The Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Ph.D, Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church, Plummmer Professor of Christian Morals in the Faculty of Divinity. Photo by Stephaine Mitchell, Harvard Gazette.
I write from the Memorial Church bidding you every good wish for a happy new year, but disconcerted too by the tumult of a difficult fall in 2023, and wary of events to come in 2024. Despite all this, I write also buoyed by the steadfast faithfulness you have always shown this community, not least these last few months, and I remain gratefully confident of your care and support in months to come.
And they will be exciting months indeed. In addition to continuing our regular student programming, we have many initiatives either taking root or taking off this term. Professor Stephanie Paulsell will once again lead us in a weekly workshop exploring writing as a sacred practice. Our mentorship program for students pursuing college education at the Massachusetts Correctional Institute at Concord will begin this spring, and we have several teams of volunteers already formed. We’ll also continue providing meals to unhoused women and non-binary people at On the Rise in Cambridge, in addition to exploring other community partnerships.
Our Noble Lecturer this year will be the novelist and Booker Prize finalist Ruth Ozeki, who is also a priest in the Zen tradition of Japanese Buddhism. To prepare for and celebrate her lecture, students will be invited on a meditation retreat at the Providence Zen Center in February, and we will read two of Ruth’s novels in monthly discussion groups. Please join us for her lecture on April 12.
As usual, the University Choir will present several stirring performances for us this term. On March 3, the Choir will perform Gwyneth Walker’s “Songs to the Lord of Peace,” Judith Weir’s “The Big Picture,” and Sarah Rimkus’s “Babylon.” On April 20, the Choir will join the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra in concert, and on May 5, the Ferris Choral Fellows will offer a performance of Robert Schumann’s rarely heard “The Pilgrimage of the the Rose.”
Please also note our worship offerings this term, including Sunday worship, monthly evensong and compline services, and especially our continuing weekly service of Holy Communion on Wednesday evenings. Also please join us for special Holy Week offerings this term, including Organ Meditations on Holy Tuesday, our traditional and moving Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, and three services this year on Easter Morning, including a sunrise service at dawn.
The Memorial Church is a special community and a special place, doing unique and indispensable work for the University and for the world. Our measurable and important impact is all due to you, and it is my deep privilege to serve as your minister. With abiding wishes of peace and prosperity in your new year, and gratitude for the work we pursue together, I remain
Yours faithfully,
Matt
The Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Ph.D. '13
Plummer Professor of Christian Morals in the Faculty of Divinity
Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church
Download the Spring 2024 Calendar
