-
-
Dear Friend of Episcopal Divinity School,
At Christmas, we return to the humble, hazardous beginnings of our faith: an at-risk mother, denied shelter, lays her infant in a bed of straw. Wise men evade a demanding king. As the powerful plot and fret, shepherds join the stars in song.Across time and space, we join them, singing of God’s justice, tenderness, and liberating love. May they be ours – all of ours – this Christmas.
Wishing you a joyous season and a blessed 2026,
The EDS Team
Lydia, Emilee, Brandon, Mark, Liz, Mary Grace, & Mikey
A Note on the Artwork
Virgem da Amazônia / Virgin of the Amazon
This painting, by Luis Carlos Teixeira Coelho, DSc, DMin, depicts an Indigenous Amazonian woman and child. Their throne is an Amazonian giant water lily and their halos are based on Marajó cultural artwork. The setting is in an igapó forest, a vital type of forest in the Amazon that is flooded by blackwater rivers for sometimes over half the year. These forests are considered vital to our shared future, as they provide a globally significant ecosystem for unique biodiversity. This painting was gifted to the Most Rev. Marinez Bassotto, the first woman Primate of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil and is now showcased at the Catedral de Santa Maria in Belém do Pará. You can learn more about Luis on his website: teixeiracoelho.com.