Did you know Alice Hoffman's newest novel, “The Witches of Cambridge,” got its start in a class at Harvard Divinity School? Ahead of the novel's release and the movie premiere of "Practical Magic 2," Hoffman (MRPL '24) spoke with the Boston Globe about her process. https://bit.ly/3UMnnSO

We are thrilled to introduce Harvard Divinity's visiting scholars, artists, and practitioners for the 2026-27 academic year. Their distinctive approaches to the study of religion span across technology, history, music, film, and Jewish studies. https://bit.ly/4qH3E2Y

What makes a pilgrimage a pilgrimage? For Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Swami Chidekananda, 2023–24 Hindu Monastic Fellow at Harvard Divinity School, reflects on his experience attending the 2025 Maha Kumbha Mela, the largest religious gathering on earth. https://bit.ly/3UcKA04

Beyond the Hype

Though the Maha Kumbha Mela was widely hyped as “the spiritual party of the century,” for this Hindu monk, the outer pilgrimage was only the start of an inward journey. By Swami Chidekananda

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For Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Jennifer Scheper Hughes, 2024-25 Yang Visiting Scholar at HDS, looks at the roots of Mexican Christianity. https://bit.ly/4gmf1cK

Ruin and Redemption in Mexican Catholicism

Mexican Christianity is not primarily the creation of Spanish missionaries but of Indigenous ancestors who labored across generations to render an authentic faith from an imposed religion. By Jennifer Scheper Hughes

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What does UNESCO World Heritage status mean for the Moravian Church? For a congregation in Germany, this recognition is a reminder of their calling to build community and welcome others. Read more in a new essay for Harvard Divinity Bulletin: https://bit.ly/3RsFhsj

Architecture for Community

What does it mean for the contemporary faith communities when four historic settlements of the Moravian Church became a UNESCO World Heritage site? By Peter Vogt

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A moment for campus in the Summer months! 👏 🌸☀️

Looking for your next summer read? HDS faculty and alumni offer reflections on their recently published books. What's on your list? Read more from the authors: https://bit.ly/4f5L1RZ

Who was Thoreau's God? A new essay for Harvard Divinity Bulletin reviews Richard Higgins's book, "Thoreau's God," looking at the private faith of transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. Read more: https://bit.ly/4hbqDA6

Thoreau’s gods

Henry David Thoreau sought communion with a divine presence that suffuses and exceeds nature, argues Richard Higgins in Thoreau’s God. By Charles M. Stang

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What was religious life like in America in 1776? For the Harvard Religion Beat podcast, HDS professor Catherine Brekus explores the beliefs, practices, and people that shaped the religious world during the American Revolution. Read more: https://bit.ly/4fdfsFK

For Harvard Divinity Bulletin, former HDS Dean David N. Hempton answers questions on his new book "Christianity at the Crossroads: The Global Church from the Print Revolution to the Digital Era." Read more: https://bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/exploring-the-wild-gardens-of-religious-history/

Exploring the Wild Gardens of Religious History

A Q&A with David N. Hempton on his new book Christianity at the Crossroads: The Global Church from the Print Revolution to the Digital Era. By Wendy McDowell

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Last month, Pope Leo XIV issued the papal encyclical to address artificial intelligence and its rapid transformation of society. HDS's Francis X. Clooney, S.J. and Raúl Zegarra offer reflections on the pope's message and fierce commitment to ensuring human prosperity. https://bit.ly/4vsf6ks

HDS Professors Clooney, Zegarra Reflect on Pope Leo's AI Encyclical | Harvard Divinity School

Pope Leo XIV's recent encyclical addresses the threats and possibilities of artificial intelligence and affirms the dignity of human life in the digital age.

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In the latest episode of Harvard Religion Beat, Gina Zurlo explores Christianity's shift toward the Global South, the impact of migration, and why the future of faith may be more complicated than simple stories of growth or decline. Read more: https://bit.ly/4fMfQMn

The Future of Faith: Is the World Becoming More or Less Religious? | Harvard Divinity School

Harvard Divinity School lecturer Gina Zurlo explores the demographic shifts, global trends, and emerging questions that are reshaping faith and religious practice around the world.

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The latest edition of Harvard Divinity Bulletin is here! Jennifer Scheper Hughes' cover story discusses how Mexican Christianity is not primarily the creation of Spanish missionaries but of Indigenous ancestors who labored across generations to render an authentic faith. https://bit.ly/4meizOB

Alex Bayer and Rachael Schremp, both MTS ’26, have received 2026-27 Harvard Traveling Fellowships. Alex is going to Berlin to explore what film can do as a medium for spiritual insight and healing. Rachael is going to Oxford to work with and research a medieval manuscript. https://bit.ly/4fTbZgD

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

Six Moments from the HDS 2026 Billings Preaching Finals | Harvard Divinity School

Annual competition celebrates Harvard Divinity School students who demonstrate outstanding preaching and pulpit presence.

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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

One Year of Pope Leo: Leadership, Legacy, and the Future of the Catholic Church | Harvard Divinity School

HDS Professor Raúl Zegarra joins The Harvard Religion Beat to explore and analyze Pope Leo's first year as leader of the Catholic Church.

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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

Suprahuman but Inhuman Gods?

It is vitally important that religious studies scholars and theologians critically assess what it means to sustain conversation with AI. By Daniel H. Weiss And Darren Frey

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