Campus Ministry

Fr. James M. Shea, S.J. joined the Office of Campus Ministry as Catholic Chaplain at the Georgetown University Medical Center in August 2021.

Prior to 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 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.

Ven. Yishan Qian serves as Buddhist Spiritual Advisor. She is a fully ordained nun (bhikkhuni) in the Chinese Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Ven. Yishan was ordained into the Linji School of Ch’an Buddhism in 2008 and received full ordination from the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order in 2011. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Philosophy from Wuhan University and a master’s degree in Buddhist Studies from Hangzhou Buddhist Academy. Ven. Yishan has completed an M.Div. in Buddhist Chaplaincy from the University of the West in Southern California and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Buddhist Ministry.

Dr. Vrajvihari Sharan serves as the Director for Dharmic Life and Hindu Spiritual Advisor for Campus Ministry. In this role, he works to facilitate experiences in and deepen knowledge about the Śaiva, Sākta, Vaiṣṇava, Smārta, and Sanātana/Hindu Dharmas, and co-ordinate the same for the Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh Dharmas. After joining an ancient forest monk tradition initially as a Brahmachari in 2003, Dr. Sharan pursued studies at the University of Delhi and then the University of Oxford before gaining his Ph.D. in Sanskrit Philology at the University of Edinburgh. He then joined Georgetown University as the first Āchārya (Hindu ritual & philosophy specialist) to serve at a Catholic institution. From indigenous and folk music, dance, languages, and diasporas to Āyurveda and international cuisine, Prakṛti and quantum theory, Meditation, Yoga and care for the body-mind-intellect, Vedānta and thinking beyond the rote norms of society, Dr. Sharan enjoys learning about the connections of the new with the timeless. As spirituality is the pre-religious heritage of all peoples of mother Earth, Dr. Sharan desires to connect anyone who has an interest in the spiritualities of the East with the resources to find out and experience more.

Michael Goldman, is a Jewish Chaplain and graduate at the Georgetown University Law and a lawyer in a previous career. Michael has been the Jewish Chaplain for the Law and Medical Centers since August 2002. He has been a student of Judaism for his adult life and has taught numerous courses on Judaica, including courses at Georgetown Law and Medical Centers.  Michael endeavors to help students of whatever religion/spirituality (or not) find a home at Georgetown Law.  Michael was instrumental in bringing Lawyers in Balance to Georgetown Law and believes that attention to mindfulness helps law students navigate law school and lawyers handle the pressures of practice.

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 servers 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 our Orthodox Christian Chaplain. 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 Interim Director of Protestant Christian Ministry. 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.