|
A Student Speaks
Dear Cherry Hill Seminary,
I wanted to spend a few moments to thank all of the wonderful administrators, professors, and staff at Cherry Hill Seminary (CHS). I have been a Masters of Divinity student at CHS since the Spring of 2011 and have focused on the Pagan Pastoral Care & Counseling major.
When I began studying at CHS I was fairly nervous. I did not feel grounded in my belief system. While I had been a practicing Pagan for many years, I was not a group leader and had not studied Paganism at an academic level. I had also been out of higher education for over seven years, and I wondered what I would have to add to the diverse community of a graduate school.
The one thing I was sure of was that I felt called to deepen my Pagan faith, and to use it to help others who find them selves struggling in life. A basic Google search led me to the CHS Masters of Divinity program. I was thrilled to discover that I could attend a seminary that would allow me to study my faith while not sacrificing my other life obligations.
The last two years have been busy for me. Besides being a part time seminary student, I am also a mother of three children, and I homeschool two of them. I have been able to fit in over a dozen of courses so far. I have learned a lot from all of them, met some lovely new friends, and have made fantastic connections in the Pagan community.
The most beneficial thing I have learned has not come from a single class. I have learned that I am a spiritual leader and guide, that my thoughts and ideas are valuable, and that I can be part of the change in the world. A single class assignment from Intro to Chaplaincy led me to volunteering twice a month with a group of Pagan women serving in a medium facility correctional facility.
I am still not sure of what I will be doing after graduation, but I know that I will be a better mother, wife, leader, and person for the time I have spent educating myself at Cherry Hill Seminary. I know that it is a labor of love for so many of the students and staff at CHS, and so I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has helped make this incredible school a success!
May 2013 be blessed,
Holly O'Brien
|
|
Important Dates
For Students
Jan 7 End spring registration
Jan 14 Begin spring classes
Jan 14 Foundations 1 begins
Jan 21 Drop/Add deadline midnight tonight
Feb 10 Foundations 1 classes end
Feb 11 Foundations 2 classes begin
Mar 10 Foundations 2 classes end
Mar 11 Foundations 3 classes begin
Apr 7 Foundations 3 classes end
Apr 21 Spring classes end
Full calendar
For Faculty
Dec 30 - Grades due to office by instructors
Jan 20 Summer course proposals due
Feb 24 Foundations 1 grades due
Mar 24 Foundations 2 grades due
Apr 21 Foundations 3 grades due
May 9 Fall course proposals due
May 12 Spring grades due
|
|
Call For Papers
Cherry Hill Seminary and the University of South Carolina are proud to jointly sponsor a symposium on April 13-14, 2013, on the USC campus in Columbia, South Carolina.
Sacred Lands and Spiritual Landscapes: Cosmography of the Pagan Soul
Keynote Speaker: Ronald Hutton
We welcome papers that explore the following questions:
In today's post-modern, urbanized world, where everything is a commodity, how and where do Pagans find their sacred places? How should we protect and maintain these sites? In colonized worlds, how do we avoid the appropriation of these lands? If Goddess is immanent in nature, what makes some places more sacred than others? How is our spirituality shaped by the land and our relationship with the land shaped by our spirituality? |
|
Gratitude
During the longest night we light a candle of thanks for all in our Cherry Hill Seminary family. You illumine a sometimes-dark world; you bring warmth when the cold is inhospitable. Everywhere you go, you serve -- at CHS, each other, and all those around you, wherever you live. On this solstice may you be blessed with sparkling clarity of purpose, joy in living, and deep, contented peace.
|
|
|
Graduate Harris Honored
 The opening reception of the Between the Worlds conference in Wilmington, DE, was the setting for a beautiful ceremony to honor CHS' very first Master of Divinity graduate, Sandra Harris ("RedBird" to her classmates). Board members Gwendolyn Reece and Michael Smith, Executive Director Holli Emore, past student Hugh Eckert, and colleague Ivo Dominguez from Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, led about 100 guests in commending Harris for her outstanding contributions to the Pagan community, then presented her with a deep red ministerial stole embroidered with the CHS logo. After remarks by Emore and Dominguez, the group blessed Harris, who was standing in the center of the circle of 100, and closed the ceremony by singing "Now I Walk In Beauty."
