Applications for DivEx 2026 are now open! The DivEx program is a three-day opportunity to learn more about HDS, our graduate programs, faculty members, and class offerings. If you are a senior in college or within one year of graduation this program is for you. https://bit.ly/3ZPT5y8

Ivy Wang, MDiv '26, MPA '26, and Sally Wang, MDiv '26, are the 2026 recipients of the Frederick Buechner Prize! The honor is awarded each year to graduating MDiv students whose senior papers best reflect the literary imagination of the late writer and theologian. Read more: https://bit.ly/4dZlSXd

Today we celebrate all you have accomplished, all that you are, and all you will continue to become. Congratulations, Class of 2026!

Keep shining, graduates! We began graduation celebrations with the Class of 2026 at the Multireligious Commencement Service. Students provided offerings through song, dance, prayer, and readings from their spiritual practices. Professor Tracey Hucks offered the faculty address to the class.

While at HDS, former U.S. Congressman Ric Keller, MRPL ’26, explored difference both in and out of the classroom, gathering insights he’ll use to help leaders disagree better without losing trust. Read more about Ric's journey: https://bit.ly/3RQr6x7 #HDSGrad #Harvard26 #Harvard

For Ellie Ashby, MTS ’26, the study of religion is inseparable from storytelling—tracing how faith is practiced, embodied, and understood in everyday life. Read more: https://bit.ly/4f3Rmhc #HDSGrad #Harvard26 #harvard

As he approaches commencement, Ke’Von Singleton, MDiv ’26, reflects on a journey shaped by ministry and leadership. Now serving as executive pastor at Western Avenue Baptist Church, he plans to pursue a PhD studying Black churches as "sites of resilience." bit.ly/4eXNH4s

From theology studies at Cambridge to research on slavery, ritual, and the Black Atlantic world at HDS, Sarah Adegbite, MTS '26, explores how enslaved communities used faith and ritual to endure and resist. After graduation, she heads into a Harvard PhD in religion. 🎓 ✨ https://bit.ly/4uSTtJd

Before arriving at Harvard Divinity School, Sabbi Lall, MDiv ’26, discovered a calling to chaplaincy through teaching yoga and meditation. Now, she leaves HDS with renewed confidence in the journey ahead as she prepares to serve as a CPE resident at Mass General Brigham. Read more: bit.ly/3RiGsKz

As the American Unitarian Association marks its 200th anniversary, a look at the deep and evolving ties between Unitarian Universalism and Harvard Divinity School. Read more: https://bit.ly/4tt2NSZ

Congratulations to this year's Billings Preaching Prize winner Eli Hardwig—along with finalists Rachel Florman and Caleb Brantley. Powerful readings were also shared by Candice Mulinda, Audrey Zhou, and Ethan Kober. Read more: https://bit.ly/4tu4Ki8

Celebrating the 2026 Gomes Honors recipients! This year’s theme, “Courage with Humility,” honors community members whose lives and work reflect the willingness to lead with conviction while remaining open to the wisdom of others. Read more: https://bit.ly/4uwyoUL

In the most recent episode of the Harvard Religion Beat, HDS Professor Raúl Zegarra looks back at Pope Leo XIV's first year leading the Catholic Church. Listen here: https://bit.ly/4uAwylO

In this episode of Meaning Makers of HDS, airing in Earth Month, Aliyah Collins, MDiv '23, speaks about her impactful work in environmental advocacy and how she helps communities take hopeful action and find meaning in the wake of severe weather events. Listen here: bit.ly/4n4fiD4

Professor Tracey E. Hucks has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most esteemed honorary societies. Read more about her career as a scholar of Africana religious studies and American religious history: https://bit.ly/49fgaPn

Who is the right conversation partner for our most vulnerable, confessional moments? In the latest edition of Harvard Divinity Bulletin, HDS alums Daniel H. Weiss and Darren Frey examine what it means to relate to AI as a "who" rather than a "what." Read the full piece: https://bit.ly/4cpfFmO

Recently, the HDS Film Fest hosted filmmakers and panelists from across the globe. Audiences engaged in meaningful discussions about how religious themes are represented through cinema. Highlights included panel discussions and screenings of student films, independent films, and studio films.

Meet Jack Tripp, MTS ’25, a ceramic artist and recent alum who sees theology as a process of co-creation with the world around him. Now teaching English at Moses Brown School in Providence, RI, he inspires students through the arts each day. Read more: bit.ly/4meEFS5

How do we hold on to our humanity in the face of revolutionary technological change? For Harvard Divinity Bulletin, entrepreneur and former venture capitalist James Prashant Fonseka, MRPL ’25, looks deeper into this question. Read more: https://bit.ly/4tC7Wc4

Filmmaker and literary scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., joined panelists at HDS last week to discuss his four-part PBS documentary tracing the rich, complex history between Black and Jewish Americans. Read more: https://bit.ly/4sPrEBa

HDS alum, André Holland, MRPL ’25, known for "Selma" (2014) and Oscar-winning "Moonlight "(2016), sees film as a force for meaningful change. Now a fellow at Harvard’s Hutchins Center, he explores how arts, education, and community can build a more just world. Read more: bit.ly/4sH6rsR

During her time at HDS, Hannah DeSouza, MDiv ’25, won the 2025 Billings Preaching Prize, led in Harambee, and sang at the Multireligious Commencement Service. She now continues her work as a visiting scholar at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. Read more in the Dean's Report: bit.ly/4bmdGAk

Happy Open House for Admitted Students Day!

