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RedBird was in my second CHS class, Call of the Dark Mother, the first class meeting for which was just hours after the levee broke in New Orleans, where my husband was working his first American Red Cross disaster. Our first two weeks of class were spent discussing and processing our shock and grief. Since that time RedBird and I have shared many classes together, including a summer intensive where I caught the photo below of her leading us into circle.
Making history can be a tedious process; we owe RedBird a debt of gratitude for her endless patience as we navigated many firsts: our first need for a corporate seal, the design of a first Cherry Hill Seminary diploma, the format of a first official transcript (an important legal document). These matters were just the icing on the cake of her years of working through our brand new procedures for junior project, internship and a thesis.
True to her serving spirit, RedBird chose to make her thesis a manuscript that documents the application of a CHS education to the Association of Professional Chaplains requirements for a board-certified chaplain. Actually, RedBird has volunteered her chaplain services for several years now, first at Inova Health Systems and then at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she completed her CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) work.
The educational needs of students like RedBird have distinctly shaped the Cherry Hill Seminary of today. As Pagans are increasingly welcomed into engagement with the wider multifaith community, this educational foundation becomes invaluable.
Although she is now the age of retirement, RedBird has just been accepted into the Fairfax County Community Chaplain Corps. She also plans to provide valuable support to the CHS Dept. of Pagan Pastoral Counseling.
As she walks through the door of graduation, I like to think of RedBird as she is in the photo above, striding ahead of the rest of us into the wider world. Now she carries not only a staff, but the credentials of her degree. May the way for her be joyful. - Holli Emore, Executive Director
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Commendations
On behalf of the Pagan Pastoral Counseling Department, I would like to extend our congratulations to Sandra L. Harris, M.Div., for an outstanding job well done. Having worked with Sandra as a professor and academic advisor for much of her academic career, I can attest to her diligence, dedication and academic excellence. I am both proud and gratified that she wishes, as an alumnus, to continue her close association with and contributions to Cherry Hill Seminary. Conferral of the Master of Divinity, Pagan Pastoral Counseling was both a personal milestone for Sandra, and an institutional milestone for the Seminary. As our first Master of Divinity in Pagan Pastoral Counseling, she helped set the high standards of excellence for all of our students who follow. We wish her all the best, and pledge our continued support in her endeavors to become a Board-Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains. - David Oringderff, Ph.D., Chair, Dept. of Pagan Pastoral Counseling Our Masters classes are multi-disciplinary and taught by leading scholars in their fields. A major advantage of an online seminary is that our instructors come from all over the United States, as well as Canada, Britain, France and Australia, and are scholars with whom students would never come into contact except through their writings. Ms. Harris has taken full advantage of the opportunities that Cherry Hill Seminary can offer and we know she will make us proud as she takes up her calling. - Wendy Griffin, Ph.D., Academic Dean
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Important Dates
For Students
Sep 10 - Fall classes begin
Sep 17 - Drop/Add deadline
For Faculty
Aug 26 -All grades due to office
Sep 14 - Spring course proposals due to dept. chair
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Our First Master of Divinity Graduates From CHS!
We are pleased and proud to announce the graduation of Sandra Lee Harris, who has received her Master of Divinity in Pagan Pastoral Counseling. Harris is the first student to complete her master's degree since Cherry Hill Seminary first opened its graduate program in 2009, and the first recipient of a Pagan master's degree in the world. We asked "Redbird" to share her thoughts on this auspicious occasion.
Why did you choose Cherry Hill Seminary for your studies?
When I started at CHS in 2002, it was the first and best opportunity I found for inexpensive and trustworthy Pagan education beyond the training I received in the Fellowship of the Sacred Grove or picked up piecemeal at gatherings. By the time the Masters program was introduced in 2009, I had committed myself to becoming a board-certified chaplain and embraced the program as a way to add the necessary qualification of an MDiv or equivalent without trying to make a case for a compilation of all the bits and pieces over the years adding up to the equivalent. By 2009, I was well along and making good use of every course I took.
 | | Sandra Lee Harris, M.Div., Pagan Pastoral Counseling |
How will you use your studies in the future?
I turn 65 this week and am officially disabled. While I'm not personally seeking paid employment, I intend to help open the doors to the Pagan folks coming along after me who would make great chaplains. I hope to be assisting my CHS advisor Dr. David Oringderff on the chaplaincy curriculum and in matching students up with Clinical Pastoral Education opportunities through the Pastoral Counseling and Chaplaincy department.
What are your best memories of your time at CHS?
Twice I have taken Dark Mother: Death, Dying, and Bereavement -- the first time being before it was a Masters-level course. But that first time was critical help for me as I walked beside Dad through his last 3 months, to my first experience being present at a death. I remember the help of teachers and classmates, walking beside me from the distance. And I thank Dad for providing the unofficial lab course; my work as an on-call chaplain now builds on that deep experience and I reflect on that time with joy.
What advice would you give to others starting out on the same path?
I don't think we start out on paths late enough in life to appreciate Cronish advice. For Pagans who are drawn to service in the wider world, I suggest looking into chaplaincy as a place where our experience of living in a diverse and respectful community prepares us to ask questions, listen to hearts, and try new ways of encountering our gods.
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Foundations (4-week sessions)
Session One
Pagan Elders and Ancients: Maxine Sanders - Daryl Morazzini
Basic Shamanism: The Self - Valentine McKay-Riddell
Session Two
Synchronicity and Divination - Angela Farmer
Basic Shamanism: Communication with Others - Session Three - Valentine McKay-Riddle
Death & Dying: A Pagan Overview - Jennifer Bennett
Composing Effective Eulogies and Obituaries - Macha NightMare
Pagan Spiritual Autobiography - Daryl Morazzini
Basic Shamanism: Community Service - Valentine McKay-Riddell
Pagan Community Education
Vivianne Crowley
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 Fall Parties Will Benefit Scholarship Fund
For those who heard about the Hypatia Society drive in the spring but just couldn't throw a house party then - fall party season is around the corner and contributions made during that drive will be put in a new scholarship fund. What's not to like?
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Envisioning Alternative Academic Careers Workshop
Sunday, October 7, 2012. Three-hour workshop designed to help academics in the Humanities and Social Sciences to approach academic work as only one part of a wider picture that potentially integrates a variety of income streams. Amy Hale, Ph.D., presenter, Christine Hoff Kraemer, facilitator. Admission free, but space limited. For more info or to register, chkraemer13 @ gmail.com.
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Mapping the Occult City: Call For Papers
Mapping the Occult City: Exploring Magick and Esotericism in the Urban Utopia is a pre-conference on Friday, November 16, 2012, to the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religions in Chicago. Mapping is presented by Phoenix Rising Academy and DePaul University. For abstract and submission guidelines contact Dr. Jason L. Winslade jwinslad @ depaul.edu
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