On Sunday, May 24th Pacific School of Religion celebrated its 159th commencement with the theme, Metanoia: Awakened, Called, & Transformed.
The speaker, PSR VP of Academic Affairs, Dean of Faculty, and Professor of Theology and Postcolonial Cultures, Dr. Susan Abraham echoed the theme of Metanoia saying:
“I cannot but help think that each one of you (class of 2026) is already that. But what were you awakened from? What exactly are you called to do? What exactly are you transformed for?”
Each year, the graduating class raises funds for a Senior Gift to be given either to PSR, for a specific project, or on behalf of the school to an organization or initiative aligned with PSR’s mission. Anyone wishing to add a contribution to the senior gift can do so through PSR’s Giving Page.
The ceremony also included an acknowledgment of this year’s student awards, which honor excellence in building community, preaching, and ethics and were presented at the Graduates’ Chapel on May 14th.
Sixteen students were awarded Doctor of Ministry degrees with a range of final projects that reflect the distinctive courses of study available at PSR, including E Hickok’s “Where the Sacred Lives: Lived Religion in Wellness and Sport,” Talia Ruth Raymond’s “Shaping Sanctuary: Trauma-Informed practices for Faith Communities,” and Joseph Santos-Lyons’s “Rooted Resistance: The Spiritual Life of Filipino Organizers.”
Congrats to Class of 2026!!
Pacific School of Religion 2026 Graduates*
Carlos Altamirano, CSSC, MAST, MDiv
Deborah Anderson, CTEL
Edward Leonard Bailey II, CTEL
Kendal Nathan Brown, DMin
Barbara Rene Craft, CSSC, MAST
MaryCatherine Cross, CTEL
CJ Sokugan Dunford, CTEL
Shiree Dyson, CTEL
Natalie Janine Gates, CSSC, MAST, MDiv
Alexandra Natalie Gilmour, DMin
Michael Robert Goos, MTS
Adam Harold Hange, DMin
E Hickok, DMin
Garrett House, CSSC, MAST, MDiv
Michael O. Jones, CTEL
Linda Kaauwai-Iwamoto, MTS
Clark Kellogg, CTEL
Atunasia Keve, CSSC, MAST, MDiv
Sok Jin Kim, DMin
Judy Kriege, CTEL
Jessica P. Kriegel, CSSC, MAST
Shannon Marckx, CSSC, MAST, MDiv
Cole E. McKnight, CSSC, MAST, MDiv
Holly M. Merz, CSSC, MAST, MDiv
Isa’ako Moeone, CSSC, MAST
Reginald Louis Nichols, CSR, MAST
Victor A. Ogundipe Jr., CTEL
Manuel Teofilo Mansueto Falcon Padua, CSR, MAST, MDiv
LeJon April Payne, CSSC, MAST, MDiv
Lisa Grace Price, MTS
Talia Ruth Raymond, DMin
Dexter Richardson, DMin
Scott Rosemond, CSR
Danny Timothy Samiu, MTS
Joseph Santos-Lyons, DMin
Ronald D. Sorensen, DMin
Julia Christensen St. Pierre, DMin
Sharon Stalkfleet, DMin
Katherine L. Steinberg, CSSC, MAST, MDiv
Drananda Summons, CTEL
Tupou Veikoso Taufatofua, DMin
Amy LeiLani Tobey, CSR, MAST, MDiv
Amanda Weaver, CTEL
Matthew B. White, DMin
Katherine Whitney, CTEL
Janice Marie Beard Wilcher, MDiv
Michelle Winter, DMin
Matthew Zemon, DMin
* Degrees and Certificates – DMin – Doctor of Ministry; MDiv – Master of Divinity; MTS – Master of Theological Studies; MAST – Master of Arts in Social Transformation; CSSC – Certificate of Spirituality and Social Change; CSR – Certificate of Sexuality and Religion; CTEL – Certificate of Theological Education for Leadership