FROM THE PRESIDENT
Good morning and welcome to Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School’s 2026 Commencement. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, Administration, Faculty, Staff, Students, and Distinguished Alumni/ae, thank you for gathering with us today at Covenant United Methodist Church or via live-stream and a word of appreciation for persons who will watch the recording. Thank you, Rev. Dr. Ann Kemper and Covenant UMC for hosting this year’s commencement. For more than two centuries, Colgate Rochester Crozer has taken seriously its founding purpose “to furnish means of education to those who are preparing for the Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service.” Formed by an educational program that takes seriously a gospel mandate to love God with heart, soul, and mind (Mat 22.37), Colgate Rochester Crozer alumni/ae live, serve, and get into good trouble as modeled by the late Congressman John Lewis, in communities that are a kaleidoscopic representation of God’s always unfolding kin-dom. Our graduates are activists, attorneys, community leaders, community organizers, educators, entrepreneurs, nonprofit executives, pastors, and physicians. Your presence with us at today’s commencement – this moment when we pause to recognize accomplishments and acknowledge that the work / the ministry to which our graduates are called is yet evolving – is a gift. This opportunity to gather at a defining moment in the life of our graduates, is a timely reminder that “for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecc 3.1). A time to study and to demonstrate proficiency; a time to worship and form meaningful relationships; a time to reflect and give thanks for the journey; a time to process the consequences of elections and commit to living out commitments to peace, service, and justice; a time to rejoice and honor with integrity God’s call to family, church, and world. As I conclude my seventh year as President of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, I continue to be surprised by the many ways God reveals God’s self in the life of this beloved institution. Beyond balance sheets, beyond metrics, and beyond dashboards - there is something deeper at work here. God continues to gift us with an expanded capacity: to comprehend truth, to dream boldly, to ask hard questions, to imagine new possibilities, to listen, to hear, and to trust - even when, and perhaps particularly when, the way forward is not marked by certainty. This is no small thing. And it is only possible because of you - because of your prayers, your presence, your advocacy, and your financial gifts. Each of you plays a part in making this educational ministry not only possible, but relevant. On behalf of our faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees: thank you for your steadfast support of the seminary and our students. Today, we welcome and celebrate those at the heart of this occasion - our graduates, the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School Class of 2026, and your families, friends, and loved ones. It is indeed a glorious day, and I give thanks to God for each of you. The following are the opening remarks of Dr. Angela D. Sims, President of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (CRCDS), delivered during the Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2026 on May 16, 2026, at Covenant United Methodist Church in Rochester, New York.
TO FORM STUDENTS IN THEOLOGICAL AND MULTI-RELIGIOUS STUDIES TO SERVE, CARE, AND ADVOCATE FOR ALL PEOPLES AND THE EARTH.
OUR MISSION:
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