Cara Greenham Hancock
I鈥檓 in the final year of a Master of Divinity.
I first came to TCTS in the middle of 2019, to begin a Graduate Diploma in Theology.
All Christians engage in theological study, of course, by their reading of scripture, by their prayer and sharing in the worship of the Church, and by their discussions and relationships with other Christians. A few years ago, though, I did want to undertake that theological project in a more systematic way and take advantage of the community of excellent scholars at Trinity, especially as I considered what ministry within the Church I might be called to.
I was first drawn into the TCTS community through the life of the Chapel. I developed a habit of attending the Monday afternoon Eucharist and joining those who gathered for refreshments afterwards, and I was very struck by the nature of the community as a body who prayed together, enjoyed each other鈥檚 company, and were devoted to learning together.
I kept extending my degree out because I was enjoying it and learning so much! It is a very useful part of the TCTS/University of Divinity course structure that they can be built up as one discovers more what their taste in their studies might be.
I think that the Jesuit tagline of being 鈥榗ontemplative in action鈥 is an excellent one. My spiritual life is grounded in prayer, scripture, and the sacramental life of the Church, but also in attending to the presence of God in every moment, every human encounter, where the divine is constantly revealed and constantly calling us to grow in love and service.
It changes every day! But today I鈥檒l say John 1:14 (鈥淎nd the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father鈥檚 only son, full of grace and truth.鈥) because it feels like great value for money: material for a lifetime鈥檚 worth of theological reflection and insight in just one verse, and with such pared-back but transcendent beauty.
鈥淕od has created us for joy,鈥 from a wise priest of my acquaintance. It chimes like a little bell in the back of my head and calls me to attend to the appreciation of God鈥檚 generosity and will for our good.
I love cycling, reading, and the ballet, and I鈥檓 seldom happier than when engaged in good conversation with interesting people.
To be a friendly face on campus who students know that they can speak with, to be a liaison between the student body and the Dean, able to feed back to him what students might like or want. I鈥檇 like to help others enjoy and love TCTS as much as I do.