Meaning Makers of HDS: The Sacred Work of Presence

About this episode

The episode features a conversation with two HDS alumni who discuss the role of chaplains in helping others find meaning in life.

Meaning Makers of HDS is a new podcast by the Harvard Divinity School Office of Communications that explores the many dimensions of human meaning making. In interviews with HDS alumni, faculty, and others, this podcast showcases how members of the HDS community create meaningful lives—through religion, spirituality, faith, and beyond. Each episode features conversations that highlight the deeply personal and diverse ways people wrestle with life’s biggest questions. In the first episode of Meaning Makers of HDS, we spoke with two HDS alumni serving their communities as chaplains: Maytal Saltiel, MDiv '12, and Ailya Vajid, MTS '11. Throughout the conversation, Saltiel and Vajid discussed their respective understandings of the chaplain's role, how through the chaplain's sacred work of presence they help others find meaning across the spectrum of life experiences, and how they personally make meaning in their own lives. Full transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2026/01/27/meaning-makers-hds-sacred-work-presence Intro and outro music: "Morning in the Mountains," by Michael William Murray, courtesy of Extreme Production Music USA

People in this episode

Guests: Maytal Saltiel, Ailya Vajid

Topics covered

• meaning making
• chaplaincy
• spirituality
• faith
• community service
• personal growth

Keywords

• chaplain
• meaning
• spirituality
• Harvard Divinity School
• alumni
• interview

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard Divinity School

Books & works: Meaning Makers of HDS, Morning in the Mountains

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