By Janis Fontaine
All clergy are teachers, but few come with the academic pedigree of the Rev. Dr. Robyn Neville of St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton.
Neville, who says it’s perfectly fine to call her Robyn, brings more than two decades of academic study and service to her job as director of the new Center for Spiritual Formation at St. Gregory’s. The church describes it as “a learning center for adults seeking continuing education in theological studies, as well as formation in the history, theory and practice of spirituality.”
The center has been offering classes since January.
“We have so much to teach each other,” Neville said. “I used to teach world religious cultures and medieval spirituality at the college and graduate level, so I’m especially interested in creating classes and programs that foster healthy discussion about different religious traditions and practices. Boca Raton is a diverse community in terms of religious affiliations and identities, and I hope we can share our differences and learn from each other, but also celebrate our strengths.”
Classes are offered both in person and via Zoom, which allows Neville to reach a wider audience. “I see the center as a unique opportunity, whether you’re religious or not, for people to learn about spirituality and their connection to the divine. Our programs are open to people of all backgrounds,” she said.
“People join from all over the country,” Neville said. The curriculum “is rigorous, discussion-based and free. We see education as a service to the community because it’s hard to do spirituality on your own. We provide a sense of community and bonding, because there’s a group of us all looking for truth and meaning. We try to provide an experience with divine that lifts us up.”
Neville says she’s a “perpetual student” as the best teachers are.
Neville was raised in Alexandria, Virginia, the daughter of two college professors. Her father taught English literature, her mother, art history. A “cradle Episcopalian,” she earned her undergraduate degree in religion from William & Mary (founded in 1693 by King William III of England and Queen Mary II, it’s second only to Harvard as the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States).
Neville is a theologian in the strictest sense of the word. She has a Ph.D. in historical studies in religion from Emory University, a master’s degree from Harvard in medieval historical theology, and a master of divinity with honors from Virginia Theological Seminary.
Her interest in church history dominated her studies and earned her opportunities to study abroad. Her deep interest in religious history led her to serve on the board of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church in 2012 and as president from 2016 to 2022, and she continues to serve as its vice president.
Neville was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 2003 and has served the church as an assistant rector, a pastoral associate for Christian formation, and as the theologian-in-residence in parishes in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts and Virginia. She has served as a hospice chaplain, school chaplain and youth minister, and she served for two years as the port chaplain at Port Everglades, where she ministered to sailors from all over the world.
“Most of the sailors are from Indonesia or Southeast Asia or Africa,” she said. “We’d offer them literature in their own language and phone cards so they could call home and see to their medical and dental issues. As a chaplain, your job is part social worker. We would just encourage them to keep their faith, whatever it was.”
Teaching people to forge a stronger connection with their faith inspires almost all of the classes the center offers. During Lent, Neville offered a course called “Medieval Monastic Spirituality: Harvest for the Soul” that explored five ways in which medieval spiritual seekers sought religious fulfillment. From the practices of Benedictine monks and nuns to Franciscan friars to female mystics, Christians have found ways to achieve a meaningful holy life. The course was designed to show ways modern society can use these practices.
Starting May 15, the center will offer an online class called “Always, We Begin Again: Benedictine Spirituality and the Rule of St. Benedict.” It meets at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and runs through summer via Zoom.
Some others in the works are “Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Spiritual Tradition,” both in person and via Zoom sometime in the fall; “Women, Heretics, Jews, and Others— Stories from the Margins of Christianity,” via Zoom in early winter; “Greening the Household of God: Ecology and Holiness”; plus guest speakers and one-day seminars. Classes are free.
In her role as teaching priest, Neville said, “I’m hoping that we will meet a need here in Boca Raton.” Although all the courses are different and cover a wide swath of topics, Neville said, “I would say one of the questions we seek to answer is: How do we become better Christians?”
To learn more about the center, email Neville at RNeville@st-gregorys.com, call the church at 561-395-8285 or visit stgregorysepiscopal.org/spiritual-formation.
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com.
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