CHICAGO, December 17, 2025 – The InterReligious Institute at Chicago Theological Seminary is pleased to announce Jimmy Paton as the 2026 recipient of the Rabbi Herman E. Schaalman Interreligious Leadership Award. The award will be formally presented at the André LaCocque Interreligious Lecture to be held virtually in March 2026.

Paton’s award-winning submission, “These are the Names”, is an immersive audio installation conceived as a sacred space for mourning, reflection, and interfaith solidarity. The project confronts acts of religious terrorism carried out by white supremacist and Christian nationalist extremists by honoring victims and lifting up shared teachings of peace across faith traditions. Designed as a public ritual, the installation transforms collective grief into an act of healing and resilience for the Durham, North Carolina community and the wider region.

Paton is a social practice artist whose work creates immersive experiences at the intersection of technology, spirituality, and social commentary. He is in his second year of the Master of Divinity program at CTS, concentrating in Chaplaincy Studies, while concurrently pursuing a Master of Arts in Art & Technology at the University of Oklahoma. A self-described post-Pentecostal mystic, Paton brings a trauma-informed approach to spiritual care, grounded in his belief that art can create pathways for healing and the reclamation of agency for those who have experienced spiritual abuse.

Paton lives in Durham, North Carolina, where he works as Development Marketing Specialist at Duke University Chapel and contributes to “say the thing,” a project cultivating moral imagination through new canons of sacred texts authored by modern prophets. He enjoys coffee, metal shows, playing drums, volunteering with Day One Relief, and spending time with his partner, Beca.

As the 2026 Schaalman Award recipient, Paton receives a $1,000 honorarium, along with an additional $500 to support project expenses. CTS also recognizes two Special Mention Awardees: Mahir Hussein, for his reflection on interreligious formation through “Safer Nights,” and Suleiman Adan, for “Faith at the Gate,” a proposed initiative offering interfaith reentry support for Somali Muslims in Minneapolis.

The Rabbi Herman E. Schaalman Interreligious Leadership Award is named in honor of Rabbi Herman E. Schaalman (1916–2017), a Holocaust survivor, Chicago rabbi, and lifelong advocate for interreligious dialogue. Schaalman believed deeply in the power of friendship and conversation across religious differences as a means of healing communities and strengthening the common good. Established in 2000, the award continues his legacy by honoring CTS students whose work embodies courageous compassion, creative leadership, and a commitment to interfaith understanding.