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PRISM PDF Archive |
April 2008
A New Chaplain at Yale
installation photos by Harold Shapiro
On February 24, 2008, Sharon M. K. Kugler was installed as the seventh chaplain of Yale University. In the absence of President Levin, Linda Lorimer, vice president of the university and co-chair (with YDS Dean Harold Attridge) of the chaplain search committee, thanked Martin Jean, who also played the organ at the installation service, Robert Blocker, and Martha Highsmith for their leadership and service, as well as the Johns Hopkins community and the new chaplain’s family for their nurture and support, and expressed to the new chaplain and those assembled a vision for this new chaplaincy. |
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The Charge to the New Chaplain
Linda Koch Lorimer
In thinking of the journey ahead, the last 80 years of the Yale chaplaincy must be viewed as providing an incredible “base station.” Each of the last six Chaplains, in his own distinctive way, touched countless lives, made meaning in this holy place and offered substantial contributions to our University.
We know our new Chaplain will do the same. But we come to this Installation with greater aspirations, rooted in the much greater religious diversity of our community. We now have a student population that comes from all parts of the world. We now have a campus community that reflects well over 25 religious traditions. The greater diversity of our community calls upon us to be more attentive in how we support those of all faiths. | read more
Linda Koch Lorimer (l) and Sharon M. K. Kugler process into Battell Chapel. |
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The Chaplain's Response
Sharon M. K. Kugler
I stand before you, admittedly a bit weak in the knees, but very strong of heart. I stand before you in this place of such majesty and memory alone at this podium yet profoundly aware that I am held in love and with wisdom by a cast of many.
I would not be here if 25 years ago a Jesuit priest had not said to me, “Of course you are called by God to do this work. Do it!” I would not be here if it weren’t for an Orthodox Rabbi and an Episcopal priest who, unbeknownst to me, took it upon themselves nearly fifteen years ago to convince the then president of Johns Hopkins University, Bill Richardson, to appoint me as their next chaplain. And I would not be here if he had not taken their advice. I would not be here if it were not for respected colleagues across the nation who welcomed me, a Roman Catholic laywoman, into their ranks, and who even more importantly became cherished friends in the field. I would not be here if it were not for the countless students over the course of three decades who left everlasting imprints on my heart.
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Words of Blessing
Rabbi Susan Laemmle, Ph.D.
Let us begin with four line of verse by the 13th century Sufi poet Rumi:
Something opens our wings. Something
Makes boredom and hurt disappear.
Someone fills the cup in front of us.
We taste only sacredness.
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Mendelssohn's Elijah: The Romantic Hero and the Dawning of the Divine Light
Markus Rathey
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, like most of his contemporaries in the 19th century, liked the idea of the lonely romantic hero, the man who stands – alone – for his convictions, overcoming all obstacles and adversaries. In his Reformation symphony, composed in 1830 in commemoration of the Augsburg Confession, it is the image of Martin Luther that is evoked in the last movement: the flute (an instrument associated with Luther by contemporaries) intones alone the Lutheran chorale “A mighty fortress is our God” before the other instruments enter. | read more
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Martin Luther as Romantic Hero
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ALUMNI NEWS | JOB
LISTINGS | CALENDAR |
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In memoriam
Xenia Simons Miller
Xenia Simons Miller, 90, the widow of J. Irwin Miller, and a benefactor of the ISM, died on February 19, 2008 at her home in Columbus, Indiana.
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Lana Schwebel
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Monteverdi Festival @ Yale
Yale baroque Opera project and Yale Schola Cantorum
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Visual Exegesis: African American Images
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Faculty News
Prism readers may remember the meeting of the Forum on Music and Christian Scholarship (FMCS) at the ISM in February 2007. The meeting this year was at Baylor University (Waco, Texas). Professor Markus Rathey attended the meeting and was reelected Vice President of the FMCS. He also read a paper entitled “Piety and Moral Values in Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Oratorios.” Those interested in the FMCS may contact professor Rathey (markus.rathey@yale.edu) or visit the society’s website: www.fmcs.us
Student News
Danielle Tumminio (STM ‘08), the instructor for Yale's Harry Potter course "Christian Theology and Harry Potter," said her academic background in literature and theology, combined with her personal interest in the books, inspired her to design the course. The course, written up by CNNU, uses all seven Potter books and the students examine Christian themes such as sin, evil and resurrection. The class was an immediate draw for students. Seventy-nine people showed up at the first session for the 18 open seats.
Alumni File Update
ISM Grads: Help keep us up to date. Please provide us with your current position and place of work, if applicable, and your current e-mail address. Send to albert.agbayani@yale.edu at the Institute. Thank you! |
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