Trinity College will hold a Special Faculty of Divinity Convocation on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm in the Trinity College Chapel. At this ceremony, the College will formally acknowledge the academic achievements of Faculty of Divinity students and honour the graduates from the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 – the two years when ceremonies were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, The Most Rev. Linda Nicholls and The Right Rev. Michael Curry will be recognized for their leadership in the church by being awarded honorary doctoral degrees.
The College looks forward to celebrating with the community on this special occasion. All are welcome to attend the ceremony.
The Faculty of Divinity Special Convocation is part of the celebrations to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Trinity College Chapel on November 18 to 20. Prior to the Convocation ceremony, The Right Rev. Michael Curry and The Most Rev. Linda Nicholls will be leading a multi-faith symposium on Sustaining Hope and Seeking Justice in Challenging Times (November 18 from 1 pm to 3:45 pm).
The Most Rev’d Linda Nicholls
Trinity College will confer an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) upon The Most Rev’d Linda Nicholls in recognition of her leadership of and significant contributions to the Anglican Church of Canada at the national level where she has served as the 14th Primate of Canada since 2019, the first woman to be elected Primate of Canada. In this role she has strongly supported and advanced the ongoing work of reconciliation between the church and Indigenous and Inuit peoples in Canada and has represented Canadian Anglicans at international gatherings of the Anglican Communion, where she has made substantial contributions to deepening ecumenical relations with other Christian churches.
Bio: The Most Rev. Linda Carol Nicholls
Archbishop Linda Nicholls retired in 2024 after serving as the 14th Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada and the first woman to hold that office. Previously she served as a diocesan and suffragan bishop in the Dioceses of Huron and Toronto; Coordinator for Dialogue for Ethics, Interfaith Relations and Congregational Development in the national office, and nearly twenty years as a parish priest in the Diocese of Toronto. Her academic studies include degrees in music and education prior to MDiv and DMin studies.
In addition to a commitment to healthy vibrant parish communities, Linda engaged in the renewal of the healing ministry in congregational life; ethics in healthcare; and spiritual direction. She served national and international theological commissions, and is committed to ecumenism, serving as Co-Chair of the Anglican Roman Catholic Dialogue in Canada and currently as a member of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC III). Linda was also a Regional Primate of the Americas for the Anglican Communion and continues to serve on the Commission on Science and Faith.
She currently enjoys opportunities to exercise her gifts as a teacher in leading retreats, courses and conferences. Choral singing, wilderness canoeing and walking are her restorative practices.
The Right Rev’d Michael Bruce Curry
Trinity College will confer an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) upon the Right Rev’d Michael Bruce Curry in recognition of his exemplary activity in issues of social justice, immigration policy, racism and policy brutality in the USA, for his promotion of church unity in many challenging contexts, and for his progressive and generous-spirited leadership, both within the USA and internationally in the Anglican Communion, one significant example of which being the “Reclaiming Jesus” manifesto he authored in 2018.
Bio: The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry
The Rt. Rev. Michael Bruce Curry served as the 27th presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church. At the church’s 78th General Convention in June 2015, he was elected to a nine-year term in this role and installed in November of that year.
Throughout his ministry, Bishop Curry has been a prophetic leader, particularly in the areas of racial reconciliation, climate change, evangelism, immigration policy, and marriage equality. The animating vision and message of his ministry is Jesus of Nazareth and his way of radical, sacrificial love, and he regularly reminds Episcopalians they are “the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.”
Bishop Curry was ordained a priest in 1978 and served parishes in North Carolina, Ohio, and Maryland until his 2000 election as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. He graduated with high honors from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and earned his Master of Divinity degree from Yale University. Bishop Curry is the author of five books and a regular guest on national and international media outlets. He retired in 2024.