Harvard Divinity School

Exploring Muhammad Ali’s Spiritual Legacy at Harvard Divinity School | Harvard Divinity School Recent conversation with Lonnie Ali spotlights Muhammad Ali’s life, legacy, and the mission of the Muhammad Ali Center.

“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

Cover of the Harvard Divinity School Dean's Report 2025 featuring a vibrant stained glass window with intricate blue and green designs set against a backdrop of trees.

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

Addressing Inequities in Education | Harvard Divinity School Britney Foster, MDiv '19, the CEO and co-founder of Trajectory of Hope LLC, works to uproot systemic racism and address inequities in educational systems.

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:

HDS Faculty to Showcase Expertise at 2025 AAR/SBL Annual Meeting | Harvard Divinity School Faculty presentations, panels, and publications underscore Harvard Divinity School's leadership in the study of religion.

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...

Glenn H. Hutchins, Marla F. Frederick, James E. Clyburn, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. pose for a group photo

Dean Marla F. Frederick stands at podium, beside James E. Clyburn, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Glenn H. Hutchins

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

HDS Students Win Harvard Culture Lab Grant for Deep Listening Project | Harvard Divinity School HDS students Paula Ortiz and Lia Pikus are using their grant to launch workshops that foster connection and belonging across campus.

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!:

Gustavo Gutiérrez Exhibit Explores 50 Years of Liberation Theology | Harvard Divinity School The exhibit opening event will offer space to gather and reflect on Gutiérrez’s life and legacy.

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.

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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...

'Stay Open and Curious' | Harvard Divinity School As the assistant director of climate and sustainability at Harvard University's Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, Leslie Hubbard, MDiv '15, encourages HDS students to stay open and curi...

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

Small Revelations Garth Greenwell’s latest novel, Small Rain, centers attention as a moral discipline and asks how art can help us live. By Sarah Fleming

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.

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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...

Empire and Epistemicide Precisely at the times when Jews and Christians were most experiencing the violence of the Roman Empire, some of Rome’s rulers were most vociferously claiming to bring and keep peace. By Annette Yoshi...

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.

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A Summer of Service and Scholarship: Harvard Divinity School Faculty and Students Share Their Experiences | Harvard Divinity School For Sarah Adegbite, Ahmad Greene-Hayes, and Julia Jackson, summer 2025 was dedicated to faith-driven justice work, fruitful academic research, and community-based deathcare.

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

Until One Is Immersed: A Journey through Early Tamil Devotional Poetry | Center for the Study of World Religions

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.

‘From the Heart to the Page’ Highlights Harvard Divinity School Alumnx Authors | Harvard Divinity School Fall alumnx series highlights the power of story, connection, and moments of transformation.

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.

A Summer of Service and Scholarship: Harvard Divinity School Faculty and Students Share Their Experiences | Harvard Divinity School For Sarah Adegbite, Ahmad Greene-Hayes, and Julia Jackson, summer 2025 was dedicated to faith-driven justice work, fruitful academic research, and community-based deathcare.

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:

A Summer of Service and Scholarship: Harvard Divinity School Faculty and Students Share Their Experiences | Harvard Divinity School For Sarah Adegbite, Ahmad Greene-Hayes, and Julia Jackson, summer 2025 was dedicated to faith-driven justice work, fruitful academic research, and community-based deathcare.

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

The Himalayas as Spiritual Chaplains The Himalayas become wise, nurturing elders who help the author navigate an unsettling liminal time. By Swami Chidekananda

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

Harvard Divinity School Convocation Celebrates the Promise of Multireligious Education | Harvard Divinity School Dean Marla Frederick and Professor David Holland call on the HDS community to embrace inquiry, dialogue, and transformation at the start of the 2025–26 academic year.

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

Behavioral Insights: A Must Have for Founders — HARVARD ALUMNI ENTREPRENEURS Behavioral insights have the power to predict, shape, and propel the future of a business or an entire industry. With them, companies can grow their sales, improve quality control, and retain staff. B...

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

Two people conversing in front of a building with a stone facade and wooden double doors, surrounded by greenery and sunlight.

Four people standing together outside in a sunny park, engaged in a conversation.

Person sitting on a stone bench on a campus, working on a laptop.

Welcome to the start of fall semester!

Same campus, new memories and experiences!😉

#harvarddivinity

Solidarity and Mercy in Ukraine For Ukrainian Catholic sisters and clerics, the war is a Calvary and resurrection narrative. By Chris Herlinger

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

A Very Special (and Mysterious) Day A Q&A with Jon D. Levenson on his new book, Israel’s Day of Light and Joy: The Origin, Development, and Enduring Meaning of the Jewish Sabbath. By Faye Bodley-Dangelo

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

On Religion and Human Flourishing: A Conversation with Akhil Gupta | Harvard Divinity School Akhil Gupta, a former fellow at Harvard's Advanced Leadership Initiative and a member of the Dean's Council at HDS, is leading efforts to promote interreligious dialogue, religious literacy, and human...

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

In Remembrance: Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, Esteemed Harvard Divinity School Theologian | Harvard Divinity School Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, a towering figure in theology and longtime faculty member at Harvard Divinity School (HDS), died recently at the age of 84.

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:

Colorful cover illustration for Harvard Divinity Bulletin featuring abstract figures in a vibrant, dynamic composition.

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

Keeping the Faith A new course investigates the powerful connections between belief, spirituality, and leadership

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