In a recent interview, Erik Ewers, co-director of PBS’s highly anticipated Henry David Thoreau documentary, sat down with Gosia Sklodowska, Executive Director of CSWR, to discuss the film ahead of its premiere tonight. Read more in the Harvard Gazette:

We are thrilled to share that applications for Harvard Divinity School's Summer Language Program are now open! The SLP is an eight-week, online intensive language study program designed specifically for the curriculum in theological and religious studies. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3ReDdk1

In the most recent episode of the Harvard Religion Beat, Reverend Kelly Brown Douglas discusses the enduring struggle for justice and the role of hope in confronting it: www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2026/03...

Celebrating the life and scholarship of Baber Johansen, Professor of Islamic Studies Emeritus at HDS, who passed away in late January. His work challenged static readings of Islamic law, emphasizing instead its interpretive flexibility and historical complexity. Read more: https://bit.ly/47FtpbF

Does AI align with human values, and will AI get out of control? In their course “AI Ethics and Society” at Harvard Divinity School, David Lamberth and Richard Geruson explore the types of harms that we confront in artificial intelligence.

Join us for next week for a panel discussion of "Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History", a four-part PBS series written and narrated by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., tracing the rich, complex relationship between Black and Jewish Americans. https://bit.ly/4uBcQan @wgbh.org

Through personal story and theological reflection, HDS faculty examined how different Christian traditions wrestle with faith, justice, and love in the latest installment in OCB’s Building Community Through Love series. Read more: https://bit.ly/3Phr1RL

Congratulations to the newly admitted students of Harvard Divinity School!🎉 Admissions decision emails for the 2026-27 academic year have been released, and we are excited to welcome you to the HDS community. See you soon! #HarvardDivinity #WelcometoHDS

Meet four-time Paralympian Dan Cnossen, MPA ’16, MTS ’18! Ahead of the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Italy, he reflects on his journey from the U.S. Navy to Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Divinity School—and to multiple Paralympic Games. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4l8GyiC

How does technology design and profiling reinforce power imbalances in AI? For Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Jenn Louie, MRPL ’23, offers compassionate interrogation as an intervention to interrupt the creation of the often invisible systems of inequity & violence in AI design. https://bit.ly/4bk0prY

In "The Divine Economy: How Religions Compete for Wealth, Power, and People," Paul Seabright draws on insights from economics to reframe religions as competing “platforms.” Prof. Swayam Bagaria offers a reflection on the book for Harvard Divinity Bulletin:

Psychedelic chaplaincy is an emerging field responding to the need for spiritually attuned care. This fall, CSWR hosted spiritual care intensives for therapists, chaplains, and medical professionals working in psychedelic research, clinical, religious, and recreational contexts. 🔗: bit.ly/4qI18b2

What does love mean in the context of different faith traditions? Last spring, the HDS community explored how love is understood and practiced across Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam through the "Love Through a Multifaith Lens" series. Read more in the 2025 Dean’s Report: bit.ly/4abAa5q

The most recent issue of the HDS Dean’s Report highlights the expansion of ministry studies through new curriculum, visiting scholars and monastics, and deeper training in spiritual care as a strategic priority for HDS in the years ahead. Read more: https://bit.ly/4kzemp1

As Professor Shaul Magid steps into a new role as co-editor of Harvard Theological Review, he reflects on the future of scholarship in religious studies, the challenges facing academic publishing, and what it means to teach Judaism at a multireligious divinity school. https://bit.ly/4au5mwV

Explore the transformative power of ritualized sleep with educator and scholar Sarabinh Levy-Brightman for the autumn/winter issue of Harvard Divinity Bulletin. bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/sacred-sleep...

Professor Ahmad Greene-Hayes explores Black Atlantic religion-making in Jim Crow New Orleans and how histories of faith, surveillance & survival reshape our understanding of home. Read here: bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/descending-i...

"It's is about reckoning with what happiness might be—precisely because you’ve also come to terms with everything your sadness has been." For Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Russell C. Powell reviews Bon Iver's new album, nominated at this weekend's #GrammyAwards. https://bit.ly/4a3iusC

New HDS Podcast! Meaning Makers of HDS features alumni, faculty, and community members and how they create meaning in their lives. First up, Maytal Saltiel, MDiv '12, and Ailya Vajid, MTS '11, talk about their roles as chaplains and the sacred work of presence. https://bit.ly/3ZzI9UO

From divinity school to the for-profit tech world, HDS alum Waskito Jati, MTS ’18, discovered the unexpected career paths a Harvard Divinity School degree can open. Read more about Jati's journey here: bit.ly/4jS1hH2

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.