Seminary of the Southwest faculty offer new Lenten Offering and video series for formation
Seminary of the Southwest invites Episcopalians and friends across the church to take part in its 2026 Lenten Offering, a season-long initiative combining prayer, reflection, and generosity in support of the seminary’s mission to form leaders for ministry, service, and healing.
Entitled “Renewal and Hope,” the offering accompanies a new five-week Lenten video series designed for congregations, small groups, and individuals. Created by five women scholars from the seminary’s teaching community, the series offers weekly reflections, discussion questions, and theological insight grounded in the themes of repentance, discipleship, and new life. The program is intended to create space for prayerful conversation throughout the first five weeks of Lent while highlighting the depth of Southwest’s theological life and its commitment to preparing leaders for the church and the wider world.
The 2026 series features weekly video reflections from Dean Emerita Cynthia Briggs Kittredge and faculty members the Rev. Jeehei Park, the Rev. Dr. Dominique Robinson, the Rev. Nancy Frausto, and the Rev. Madeline Hawley. Each contributor has recorded an 8–10 minute video along with reflection questions suitable for parish adult education, clergy continuing formation, small-group study, or personal devotion. All the content is available on the the Southwest website, at https://ssw.edu/lent2026/.
“Lent invites us to return to what matters most: prayer, generosity, and care for one another,” said the Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce, interim dean and president of Seminary of the Southwest. “This year’s Lenten Offering is a meaningful way to walk that path together. Through your prayerful giving, you help form students for lives of ministry, service, and healing in a world that deeply needs hope and compassion. I am grateful for the many ways this community lives its faith with generosity, and I invite you to join me in supporting the mission we share.”
Rooted in the Lenten journey, this offering serves as a hopeful reminder that even in times of change, God is at work bringing new life. Gifts to the Lenten Offering will support the seminary’s ongoing work of forming clergy, counselors, and lay leaders to serve the church and the world.
The videos and related resources are available online throughout Lent, and participants may sign up to receive weekly materials and updates.