March 2025

In 10 days I'll submit the final two assignments of my seminary career. In a month I'll complete my internship at Covenant Woods, a Continuing Care Retirement Community, which has been an incredible place to learn and grow. In less than two months I'll graduate from UPSem with a Master of Divinity. Recently I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the last 3 years. Time has seriously flown by and actually, I'm at a loss for words right now (shocking, I know!) to describe my time in seminary and the discernment process. For now, I'll just share gratitude for all the folks who've supported, encouraged, and prayed for me during this time. Here are some March updates:

At the UPSem Richmond Student Awards ceremony, I received the E.T. George Excellence in Homiletics, Worship, & Public Speaking award. This is a great honor and gift! When I shared this news with my grandmothers, I was reminded that I never posted about another award I received back in December. Last Fall I applied for a scholarship from Grace Presbytery via First Presbyterian Church Fort Worth, TX. In December, I received a notification that I'd received the scholarship, the Karl Travis Excellence in Preaching award. Again, what a gift and this one is especially neat since my dad attended college with Rev. Travis. Perhaps these awards are a sign of my future call to ministry... :)

At the beginning of March, Charles and I spent a weekend in Texas with family and friends and got to witness our niece's baptism. No trip home is complete without spending time with my St. Andrew liaison, Julie. We enjoyed catching up although I missed being at worship or at Super Wednesday with the rest of our St. Andrew family! In mid-March, Charles and I enjoyed a birthday dinner with my mother-in-law in Prince George's County, MD for her birthday. We also attended a faith & justice event through RISC called the Nehemiah Action. I had the privilege of visiting a Muslim mosque for an interfaith panel, the observation of the Maghrib prayer (4th of the 5 Islamic prayers each day), and participated in Iftar, which is the breaking of the fast during the Holy Month of Ramadan. And I preached on the 3rd Sunday of Lent at my internship, Covenant Woods. I closed out the month of March by working a 12 hour hospital shift at VCU Hospital. Chaplaincy is hard, y'all, especially in a trauma setting. I'm grateful for the Spiritual Care team there who does such important work and that I've had the privilege of working there as an intern and a PRN Chaplain.

Charles was able to attend the Student Awards Ceremony at UPSem Richmond last week. Here's a photo of us.  You might notice here that we've been keeping some news close to our chests but since it's now obvious just by looking at me, Charles and I are excited to share that I'm pregnant and we're expecting a baby girl in early-June. We're thrilled, eager, of course a little nervous, and incredibly grateful for the privilege to become "Mom" and "Dad" this year. 

Thanks to my advisor and pastoral care professor who "stood-in" for our homiletics professor in presenting the award to me since my homiletics professor is on sabbatical right now.

UPSem's Annual Tulip Fest was a wonderful event.

During a time in our nation when there's so many unknowns, when the news hurts my heart each day --- and when frankly, I'm struggling to know how to respond, I'm trying to lean into what I'm learning in my Christian Ethics class this semester. Last week in Christian Ethics I presented on Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon who was a professor at UPSem, a womanist theological ethicist, and the first Black woman ordained in the Presbyterian church. In 2012, Rev. Dr. Cannon preached at UPSem's Sprunt Lectures (an annual alumni and community event for which UPSem is known). Dr. Cannon began her 2012 sermon by “calling for the order of the day.” She proclaims that the longtime Presbyterian tradition of “calling for the order of the day” is a “signal that there’s no more time for foolishness…so our lives become a living testimony to the Bible’s injunction to seek justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.” -Cannon, 2012

So, as God calls us to do in Micah 6:8 and as Jesus emphasizes in the parable of the Good Samaritan, I'm trying to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly...to love my neighbors and all strangers and to "go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37). Friends, I'm grateful to be doing this work, the work of Jesus, the work to which God calls us, alongside each of you.

When I leave pastoral care visits, I usually say "take care of yourself." This follows the question that I've asked during this visit which is "how are you caring for yourself?" So friends, I'll close this blog post in the same way. Take care of yourself. I'm trying to do the same. We've got each other. And God's got our backs.

With Gratitude, 

Caitlin