Rev. Thorne will be the first African American woman and the third PSR alumnx to serve as Senior Minister at Riverside Church.
Pacific School of Religion alumnx and influential leader in the United Church of Christ, Rev. Teruo “Terry” Kawata, died July 1 at 94.
Wisdom is the ability to hold multiple truths in tension with one another and negotiate that tension towards flourishing.
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...
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.
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...
Loey Powell (MDiv '77) a member of PSR's Alumnx Council shares his thoughts in this month's "This I Believe"
Florentino Cordova (MDiv '13) a member of PSR's Alumnx Council shares his thoughts in this month's "This I Believe"
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...