity School Professor Swayam Bagaria and University of London's Bhrigupati Singh will develop a new program to train mental health professionals to better understand the religious and spiritual lives of the communities they serve. Read more:

Happy last day of fall semester classes, HDS! Let the reading period begin 🍂📚

“How do sports serve as an arena for the embodied practice of religious values?” Harvard students, staff, and faculty gathered for a discussion on the life of Muhammad Ali and his legacy of compassion, featuring Lonnie Ali, co-founder of the Muhammad Ali Center. https://bit.ly/49z4tEj

The 2025 Dean's Report is here! In its pages, find stories of our HDS community members dedicated to the study of religion and the promise of education as a force for good in the world. Read more: https://bit.ly/4i7OzTz

Alum Britney Foster, MDiv ’19, transforms how schools imagine equity, learning, and care as CEO and co-founder of Trajectory of Hope LLC. Her work supports districts in addressing inequity and building environments shaped by joy, dignity, and community trust. Learn more about Britney’s journey:

Did you hear the 2025 AAR and SBL Annual Gathering is in Boston this year?! Fifteen members of the HDS faculty will share their scholarship across a wide range of academic disciplines through paper presentations, book panels, sessions and celebrations. www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/11...

HDS Dean Marla F. Frederick offered the benediction and opening prayer at the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal ceremony, hosted by the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research. The event honors changemakers shaping Black culture, scholarship, and civic life. Photos: Evgenia Eliseeva

Congratulations to HDS students Paula Ortiz, MDiv ’26, and Lia Pikus, MTS ’26, who have been awarded a Harvard Culture Lab Innovation Fund grant for their Deep Listening Workshop Series! Read more about the award-winning initiative here!:

A new exhibit in the HDS library curated by Professor Raúl Zegarra honors the work and legacy of Gustavo Gutiérrez, the influential theologian known as the father of liberation theology. Read more:

Last fall, HDS began a strategic planning process with input from the HDS community to outline School-wide priorities. The priorities build on the School's strong foundation, while bringing the future of the study of religion into even greater focus. Read here: www.hds.harvard.edu/about/strate...

As the assistant director of climate and sustainability at Harvard University's Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, HDS alum, Leslie Hubbard, MDiv '15, encourages HDS students to stay open and curious to unexpected paths. Read here: bit.ly/4oy97Xu

Art can “help us see that which is visible only through slow, sustained attention,” writes Sarah Fleming, MDiv ’21. In her review of Garth Greenwell’s novel, “Small Rain”, she reflects on how the novel reveals the quiet wonders and intimate moments that close attention makes visible. Read more:

Amid music, prayer, and dialogue at the Vatican's third annual World Meeting on Human Fraternity, HDS Dean Marla Frederick and Professor Raúl Zegarra share their reflections on solidarity, justice, faith, and the conference. www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/10...

In her essay “Empire and Epistemicide”, Dr. Annette Yoshiko Reed reflects on the Pax Romana as "an age of devastating warfare." She finds hope in the work of HDS historian George Foot Moore (1851-1931), which served as a diagnosis and correction of past epistemic erasures. Read more:

As part of her Certificate in Religion and Public Life (CRPL), Julia Jackson, MDiv Candidate, was able to apply her interests in end-of-life care and bioethics with an internship at the National Home Funeral Alliance (NFHA). Read more HDS summer experiences here!: bit.ly/4mkfbRF

For the Center for the Study of World Religions, Prof. Francis X. Clooney, S.J. reflects on his work with the immersive early Tamil devotional poetry.

Calling all community members! Join us this fall for an alumnx author series highlighting the power of story, connection, and moments of transformation. The series will feature: Lynn Cooper, MDiv ’07; Rev. Liz Walker, MDiv ’05; and Mark Longhurst, MDiv ’07

That's a wrap on DivEx 2025! Last week we welcomed 20 DivEx students interested in pursuing graduate studies in religion to campus as they learned more about our degree programs, the HDS community, and our faculty.

For HDS community members Sarah Adegbite, Ahmad Greene-Hayes, and Julia Jackson, summer 2025 was dedicated to faith-driven justice work, fruitful academic research, and demystifying deathcare. Read more:

For HDS community members Sarah Adegbite, Ahmad Greene-Hayes, and Julia Jackson, summer 2025 was dedicated to faith-driven justice work, fruitful academic research, and demystifying deathcare. Read more:

Applications for Fall 2026 admission to HDS are now open! Deadline: January 5, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET.🗓️   Whether your interest in a divinity degree focuses on academic study, field work, ordained ministry, or other callings, we invite you to learn more about the application: bit.ly/3ZLaszi

As the new academic year moves full steam ahead, Swami Chidekananda, 2024–25 Hindu Monastic Fellow, reflects on how the Himalayan mountains became "spiritual chaplains" to him after completing his program at HDS. Read more in Harvard Divinity Bulletin: bit.ly/4mZn6VU

For the 210th Convocation, Harvard Divinity School students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered to celebrate the beginning of another academic year! Read more about this year’s Convocation festivities here: bit.ly/3HVuGBI

On the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Podcast, Darren Frey, MTS ’04, shares how lessons from HDS shaped his approach to relationship building as founder of Ensemble Insight, a consulting firm that uses behavioral insights to help entrepreneurs make data-informed decisions. 🎙️ https://bit.ly/47zu5jo

Welcome to the start of fall semester!

