Campus Ministry

Fr. James M. Shea, S.J. is the Director for Mission & Ministry at the Georgetown University Medical Center.

Before joining Georgetown, Fr. Shea served as Pastor at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Charlotte, N.C. from 2015-2021, the Provincial Superior of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus from 2008-2014, and as Pastor at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. from 2004-2008.

Fr. Shea is not entirely new to the GUMC community: from 1989-1996 he was Director of the Pastoral Care Department at Georgetown University Hospital, and from 1996-2004 he was Director of the Medical Center Ministry at GUMC. Fr. Shea is a member, and Certified Supervisor, of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), and a member, and supervisor of clinical pastoral education, for the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.

Brahmacharini Shweta Chaitanya is the Director for Dharmic Life and Hindu Spiritual Advisor. In her role as director, she will lead the Dharmic Life team in supporting Georgetown’s vibrant Dharmic communities. Brni. Chaitanya joins us from Emory University where she has served as Hindu Chaplain since 2021. She received her monastic initiation in the Chinmaya Mission monastic order in 2017 following residential Vedanta (a philosophical branch of Hinduism) training in Sandeepany Sadhanalaya Ashram in Powai, Mumbai. Originally from Texas, Brni. Chaitanya completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied South Asian languages and cultures (Sanskrit). She completed her master’s degree in South Asian studies at the South Asia Institute, Columbia University. She was awarded a Nagral Fellowship (Hindu Ministry Initiative), from Harvard Divinity School and was twice awarded the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (Hindi), from Columbia University. Brni. Chaitanya was drawn to Georgetown by its commitment to serve its diverse community meaningfully and looks forward to forging relationships built around inclusivity, spiritual and personal growth, and community for all. She brings a deep passion for creating access to spiritual practices in a way that looks and feels recognizable to students and lets them know they belong. Shweta enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, experimenting in the kitchen, and going on long drives.

Rabbi Ilana Zietman (she/her) is the Director for Jewish Life and serves as chaplain to Jewish students across Georgetown University. Rabbi Ilana loves to create Jewish experiences and foster communities that are caring, thought-provoking, and — most importantly — welcoming.  As Director of Jewish Life, Rabbi Ilana provides pastoral care, Torah study and Jewish learning, Shabbat and holiday prayer services, meals, and other programs throughout the academic year. She is committed to helping each student foster a Jewish life that is rich in meaning, relevance, mutual support, and joy. She is also committed to representing and integrating Jewish Life in the wider Georgetown community through interfaith and intercultural dialogue and collaboration.  Rabbi Ilana comes to Georgetown with a wealth of experience serving young Jewish communities through her work at GatherDC, Avodah, and Tufts University Hillel.  Rabbi Ilana received her rabbinic ordination and a Master’s degree in Jewish Education from the pluralistic Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in 2019. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Barnard College with a BA in Religion and a second BA in Hebrew Bible from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 2011.  Rabbi Ilana lives in Washington, DC with her husband, Jack, their sons, Jesse and Gabriel, and their sweet dog, Ella.

Imam Yahya Hendi is the Director for Muslim Life at Georgetown University, the first American university to hire a full-time Muslim Chaplain. Imam Hendi is also the Imam of the Islamic Society of Fredrick and is the Muslim Chaplain at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. He serves as a member and the spokesperson of the Islamic Jurisprudence Council of North America. He is an adjunct faculty member at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. Imam Hendi holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Religions from Hartford Seminary in Connecticut and is currently working on his Ph.D. in Comparative Religion. In May 2002, Imam Hendi was selected by Hartford Seminary to receive its annual “James Gettemy Significant Ministry Award” for his dedication to his Ministry and for his work to promote peace-building between people of different religions.

Imam Hendi has written numerous publications on many topics, including women in Islam, women and gender relations in Islam, the coming of the Messiah, and religion and Islam in the United States. He has presented a multitude of interfaith and general lectures in the United States, Asia, Europe, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East in the last eight years. He was one of the Muslim leaders who met with the President of the United States in the aftermath of the September 11 tragedy. Hoping to create positive relationships between the followers of the three Abrahamic religions, Imam Hendi often visits and lectures at churches and synagogues. He also serves on national and international interfaith councils.

Imam Hendi offers Muslim retreats. He often leads Qiyamul-lail prayer and Jum’ah (Friday services). He also counsels students on academic, professional, and social issues. Imam Hendi believes that only with love and education can the world be a better place to live in.

The V. Rev. David Pratt is the Director for Orthodox Christian Life. He is an archpriest in the Russian Orthodox Church. He has held the position of associate professor of philosophy at St. Martin’s University in Washington for the past ten years, and the position of sessional professor of pastoral practice at New York Theological Seminary for the past five. Fr. Pratt previously served 23 years as a U.S. military chaplain and ethicist. He holds a Ph.D. in comparative ethics from the University of Louvain, an S.T.L. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, and an M.Div. from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.

Rev. Ebony Grisom is the Director of Protestant Life. She is ordained in the American Baptist Churches USA. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in African-American/African Studies and her Master of Arts from Providence College in American History. She completed her seminary education at Duke Divinity School, receiving a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Christian Education and a certificate in Gender, Theology and Ministry.

Rev. Grisom began her career in education, working in secondary and post-secondary admission offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and North Carolina. Prior to Georgetown University, Rev. Grisom served in a faith-based anti-poverty non-profit, and two Baptist churches, where she equipped faith leaders and people of faith to act against the sin of poverty. To that end, she is a past Co-Chair of the Rhode Island Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. In addition to her work at Georgetown, she is the Co-Convener of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA’s Convening Table on Joint Action and Advocacy for Justice and Peace. Her call to Georgetown University melds her experience in higher education and the parish, allowing her to meet God’s People at the intersection of the Church and the academy.