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Theologian in Residence: Petero Sabune
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he Rev. Petero Sabune, Episcopal’s 2010-11 Theologian in Residence, visited campus from Jan. 17 to 21. He is the dean of the cathedral in the Diocese of Newark, N.J., and was recently appointed as the church’s partnership officer to Africa. Additionally, Sabune serves as pastor and protestant chaplain at Sing Sing Penitentiary and associate pastor at Trinity Church in Ossining, N.Y. He is a member of the executive council of the Episcopal Church and on the board of Forward Movement. While on campus, Sabune spoke in chapel, including a special Vespers service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, visited classes, and held informal discussions with the Vestry and other students. “Rev. Sabune’s visit to campus brought a refreshing change of pace to the chapel and to the many classes which he visited during the week. His engaging speaking style seemed to successfully connect with almost everyone who listened to him. His visit was a pleasure, and I’m sure I speak for many students when I say that we were all very grateful for the opportunity to hear from and get to know Rev. Sabune,” said Senior Warden of the Vestry Sutton Alford ’11. Born in Uganda in 1952, where his father was an Anglican Priest, Sabune came to the United States through the American Field Service (AFS) exchange program in 1969. He returned to
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This year’s Theologian in Residence, the Rev. Petero Sabune, with the Vestry on the steps of Callaway Chapel. Front row, from left: Sallie Glover ’11, Junior Warden Frances Ainsworth ’11, Eleni Hadjis ’12, Sabune, Alessandra Gavin ’12, Bethany Gordon ’12, Abby Halm ’13, and Virginia Wright ’13; second row: George Thorne ’11, Reid Nickle ’11, and Catherine Lambert ’11; back row: Wonhee Lim ’12, the Rev. Thom Hummel, Director of Counseling Jeff Goodell, the Rev. Gideon Pollach, Senior Warden Sutton Alford ’11, and the Rev. Heather Vandeventer.
Uganda for a short period before fleeing the country due to the dictator, Idi Amin, who killed Sabune’s brother in 1976 and whose men killed Sabune’s sister in 1977. Sabune continued his education in the United States and was ordained into the Episcopal Church in 1981. He has visited 28 African countries and 10 of the 12 Anglican provinces on the African continent. For the past 30 years,
he has focused his ministry on justice, reconciliation, and helping people live out faith through service. “Rev. Sabune’s visit to Episcopal was a great gift to the community. He engaged the students immediately, had a great sense of the culture of The High School, and engaged both faculty and students alike in the core questions about purpose, vocation, and vision,” said EHS Chaplain Gideon Pollach. n