Union Theological Seminary

For nearly two decades, President Serene Jones has helped shape Union Theological Seminary into a place where rigorous scholarship, moral courage, public engagement, and spiritual imagination could coexist without compromise.

Last night, students, alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, and friends gathered at Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC to celebrate her extraordinary leadership and the communities she helped form along the way.

Thank you, Serene, for reminding generations of leaders that theology belongs in public life, that intellectual work can still be rooted in humanity, and that institutions can be transformed through vision, courage, and care.

On May 19th, Union Theological Seminary gathered at Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC, to celebrate 18 years of visionary leadership from President Serene Jones.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening so meaningful — those who joined us in person and those who were with us in spirit.

The future is bright because the foundation beneath it has been built with courage, scholarship, moral imagination, and care.

Blessed are the peacemakers.
Blessed are the chaplains.
Blessed are the prophets.
Blessed are the artists.
Blessed are the scholars.

Blessed are the activists.

Union Theological Seminary has always been shaped by people committed to imagining a more just, compassionate, intellectually alive world — and then doing the work to build it.

May 19th’s celebration was a reminder that institutions are ultimately made meaningful by the people courageous enough to inhabit them fully.

We are delighted to celebrate Union Theological Seminary Professor Dr. Julia Kelto Lillis on being awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Early Church History.

From the bombings of innocent people in Iran to the grotesque abuse of immigrants here in the United States, people in every corner of our globe are grappling with unthinkable trauma.

In the newest episode of Psalms for the Spirit, host Kiran Young Wimberly sits down with Union Theological Seminary's longtime President, Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, for a profound conversation about trauma, healing, and why the Psalms have spoken to human suffering for thousands of years.

Drawing from her book Trauma and Grace, President Jones reflects on how sharing one’s story, connecting with spirituality, and building community can restore courage and agency, even in the darkest moments.

Listen now: https://buff.ly/8Roqoxd

“I am devastated by today's shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego — a house of worship, a school, a sacred community. Three innocent people are dead. This was not random. This was anti-Muslim hate.

Islamophobia kills — the dehumanization of Muslim communities has real, deadly consequences. Union Theological Seminary stands in grief and solidarity with our Muslim siblings.

On this first day of Dhul Hijjah, one of Islam's holiest seasons, we call on every person of faith and conscience: enough. Silence is complicity. We demand an end to anti-Muslim hate in our politics, our media, and our streets,” states Union Theological Seminary President Serene Jones.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! And congratulations to Union Theological Seminary’s Rev. Fred Davie on being honored with the Union Medal today. We thank President Serene Jones for her tremendous leadership of Union at her last Commencement ceremony.

Please join us in congratulating Union Theological Seminary Professor Dr. Julia Kelto Lillis on being named a 2026 American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Fellow.

The fellowship will support her new book project, Genderlessness: Early Christian Horizons. The work examines a resilient impulse among late ancient Christians to imagine genderless and sexless ways of being human — arguing that some early Christians found gender dispensable and tried to think beyond it altogether.

Learn more here: https://buff.ly/Hiq8PDY

Please join us in congratulating Union Theological Seminary Professor Dr. Cláudio Carvalhaes on being named an Auburn Seminary Barbara Wheeler Fellow.

Through this fellowship, Dr. Carvalhaes will conduct research titled Sacred Imagination for Desecrated Times: Arts as Curandería in Theological Education — a project examining the healing and transformative power of the arts in theological education.

Learn more here: https://buff.ly/NqXjymm

Please join Union Theological Seminary for a landmark evening honoring the extraordinary 18-year presidency of Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, Union’s first female President and one of the most influential public theologians of our time.

Taking place in just two weeks on May 19, 2026, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, this festive dinner celebrates Dr. Jones’s courageous and visionary leadership while marking the launch of the Serene Jones Center for Religion and Democracy, opening in 2026. The Center will be the first space at Union named in honor of a woman and will advance rigorous scholarship, public engagement, and moral leadership at the intersection of religion, democracy, and public life.

Tickets are nearly sold out, with only a few seats remaining. We encourage you to secure your place at this historic evening by Sunday, May 10th, while space is still available.

Proceeds from the evening will support the work of the Serene Jones Center and help ensure attendance from across Union’s community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners.

Register here: https://buff.ly/HfsW5Jk