The Very Rev. Michael Battle to Lead Clergy Retreat May 22

Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley is thrilled to announce that the Very Reverend Michael Battle, Ph.D., will lead the upcoming Clergy Retreat, to be held May 22-24 at St. Christopher Camp & Conference Center. Dr. Battle currently serves as the Herbert Thompson Professor of Church and Society and Director of the Desmond Tutu Center at General Theological Seminary in New York.

His vocation has been linked to the ministry of Archbishop Tutu, who ordained him to the priesthood, officiated his marriage, and baptized his children. Battle's own work as a teacher and theologian has taken him to the School of Theology at Sewanee, Virginia Theological Seminary, Duke University, and Episcopal Divinity School. He has served parishes in North Carolina, California, and South Africa. His eleven books include Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa’s Confessor; Blessed are the Peacemakers: A Christian Spirituality of Nonviolence; and Practicing Reconciliation in a Violent World. 

A beloved spiritual guide to seminarians and the CREDO conference, Dr. Battle has served as chaplain to Archbishop Tutu, the House of Bishops, the Lambeth Conference, and Congressman John Lewis. In 2010, Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, named Battle as one of the Six Preachers of Canterbury Cathedral, an honorary appointment with an unbroken succession dating back to its foundation by Thomas Cranmer at the time of the English Reformation. More can be found about Dr. Battle at his website: https://michaelbattle.com.

Registration for Clergy Retreat is still open to retired and active clergy of the diocese at this link. Clergy are encouraged to attend this special event for what promises to be an enriching experience of renewal. If anyone has any questions, please contact the Rev. Cn. Ryan Currie at [email protected].

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