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Peter Morales

The Rev. Peter Morales is the eighth president of the Unitarian Universalist Association. He was elected in June 2013 to a second four-year term.

Prior to his election, Morales served as the senior minister at Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden, Colorado. From 2002 to 2004, Morales was the UUA Director for District Services. He has also served on the UUA Board of Trustees, as trustee from the Mountain Desert District, and on the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association (UUMA) Executive Committee, as the first person to carry its anti-racism, anti-oppression, multiculturalism portfolio.

Before entering the ministry, Morales was a Fulbright lecturer in Spain, a newspaper editor and publisher in Oregon, a Knight International Press Fellow in Peru, and a regional manager in California state government.

Morales grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated with a B.A. from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, in 1967. He earned his M.Phil in American Studies from the University of Kansas in 1976 and his M.Div. from the Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California, in 1999.

Morales and his wife, Phyllis Windrem Morales, have been married since 1967. They have two adult children, Miguel and Marcela.


Articles

You can’t pretend to show up
Where would Dr. King ask us to show up if he were alive today?
By Peter Morales 3.1.15

Tough times
We progressives are prone to believing progress is a lot easier than it is.
By Peter Morales 11.10.14

Changing hearts, not just opinions
We must speak truth to power. But more importantly, we must persuade the frightened and uninformed.
By Peter Morales 8.15.14

Opportunities are always there
Thriving congregations have leaders who seize the opportunities before them rather than cling to plans that are no longer viable.
By Peter Morales 6.23.14

Our house, unequally divided
Inequality has reached such toxic levels that it corrupts our relationships and threatens our democracy.
By Peter Morales 4.7.14

One simple, transformative practice
A search for connection is at the heart of all spiritual traditions and practices.
By Peter Morales 1.20.14

Belief is the enemy of faith
A new interfaith, multifaith spirituality is struggling to be born.
By Peter Morales 9.16.13

Trust the dawning future
Leaving Beacon Hill for a modern headquarters is a huge move for the UUA.
By Peter Morales 5.15.13

What Unitarian Universalists want
Unitarian Universalists share a profound sense of what we cherish and what we want to become.
By Peter Morales 5.6.13

Love will prevail
Love is not afraid; love is tough.
By Peter Morales 11.5.12

Engaging the 'nones'
The rapid growth in the number of people who identify with no religion has profound implications for Unitarian Universalism.
By Peter Morales 11.1.12

Hand in hand, Fall 2012
To create deep and enduring relationships, our love must develop into mutual trust.
By Peter Morales 10.15.12

Hand in hand, Summer 2012
The true test of this year's GA is what our congregations in every state do five years from now.
By Peter Morales 5.7.12

Practice religious hospitality
It's not rocket science: Simply smiling and saying hello to visitors would transform our congregations.
By Peter Morales 2.6.12

Unitarian Universalists must learn to cross borders
Our challenge is to learn to reach beyond the confines of our personal social and cultural experience.
By Peter Morales 12.5.11

Hand in hand, Fall 2011
We must do three things: get religion, grow leaders, and cross borders.
By Peter Morales 8.15.11

Everything changes, and we must, too
Central to our faith tradition is our willingness to leave behind what no longer serves us.
By Peter Morales 5.2.11

We must get better at communicating
Our relationships are created and sustained by our communication.
By Peter Morales 2.15.11

Hand in hand, Winter 2010
We are intimately connected to Mayans in Guatemala, day laborers in Arizona, Buddhists in Japan, farmers in the Philippines, and religious progressives all over the world.
By Peter Morales 11.1.10

Service is our prayer
When we serve we become more compassionate, more sensitive, more understanding, and more aware.
By Peter Morales 9.27.10

The new America
America is in the midst of a historic demographic shift that represents an enormous opportunity, and challenge, for Unitarian Universalists.
By Peter Morales 5.15.10

The 'it' church
From the President: If we 'get religion' we will thrive. If we don't, we will decline.
By Peter Morales 5.3.10

What moves you?
We only find ourselves when we lose ourselves in service to something that transcends us.
By Peter Morales 12.28.09

Unitarian Universalists want our movement to change
A letter from the newly elected president of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
By Peter Morales 9.21.09