Same campus, new memories and experiences!😉 #harvarddivinity

As world leaders continue to campaign for an end to war in Ukraine, Chris Herlinger, former Harvard Divinity School resident fellow, shares stories of Ukrainian Catholic sisters and clerics as they reckon with faith amidst destruction and conflict Read more: bit.ly/41aBsKi

In his latest book, "Israel’s Day of Light and Joy: The Origin, Development, and Enduring Meaning of the Jewish Sabbath,” HDS Professor Jon D. Levenson explores the Sabbath’s origins: bit.ly/4m0gGoR

Akhil Gupta came to Harvard in 2015 as an Advanced Leadership Initiative fellow focused on impact investing—but a course on religion and world peace changed his path. Now on the HDS Dean’s Council, he champions religious literacy to bridge divides and build peace. Read more: bit.ly/41pkYOi

Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, a prominent figure in theology and longtime faculty member at Harvard Divinity School, has died at 84. He was the Charles Chauncey Stillman Research Professor and a devoted mentor to students and scholars across the globe. Read more:

Familiar faces fill the latest Harvard Divinity Bulletin, featuring Dean Marla Frederick, HDS faculty, alums & more! Cover by Diana Ejaita, a multihyphenate artist, illustrator, and contributor to the "The New Yorker" since 2019. Art direction by Point Five Design. Read here!: bit.ly/4meizOB

What’s the link between spirituality and leadership in a results-driven world? The Spiritual Lives of Leaders course at Harvard Business School brings together voices from across Harvard, including HDS, to explore how spirituality shapes purpose-driven leadership. Read more: bit.ly/44RCxYp

Dr. Ahmad Greene-Hayes (@ahmadgreene.com), Associate Professor of African American Religious Studies, is the new Managing Editor of the Journal of Africana Religions, a leading publication on African and African Diasporic religious traditions. Read more: bit.ly/4lZG7qq

As of July 1st, Terrence L. Johnson, MDiv ’00, has assumed the role of director of Religion and Public Life (RPL) at HDS! A teacher, author, and public intellectual, he aims to broaden RPL's reach across faith traditions, political ideologies, and institutional sectors. Read here: bit.ly/4kzOAiK

“Meditation in motion” is a theme that guides Sudarshan Sundar, a 2024–25 Hindu monastic fellow at HDS. Through classes, weekly noon services, and meetings with the Interfaith Council, he leaves HDS eager to keep exploring how faith traditions influence each other. Read more:

Meet jarrett hill (@jarretthill.bsky.social) , MRPL ’25, award-winning journalist, artist, and recent graduate of Master of Religion and Public Life program. His final project, “an artist lives here,” explores identity, liberation, and care through a thoughtfully curated art exhibit. Read here:

Brahmacharini Durga is a Hindu monastic of the Ramakrishna Order. Her time at Harvard Divinity School as a Special Student built upon the pluralistic spirit of her order while engaging with faculty and students from other traditions. Read more: www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/06...

Summer sights!☀️ #HarvardInSummer

The CSWR's Thinking with Plants and Fungi Conference was an immersive, in-depth exploration into the consciousness and agency of the more-than-human world: trees, plants, and fungi. Read more: cswr.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/06... @harvardcswr.bsky.social

Congratulations to 2025 Buechner Prize Winners, Tess Dufrechou, MDiv ’25, and Kat Woodard, MDiv ’25! Each year, this award honors two graduating MDiv students whose senior papers reflect the literary and theological vision of the late writer-theologian Frederick Buechner.   Read more here!⬇️

Applications for DivEx 2025 are now open! The DivEx program is a three-day opportunity to learn more about Harvard Divinity School, our graduate programs, faculty members, and class offerings. The program is free to all participants. Learn more: bit.ly/3ZPT5y8

We are thrilled to share that Shaul Magid has been named Professor of Modern Jewish Studies in Residence! Magid brings a blend of traditional Jewish learning and innovative critical scholarship to HDS. Learn more here: www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/06...

The celebration isn’t over yet—there’s still so much joy to share for the Class of 2025! From performances and moments of reflection to joyful expressions of community, relive the highlights of this year’s Commencement celebrations here 🎓🕊️✨ #Harvard #WeAreHarvardDivinity #Commencement #Harvard25