Syracuse University has appointed Mary Hudson as the school’s first pagan chaplain. Just in time for Ostara!
The University of Southern Maine is the only other U.S. college known to have a pagan chaplain (Rev. Cynthia Jane Collins), but schools in Canada, Australia, and Britain have them.
The U.S. Air Force Academy has set aside a circle of stones for use by campus pagans, but there are no pagan chaplains in the U.S. military. Chaplains trained in other religions minister to troops of all faiths, including neo-pagans, and receive guidance on pagan religion. Among Distinctive Faith Groups recognized by the military are Pagan, Wiccan, Druid, Shaman, Dianic Wicca, Gardenarian Wicca and Seax Wicca. After a recent lawsuit threat, the government now allows headstones in veterans’ cemeteries to display the pagan pentacle symbol.
Hat tip: Inside Higher Ed.
More about Old English Ēostre (also Ēastre, Ôstarâ) here.
Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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Tags: chaplains, colleges, higher education, neo-pagans, pagans, religion, Syracuse University
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