Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) is pleased to welcome the Rev. A. Katherine Grieb, Ph.D. as the new director of its Center for Anglican Communion Studies (CACS), effective July 1, 2021.

“Dr. Grieb is a perfect fit for this new role,” says Dean and President Ian S. Markham, Ph.D. “She has served the Communion in several key roles already, earning respect for her scholarly work and developing numerous, deep connections. We are excited about her willingness to take on this important leadership position.”

Grieb received a B.A. in Philosophy and Religion at Hollins University, a J.D. from Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America, a Master’s in Divinity at Virginia Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. with Distinction in Theology at Yale University, and an LLM in Canon Law at Cardiff University in Wales. She has taught New Testament and Greek at Virginia Theological Seminary as the Meade Professor of Biblical Interpretation and New Testament from 1994 to 2021, and before this, taught New Testament at Bangor Theological Seminary in Maine. Her book, The Story of Romans: A Narrative Defense of God’s Righteousness (Westminster John Knox, 2002) is widely used in seminaries. She also co-edited The Word Leaps the Gap (Eerdmans, 2008) and authored numerous peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Grieb has written extensively about preaching and has preached not only at Episcopal parishes in the United States, but also at Westminster Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral. This year, she preached Holy Week and Easter at St. Thomas Church, New York City.

She has served the Anglican Communion for some twenty years, first as a member of the of Inter-Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Commission (IATDC), then as a member of the Inter-Anglican Standing Committee on Unity, Faith, and Order (IASCUFO). She was one of seven theologians asked by then Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold to respond to the Windsor Report and co-authored “To Set Our Hope on Christ.” For about fifteen years she has taught at the Canterbury Scholars program at Canterbury Cathedral.  She is one of the Six Preachers, chosen by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral.

“Dr. Grieb is a long-standing friend of mine,” says the Most Rev. Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Ph.D., secretary general of the Anglican Communion. “I have always appreciated and respected her scholarly and faith-filled views, even when we have disagreed! Her service to the Communion as well as the wider Church has been immense, and I know the Communion will continue to benefit from her leadership. I wish her every blessing in this challenging new role.”

Grieb will continue to teach part-time at the Seminary while directing the Center.

With the capable assistance of Hartley Wensing, associate director of the Center, and Courtney Henderson-Adams, administrative coordinator, she will build on the leadership of the Center’s previous director, the Rev. Robert Heaney, Ph.D., D.Phil., who continues at VTS as professor of theology and mission.

Grieb comments: “The Anglican Communion of Churches continues to be a vital expression of God’s reign and God’s love for our hurting world. We get to know our neighbors by hearing one another’s stories and by building friendships through deep conversations.”

The Center for Anglican Communion Studies serves the Seminary and the Communion by equipping international community, empowering intercultural leaders, and enriching Episcopal-Anglican identity. The 2021-22 calendar year will focus on the Anglican Communion in Latin America, emphasizing refugees and immigration, theology and the arts, liturgical renewal, and feminist and liberation theologies. For more information on CACS, visit www.vts.edu.