University of Divinity

05/06/2026

It has been a huge week at the University of Divinity, with gatherings and celebrations held across the country.

Last Saturday, 30 May, we celebrated the graduation of 28 students at a vibrant ceremony held in Brisbane.

On Tuesday 2 June, academics from across all of our Colleges gathered at hubs in Melbourne and Adelaide, and online, to attend the annual Teaching Conference.

That evening, we celebrated the launch of Everlasting Grail. This endowed fund establishes an enduring and living structure that will deliver sustainable, recurring funding over the long term to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and projects they lead in theology and spirituality.

On Wednesday 3 June, research faculty, students and network members gathered for the annual Research Day. This year, the conference included the 3MT competition, an academic competition that challenges doctoral students to explain their complex research to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes, using only a single static slide. Congratulations to Joan Wright-Howie on the winning presentation!

On Thursday 4 and Friday 5 June, students and faculty of the School of Graduate Research have gathered for intensive writing days in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Meanwhile, coursework students across the whole University have been working hard in study-week as they prepare final assignments and for exams next week.

What a week! We wish everyone a relaxing and well-earned semester break when it arrives.

04/06/2026

On Tuesday 2 June, we gathered as a community to celebrate the launch of Everlasting Grail. The event opened with a beautiful smoking ceremony at the University of Divinity’s Box Hill Campus and was emceed by Aunty Janet Turpie-Johnstone. This endowed fund establishes an enduring and living structure that will deliver sustainable, recurring funding over the long term to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and projects they lead in theology and spirituality.

n Tuesday 2 June, we gathered as a community to celebrate the launch of Everlasting Grail. The event opened with a beautiful smoking ceremony at the University of Divinity’s Box

30/05/2026

Congratulations to all our new graduates!
This morning we gathered in St John's Cathedral, Brisbane to witness and celebrate the graduation of 28 students.

You can read about it here: https://vox.divinity.edu.au/news/may-2026-graduation-in-brisbane/

19/05/2026

We are excited to announce that the new Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Care course will be offered by Uniting College for Leadership & Theology, commencing in second semester 2026.
Responding to the needs of those working within various chaplaincy contexts, this new course will offer foundational training in spiritual care providing opportunities for integration of theory and practice.

Responding to the needs of those working within various chaplaincy contexts, this new course will offer foundational training in spiritual care providing opportunities for integration of theory and practice.

04/05/2026

You are invited to join a conversation about the new book, Chinese Christian Witness: Identity, Creativity, Transmission and Poetics, edited by Xiaoli Yang and Daryl Ireland.

This volume explores how Chinese Christians have understood and participated in mission over the past few centuries. Authors have written chapters on Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, and Chinese-initiated movements; they cover Chinese Christians in Oceania, Africa, Europe, and Asia. For those interested in Chinese Christians in the People’s Republic of China, the book includes chapters on both registered and unregistered churches.

One distinctive feature is that the book also considers multiple artworks by Chinese Christians: plays, songs, paintings, sculptures, etc. They provide an opportunity to discover Chinese missiology through understudied media.

This volume represents a landmark attempt to explore how Chinese Christians understand and participate in mission. It offers new missiological insights about identity, creativity, transmission and poetics. Join us for

04/05/2026

Visit the Australian Lutheran College (ALC) Library during South Australia’s History Festival for a glimpse at a collection of “priceless heirlooms of the Reformation”.

Join Trevor Schaefer for a special viewing and discussion on rare books, ranging from a 1551 Luther Bible to Songs of Australia published 1971.

Join Trevor Schaefer for a special viewing and discussion on rare books from the Australian Lutheran College (ALC) Library. Books range from a 1551 Luther Bible to Songs of Australia

04/05/2026

30/04/2026

Congratulations to our newest graduates!

This evening, the University community gathered in the Chapel at Wollaston Theological College in Perth, to witness the graduation of 11 students receiving 12 awards.

30/04/2026

The University of Divinity community mourns the passing of Rev Prof Jione Havea.

We hold in prayer his wife Monica, his daughter Diya Lakai, colleagues and students at Pilgrim Theological College and the wider university, and all who mourn him.

The President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Rev Charissa Suli, has written a beautiful tribute, which is shared at: https://uniting.church/a-reflection-for-dr-jione-havea/

With heavy hearts, we share a reflection from our President, Rev. Charissa Suli, on the passing of Rev Professor Dr Jione Havea — theologian, mentor, and faithful servant of the Church.

Jione was a son of the Pacific whose voice shaped how many across our Church read Scripture — honestly, prophetically, and through the lived realities of those too often pushed to the margins. He was a trusted companion to the UAICC - Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, a devoted colleague in the NSW/ACT Synod, and a teacher who helped generations of leaders trust that their stories matter in the life of the Church.

His loss is felt deeply — personally, culturally, and theologically.
We hold in prayer his wife Monica, his daughter Diya Lakai, the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, and all who mourn him across our Church and around the world.

In our Pacific understanding, when one of our own is called home, they are not lost — they are returned. Returned to God, to the ancestors, and to the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us.

Read the President's full reflection at the link below.

Folau ā, sevāniti tōnunga 'a e 'Otua, pea ke mālōlō 'i he nonga mo e fiemālie 'a e 'Otua.

'Ofa lahi atu mo e lotu.

Link | https://uniting.church/a-reflection-for-dr-jione-havea/ |

21/04/2026

Join the next Wollaston Research Seminar on 11 May at 2pm (Perth time) either in-person at Wollaston Theological College, or online, for two short papers. Patrick Armstrong will present 'John Ray: naturalist, traveller, theologian: Bringer of Order out of Chaos?'. Mark Jennings will present ' Is there an Australian Anglican “Field?” Preliminary sketches.'

Join us at the next Wollaston Research Seminar on May 11 at 2pm AWST either in-person or online (via Zoom) for two short papers.