"How do we bring forward a counternarrative to political oppression?"

"Those vestiges of colonialism when empire was present in a particular context, when it left, those forms of knowledge still exist and they're still informing how you make decisions and how you move with one another and we can ask those questions of the Lutheran Church." - Hierald

"I think the questions we were asking around, who benefits from this kind of interpretation, and how does someone's history shape their story? Those are questions I want people to bring back to their communities." - Ben

Hierald Osorto has a passion for stories hidden out of sight, which drives him to work collaboratively and creatively to bring those stories to light. He comes to Holden from Ithaca College, nurturing belonging and meaning-making as Director of Religious and Spiritual Life and Executive Director for Student Equity and Belonging. Assigned to the DC Metro Synod, he will soon be the newest rostered leader in the ELCA. Three words that describe Hierald? Intuitive, insightful innovator.

Ben Masters is a lover of stories and sacred song, and a pastor among those complicated, covenant people called Presbyterians. He comes to Holden with greetings from the farmers, wine-makers, and librarians beside beautiful Seneca Lake. He started baking sourdough bread long before lockdown, but the perfect pie crust still eludes him. Three words that describe Ben? Hopeful, humming homilist.

To learn more about Holden Village, visit: http://www.holdenvillage.org or to listen to more audio recordings visit: http://audio.holdenvillage.org. The Holden Village Podcast is accessible through Apple iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and most podcast apps. For questions and inquiries, contact [email protected].