|
USAFA Religious Respect Conference 2012  Recently David Oringderff, Chair of the CHS Dept. of Pastoral Counseling, was among those pictured above (David is in the suit next to the imam in the front row) invited to participate in an important conference of military religious leaders. Here is David's account of the occasion:The US Air Force Academy biennial Religious Respect Conference was held Oct 2012 which I attended as an invited panelist representing both the Sacred Well Congregation and the greater community of Earth-Centered faith formations. The purpose of this conference was to review the Academy's Religious Respect Training Program (RRTP) for Cadets, faculty and staff that was launched in 2008, and to assess its value and effectiveness. The Conference also provided an outstanding forum for networking among Command Chaplains, National-level leaders and endorsers of faith groups and representatives from civilian universities, interfaith and civil liberties organizations. With respect to Cherry Hill Seminary, it provided an invaluable opportunity to discuss our mission, goals and our new MDiv, Chaplaincy program. Virtually all I spoke with were familiar with or had at least heard of CHS and were quite enthusiastic about our institution and programs. The perennial question was, of course, our accreditation status. I also reviewed the curriculum for the MDiv, Chaplaincy program with several senior military chaplains, and all were impressed with the breadth and depth of the program. One even remarked, "I wish I had this kind of program in my seminary." (read more belowz0
|
|
Season of Giving
 This year many of you have shown you believe in our mission of education for leadership, ministry and personal growth, by contributing to Cherry Hill Seminary.
Please accept our thanks - on behalf of our students, faculty, staff, volunteers, and all those in our communities who are affected by CHS.
If you have not yet made an end of year gift, consider doing so now. You can help us end the year in the black, and we can notify an honoree of a gift you make in their name.
|
Spring Classes Start Jan 14
Master's level classes: Soul Work 5131, no class meetings, taught by Robert Patrick, M.Div. Paganism and the Body N6650, Mondays 9pm ET, taught by Christine Kraemer Practical Chaplaincy: Three Concentric Circles of Ministry PCC 5302, Sundays 9 pm ET, taught by David Oringderff and Donald Larsen Pagan Apologetics I PCC 7301, Thursdays 8:00 pm ET taught by David Oringderff and Donald Larsen Group Theory & Dynamics PCC 6202, Wednesdays 6 pm ET, taught by Lilia Leshan Earth Advocacy M6650, no meetings, taught by Deirdre Sommerlad-Rogers Religion and the Law Post 9/11 A5101, 9 pm ET Tuesdays, taught by James Bianchi Pagan Community Education classes: Religion and the Law Post 9/11 A5101, Tuesdays 9 pm ET, taught by James Bianchi Foundations classes: Spring One runs from the week of January 14 through the week of February 10 Effective Web Site Development for Pagan Organizations, Mondays 8 pm ET, taught by Scott Mohnkern Toward an Engaged Pagan Spirituality, Wednesdays 2 pm ET, taught by Hayden Reynolds Spring Two runs from the week of February 11 through the week of March 10 Eastern European Pagan Traditions, Wednesdays 7 pm ET, taught by Miroslav Sarac Pagan Elders and Ancestors: Starhawk, no class meetings, taught by Sarah Whedon Spring Three runs from the week of March 11 through the week of April 7 Teaching Pagan Traditions, no class meetings, taught by Christine Kraemer Kids, Gods, & Guardians: Spiritual Guidance for Pagan Family Ministry, Thursdays 9:00 pm ET, taught by Michelle Mueller Learn more here |
|
|
Religious Respect Conference Continued
The Conference itself focused on the continued refinement of the RRTP and the impact that the training is having on the Corps of Cadets and Academy personnel in practical and applied results. The RRTP is a modularized program designed to span the course of the Cadet's academic career. Each module is composed of a didactic, a dialectic and a practical exercise phase that involves working through reality based scenarios. The program begins with the basics of the 1st Amendment and progresses through more complex culminating with the DoD [Department of Defense] and USAF policy and regulations governing free expression (or no expression) of religion and accommodation of religious practices. It is an outstanding program and may be adopted into Air Force wide, and perhaps DoD-wide mandatory training requirements.
The impact that this training is having on Cadet life and the spiritual environment at the Academy is quite remarkable. In comparing conversations I had with Cadets during the 2010 Conference to the conversations I had with Cadets during this Conference, I noticed significantly positive shift, both in perceptions and attitudes regarding spiritual values and accommodation. Since the 2010 Conference, there have been noteworthy events suggesting the efficacy of this program. The Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle, an outdoor designated worship sanctuary, was constructed and dedicated on a hilltop overlooking the Main Cadet Chapel. Although Falcon Circle was constructed primarily to accommodate Earth-Centered Spiritualities, it has become a wonderful enhancement to the interfaith community at the Academy as well. While priority of scheduling is given to Earth-Centered Spirituality groups, other faith formations may also request to use it for weddings and special religious services and activities. In 2012 a non-Denominational group led an interfaith Easter Sunrise Service at Falcon Circle. In talking with some of the Cadet attendees, it was a beautiful and inspiring experience. Other significant strides include the formation and accommodation of an Eastern Orthodox and a Hindu Special Programs in Religious Education (SPIRE) group. The SPIRE program now supports over 20 distinct faith groups.
In closing, I believe that Academy's RRTP will have a long-term and positive effect on the communities of faith within the military and the military services themselves. From now forward, the Academy will be commissioning more than one thousand officers per year who have had this training. The benefits for all faith formations will be immense in the coming years.
Thank you, David, for representing us at this important conclave!
|
|
|
