- February 1, 2023
A profile of PSR alumnx Rev. Dr. John H. Vaughn (MDiv ‘85) the Executive Pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
- January 26, 2023
The Stanley Watson Endowed Chair in Ethics is funded by alumnx and former board member Stan Watson who came to PSR to study ethics and health care in the wake of the AIDS crisis.
- January 21, 2023
The Alumnx Council of PSR meets bi-monthly. As a practice, they take turns sharing “This I believe.” We’ll post these inspiring testimonials as they are created. This month’s post is from Richard Nugent (MDiv 1996) I believe in the power of community – communities grounded in the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth of each...
- November 7, 2022
Each month we reach out to the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) community to get their perspective on important, often polarizing issues. In October we asked PSR alumnx, faculty, and students about religion and politics ahead of the midterm elections.
- November 2, 2022
Congratulations to PSR alumnx Dr. Sarai Crain, chosen as California's first-ever sexual assault evidence outreach coordinator.
- October 27, 2022
Diana Becton (MTS, 2015), a member of PSR's Alumnx Council, shares her thoughts on criminal justice reform in this month's "This I Believe"
- October 21, 2022
On October 20th, PSR Alumnx, Bishop Yvette A. Flunder (MA '97) was given a key to the City of Oakland, CA as part of the city's first Love Life Day which honors, "those who are uplifting love and helping prevent violence in our communities."
- September 26, 2022
Each month we reach out to the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) community to get their perspective on important, often polarizing issues. In September we asked PSR alumnx, faculty, and students about reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.
- July 20, 2022
Carolyn Roberts (MDiv '75) a member of PSR's Alumnx Council shares her thoughts in this month's "This I Believe"
- July 19, 2022
Rev. Thorne will be the first African American woman and the third PSR alumnx to serve as Senior Minister at Riverside Church.
- July 15, 2022
Pacific School of Religion alumnx and influential leader in the United Church of Christ, Rev. Teruo “Terry” Kawata, died July 1 at 94.
- July 7, 2022
Wisdom is the ability to hold multiple truths in tension with one another and negotiate that tension towards flourishing.
- June 24, 2022
To celebrate Pride, award-winning musician, trans activist and current MDiv student Ryan Cassata and PSR alumnx Loey Powell (MDiv ‘77), one of the first out lesbians ordained in a mainline denomination, shared their experiences as LGBTQ+ pioneers, why they were drawn to seminary and how PSR helped them build community that fueled their activism. PSR president...
- May 24, 2022
We are deeply saddened to share that Dr. Rosemary Radford Ruether, beloved Pacific School of Religion (PSR) and Graduate Theological Union (GTU) teacher, feminist scholar, author, and activist, passed away on Sunday, May 22nd, 2022 at 85. Ruether was among the founding mothers of feminist theology but advocated for justice for all, including people of color, the poor, oppressed people the world over, and the Earth.
- March 30, 2022
Dr. Kit Evans Ford (MDiv, 2012) is one of the recipients of the 2022 Tom Locke Innovative Leader Award. The Award is issued by the Wesleyan Investive, an organization that specializes in spiritual leadership and social entrepreneurship. Evans-Ford is the founder of Argrow’s House of Healing and Hope, a bath and body social enterprise that employs female...
- March 20, 2022
Loey Powell (MDiv '77) a member of PSR's Alumnx Council shares his thoughts in this month's "This I Believe"
- February 10, 2022
Florentino Cordova (MDiv '13) a member of PSR's Alumnx Council shares his thoughts in this month's "This I Believe"
- February 2, 2022
PSR Alum, Rev. Dr. John Vaughn, shares his background in ministry and how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired his path towards racial and social equity. Read the full article here.
- January 14, 2022
It is with deep sadness to inform that PSR alum Bishop Wilbur Choy has passed away on December 28, 2021. He was 103 years young. Wilbur Choy was a Stockton native who graduated from PSR with a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1949. He would go on to become one of the leading Bishops of...
- September 13, 2021
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/11/1036371531/evangelical-lutheran-church-first-transgender-bishop-megan-rohrer SAN FRANCISCO — The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America installed its first openly transgender bishop in a service held in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral on Saturday. The Rev. Megan Rohrer will lead one of the church’s 65 synods, overseeing nearly 200 congregations in Northern California and northern Nevada. “My call is … to...
- June 10, 2021
We live in unprecedented times. There are over 3 million dead worldwide from novel coronavirus, and over a half a million of those in the United States alone. We read daily in the newspapers of new hotspots in India, Brazil and within the US. Merging with this wave of death has been a wave of...
- June 9, 2021
On Sunday, May 23, 2021, PSR held its 154th Commencement, with thirty-one students graduating. Those assembled provided a range of moving reflections on the graduation theme “Never Going Back: Breaking Wide, Rising Forward.” The theme urged graduates to see the various ways in which God is continuing to do new things in an unprecedented and...
- May 20, 2021
The Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer has made history this month as the first openly transgender bishop in any mainstream American denomination. They will lead the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Rev. Dr. Rohrer will be installed as bishop on September 11, 2021, at Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Walnut Creek. Rev. Dr. Rohrer graduated in 2005 from Pacific School of Religion...
- March 2, 2021
Nicole Naffaa joined our Development team as Director of Development, starting March 1. In this role she will focus on the annual fund, manage a portfolio of donors, and work with alumnx and congregational partners as we seek to make PSR’s mission vibrant and accessible. Nicole brings over 25 years of experience in education, non-profit...
- January 20, 2021
The Virtual Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service on Thursday, January 21, at 10:00 AM ET featured Bishop William J. Barber II delivering the homily, with Pacific School of Religion alumnx The Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder, Presiding Bishop of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, also participating in the historic event. The event was hosted by the Washington...
- May 8, 2020
Judge Diana Becton, one of PSR’s 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, is the first African American woman to be elected district attorney of Contra Costa County, California and a retired judge of the Superior Court. She reflects on how she is keeping our communities safe in this time of global pandemic. See Judge Becton’s full Distinguished Alumni profile here. Coping During the Pandemic The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been declared by the World Health...
- May 1, 2020
Bonnie Bonetti-Bell (MDiv ‘86 and MA ‘87) is one of PSR’s 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients. Upon her passing in November of last year, Jim Bell, her widower, offers this reflection on grieving the loss of his beloved life partner while social distancing in the time of pandemic. See Bonnie Bell’s full Distinguished Alumni profile here. Grieving the Loss...
- April 23, 2020
Rev. Pat de Jong was selected as one of PSR’s 2020 Distinguished Alumni. She currently serves as the Chair of Church World Service (CWS), a faith-based, global humanitarian agency. Below, Pat shares about her long connection to PSR, the work CWS is doing in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the power of community...
- April 9, 2020
Rev. Deborah Lee, one of PSR’s 2020 Distinguished Alumni award recipients, is the Executive Director of the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, where she has served since 2009. Below she shares how her organization is responding to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in immigrant communities. See Rev. Lee’s full Distinguished Alumni profile here. First, I wanted to share a...