The Oxford Centre for Mission Studies recently held its annual PhD graduation ceremony – a joyful and deeply moving celebration of scholarship, perseverance, and global fellowship. As the Chapel filled with family, friends, scholars, and faculty, it was clear this was more than just a milestone event but a reunion of friendships made and of hearts united in mission. The livestream of the ceremony is available on our YouTube channel.
A Day of Prayer, Praise, and Powerful Words
The ceremony began with a warm welcome from OCMS Executive Director Dr. Paul Bendor-Samuel, who spoke from the heart about the community effort behind each PhD journey. “You are the heroes,” he said, addressing spouses, children, friends, and supporters, “who encouraged, prayed, and sacrificed to make this day possible.” He honoured the Middlesex University partnership — now in its 12th year — which has seen more than 120 PhD graduates walk this path.
He also offered a poignant tribute to OCMS faculty and staff, particularly noting the retirement of Dr. David Singh after 22 years of service. “Generations of OCMS students have benefited from your wisdom, the excellence of your scholarship, and especially your kindness.”
OCMS Trustee Dr. Grace Dyrness then led us in a prayer of deep gratitude and hope — for strength, discernment, and lives grounded in Christ’s love and service.
Bridging the Gaps: A Witness of Faith and Hope
“Silence is not an option,” declared OCMS Trustee Dr. David Kasali in a keynote address that stirred hearts and brought tears to many eyes. “In fact,” he continued, “silence is a betrayal of your calling.”
His message — “Bridging the Gaps: A Christian Call to a Divided World” — was more than a speech. It was a prophetic call to action. With deep conviction shaped by personal pain, theological reflection, and years of leadership in post-conflict Congo, Dr. Kasali challenged each graduate to become a bridge in a world marked by fear, fracture, and injustice.
He shared moving testimony of returning to the Democratic Republic of Congo amid war and tragedy — after losing family members and witnessing firsthand the wounds of a divided society. His response was not retreat but redemptive engagement: founding the Congo Initiative and the Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo, a centre of hope and transformation in a region still marred by suffering.
With warmth, humour, and gravity, he addressed the graduates directly:
“You are being sent into a world that is dangerous — a world desperate for leaders who will stand in the gap, who are willing to lay down comfort and convenience to offer healing, reconciliation, and hope.”
Drawing on John 15 and 2 Corinthians 5, he called them not simply doctors of philosophy, but ambassadors of Christ: people marked by courage, integrity, sacrifice, and love. His challenge was clear and urgent:
Relocate. Identify. Act.
“Transformation begins not from a distance,” he said, “but when we move toward people, stand beside them, share their burdens, and act in love.”
“You are being sent into a world that is dangerous — a world desperate for leaders who will stand in the gap, who are willing to lay down comfort and convenience to offer healing, reconciliation, and hope.”
In a world overwhelmed by despair, he reminded us that hope is not abstract — it is embodied. “I didn’t just write a PhD on hope,” he said. “I’ve lived it.” And now, he passed that calling on.
Celebrating the Graduates
This year, ten students received their PhDs in person, with three more joining remotely. Their research spanned continents and disciplines — from Christian spirituality in Ethiopia, to sacramental theology from Coptic and Latin American perspectives, to hope and reconciliation in communities marked by suffering.
A particularly joyful moment came when OCMS alumnus Nino gave thanks through a Spanish worship song, sung together with his extended family — a heartfelt offering of praise that echoed the international spirit of the day.
Julia Vidal Álvarez was honoured to give the student response speech, sharing her powerful personal journey. She reflected on her unlikely path from failing English in high school to earning a doctorate at OCMS. Julia recalled a pivotal moment as a teenager, kneeling in prayer at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. That visit to St. James — the patron saint of Spain — not only restored her faith but also set her on the path toward art, architecture, and eventually her PhD. Her research brought her full circle, as she completed a doctorate on sacred architecture in the very tradition that once gave her hope. “We haven’t walked this path alone,” she said. “God works through His many channels.”
Introducing our 2025 Graduands
Meet this year’s Graduates and title of their thesis.
Dr. Christopher M. Jensen
Thesis
Fostering Virtue among Auto Rickshaw Drivers in Sri Lanka: A Case Study of an Urban Sharing Institution. (July 2024)
Dr. Karen Ellis
Thesis
‘A Theology of Persecution and Christian Endurance: Cain, Abel, and a “Black Book of Acts” Among the St. Thomas Moravians.’ (November 2024)
Dr. Mark Michael Masucci
Thesis
Can Art Be a Medium for Connection with God: Reflections on Taylor, Aquinas and Maritain. (November 2024)
Dr. Philip A. Eubanks
Thesis
Live the Vision Church Culture (LTVCC): An Ethnographic Case Study and Theological Inquiry. (November 2024).
Dr. Ambrose Massaquoi
Thesis
The Role of the Christian Faith in the Emergence of Social Entrepreneurship in Lagos, Nigeria. (February 2025)
Saturnino Gonzalez
Thesis
A Pentecostal Perspective on Church Leadership: A Study on Church Leadership Conversion among Young Pentecostal Latinos in the Florida Multicultural District of the Assemblies of God. (March 2025)
Dr. Julia Vidal Álvarez
Thesis
Vastu-sastra for Christian Spiritual Well-being in St. Thomas Ancient Church Architecture of the Malabar Coast (Southwest India)
(March 2025)
Cleison Mlanarczyki
Thesis
Bringing Characters Alive: Sensory Development in the Fourth Gospel’s Characterisation.
(April 2025)
Riad Ghobrial
Thesis
A Sacramental Theology of th Poor Centered on the Eucharistic Liturgy from Coptic and Latin American Perspectives (May 2025)
Tsehaywota Woldetsadik
Thesis
Child Spirituality and Holistic Ministry: A Qualitive Study in Wonji Shoa, Ethiopia
(May 2025)
Graduands in Absentia
Jim Philips
The Portrayal of Jesus in Islam Amongst Contemporary Muslims Writing to the American Public: In What Ways do Their Writings Represent Continuity and Change in Relation to Formative-Classical Muslim Understandings? (October 2024)
Regina Foard
Identifying the Intercultural Leadership Capacity of Host Agent Church-Planters Interacting with Immigrants in the USA. (December 2024)
Shurhisieu Meyase
Change and Continuity in Angami Naga Traditional Morality: ACritical Appraisal with Special Reference to Kenyű, Mhosho, and Thenyi (February 2025)
Faculty and Graduands
A joyful snapshot of the OCMS Faculty and 2025 Graduands – celebrating a journey of learning, mentoring, and shared purpose.
