Syracuse University’s newest chaplain is pagan priestess Mary Hudson

The first pagan chaplain at Syracuse University has a sense of humor about the misperceptions of her faith.

“We don’t do animal sacrifices,” Mary Hudson said, with a slight laugh. “We’re not going to steal your babies and make candles out of them.

“And godless? Absolutely not. We have more gods and goddesses than most people I know. Some of the most spiritual people I know are pagans.”

No dark makeup, no Goth clothing here: In her small office in the basement of Hendricks Chapel she shares with the Catholic chaplain, Hudson, 50, wears faded jeans and a powder-blue knit top.

Hudson earlier this month became the 11th chaplain on the Hendricks staff, taking her place among representatives of more mainstream faiths like Episcopalianism, Roman Catholicism and Buddhism.

“I know that you have to play nice in the sandbox,” Hudson said. “You have to understand that everybody has a point of view.”

Hudson is a third-degree priestess—the highest rank—in the Church of the Greenwood. She served for nine years as adviser to the SU student group Student Pagan Information, Relations and Learning. SPIRAL meets every Monday night and holds outdoor rituals on campus on some of paganism’s eight annual “Great Days.”  Read Article

By Glenn Coin