Seminary Archives at Bishop Payne Library

10/01/2026

The Steering Committee of the African American Episcopal Historical Collection are grateful for everyone that attended and assisted with the Second Annual Bishop John T. Walker Commemoration and Symptom. We particularly appreciate the contributions of our guests, Rev. Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams, Dr. Cynthia Shattuck, The Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, and Dr. Donyelle McCray.

09/17/2026

The has chosen to lift up the life and ministry of lay theologian, Verna Dozier, for this year's Bishop John T. Walker Symposium on September 24th. There is still time to register at vts.edu/walkercommemoration

08/13/2026

The African American Episcopal Historical Collection is excited to announce the guest speakers for our 2nd Annual Bishop John T. Walker Symposium & Commemoration. The symposium will focus on the life and ministry of lay theologian Verna Dozier, followed by a eucharist in honor of the Rt. Rev. John Thomas Walker. Use the QR code to register or go to vts.edu/walkercommemoration

08/10/2026

Today is St Laurence Day. Laurence was a Roman Catholic archdeacon serving under Pope Sixtus II during the Valerian persecutions. As archdeacon he was responsible for protecting all of the church's assets in Rome. Ambrose of Canterbury recounted that on August 6th, 258 CE, the prefect of Rome executed the pope and all of his deacons, save for Laurence. He was ordered to turn over the church's wealth. He asked for three days to gather it and spent that time distributing it to the poor instead. When the prefect then demanded the treasures of the church, Laurence gestured to the improvised of Rome and said, "Behold the treasures of the Church." On August 10th, he was sentenced to death by being roasted on a gridiron. Legend has him joyfully exclaiming before death, "I am done on this side; turn me over!"

Due to his martyrdom in the early church, St. Laurence is venerated in nearly all liturgical traditions, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Lutheran Church. His protection of the various treasures and collections of the Church, along with his recognition that the marginalized are the Church's greatest assets, quickly earned him strong devotion among many. However, he is particularly known as the patron saint of archivists and librarians. His feast day is commemorated in TEC's Lesser Feasts and Fasts.

06/04/2026

Earlier this week, the archives staff of Virginia Theological Seminary sat down with the Religion News Service ( RNS ) to discuss the recent discovery of an early typeset draft of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s theological and moral treatise on non-violent direct action, A Letter From A Birmingham Jail. The historical document is part of the African American Episcopal Historical Collection, a joint project of VTS and the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (RNS) — The version housed at Virginia Theological Seminary is not for sale, and archive staffers plan to seek the best ways to make its contents available for the public to view.

05/29/2026

The African American Episcopal Historical Collection (AAEHC) has discovered an early draft of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic Letter from Birmingham Jail. The document was found in the papers of the late Bishop John M. and Esther Burgess, which were donated by their daughters to the AAEHC – a joint initiative between Virginia Theological Seminary and the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church.

Dr. King wrote the iconic letter on the margins of a copy of the New York Times, which was smuggled to him while he was imprisoned in Birmingham City Jail. He then gave the newspaper to one of his close advisors, Clarence Jones, who died last week, and asked him to arrange for it to be typed up. Because the letter was written in fragments, the sequence was not always clear, and different drafts went back and forth to Dr. King. The copy in the Burgesses’ papers is one of these early drafts.

Read more here: https://vts.edu/press-release/african-american-episcopal-historical-collection-discovers-early-draft-of-martin-luther-king-jr-s-letter-from-birmingham-jail/

04/07/2026

In the papers of VTS professor Charles Price is this letter expressing regret for not being in communication concerning the reunion of the VTS Class of 1949, because the sender, VTS alum José G. Saucedo, had just been elected and consecrated the Primate of the newly autonomous Anglican Church of Mexico.

03/06/2026

Mark Your Calendar!

02/10/2026

To mark the approaching Feast of Absalom Jones, the African American Episcopal Historical Collection has curated an exhibit dedicated to both Absalom Jones and Richard Allen. While some attempt to erase their contributions, the AAEHC is proud to honor their legacy and impact on the Black Christian experience in the United States.

02/05/2026

The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D., has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2027–28 academic year, concluding 21 years of transformative leadership as Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and six years as President of The General Theological Seminary. Here he is pictured with his family and the then Chairman of the VTS Board, Bishop Peter Lee, at his installation as Dean of the Seminary.

The Boards of Trustees of VTS and GTS have launched an international search for the next Dean and President. Learn more about the search and how to engage here: https://vts.edu/dean-search/