The Iliff School of Theology warmly invites you to join us for a Ground Blessing Ceremony on Friday, October 24, 2025, at 1:00 PM on our campus. The event will feature engaging speakers and a reception that brings the community together. This ceremony marks a sacred moment in our ongoing journey of atonement and reconciliation with our Native American relatives.
We will gather in community to:
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Seek blessing on the land that holds complex and painful history.
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Offer respect to the Elders and the stories long silenced.
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Commit ourselves anew to the work of restorative justice.
This event is part of Iliff’s broader commitment to healing—a journey rooted in truth, accountability, and transformation. We embrace the responsibility of reckoning with our past, including the acknowledgment of having held the Iliff Book for more than 130 years. We are hosting this Memorial Site Ground Dedication Ceremony to begin making right what was long left undone.
Before Iliff can create an Indigenous Studies program that is meaningful and just, we must first honor the voices of those historically ignored. Reconciliation is not a step in our work—it is the foundation of it. Together, let us listen deeply, act justly, and move forward in kinship.
Updates on the Development of Native American/Indigenous Studies at Iliff
On August 8, 2025, President Butler penned a briefing on the work to date related to Iliff’s efforts to atone and reconcile with our Native American/Indian relatives. Iliff leadership is actively working towards fulfilling the five Primary Commitments to the Lenape during their 2022 gathering. This work continues to move forward, with all aspects intricately intertwined. Please read President Butler’s full briefing for further details.
Holding Relationships: A Gathering to Remember
Can’t attend the Ground Blessing in person? Join the Student & Alumni Led Community Service held in-person and online. Iliff students invite all students, alumni, and community members to join us on the evening of October 23rd in-person at Iliff and online at this hybrid gathering.
About Iliff School of Theology
Purpose
Iliff is a theological graduate school that nurtures passion, cultivates compassion, and encourages social and ecological justice around the world.
Vision
Iliff students and graduates are social justice activists, spiritual companions, religious leaders, and intercultural innovators in faith, secular, civic, and academic communities.
Commitment
The Iliff School of Theology educates persons to be leaders committed to interculturality, decolonialism, social justice, inclusiveness, and religious diversity.
Iliff’s purpose, vision, and commitment are lived out in degree offerings, initiatives, and labs serving specific users and their needs.