The Divinity School is pleased to announce the 2024 Rhind Award winner, Joseph Carl Tomas-Lemna.

The Rhind Award was established by University Trustee and Divinity School Visiting Committee member James Rhind in honor of his father, who was a Presbyterian pastor and teacher. Each year, the Joseph Gray Rhind Award is presented to a graduating Master of Divinity student whose excellence in academic and professional training gives notable promise of a significant contribution to the service of others. 

Joseph Tomas-Lemna entered the Divinity School in 2021 following a year of service as an AmeriCorps volunteer at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Interested in pursuing chaplaincy while also asking larger questions about community health, Joe’s first summer was spent as a chaplain intern at Northwestern University, while his second field placement was at the St. Kateri Center, a space of spiritual practice, community gathering and resource-sharing for Indigenous peoples across Illinois. Joe’s gifts for spiritual care were experienced in our learning community as well, especially in his work as a BONDS mentor with the Dean of Students office, helping to organize the inaugural “Run Swift-ly” 5k. In his scholarship, Joe continues to ask pressing questions of the field of chaplaincy, as shown in his completion of a certificate in Health Administration and Policy, as well as his thesis, “Spiritual Care and Social Determinants of Health: Working towards Health Equity through Hospital Chaplaincy.” 

This summer, Joe will focus on mapping the spiritual landscapes of various Chicago communities, demonstrating his continued desire to re-imagine what community spiritual care can be. In the Fall, he will begin a chaplain residency program at University of Michigan Health.