Episcopal Church Seminary Timeline

Episcopal Church Seminary Timeline

with particular attention to the histories of the Philadelphia Divinity School, Episcopal Theological School, and the Episcopal Divinity School.

Prepared by the Rev. Matthew P. Cadwell, PhD (EDS ’99)

1789—General Convention adopted the Constitution and Canons of the Church, stipulating that: “No person shall be ordained in this Church until he shall have satisfied the Bishop and the two Presbyters, by whom he shall be examined, that he is sufficiently acquainted with the New Testament in the original Greek, and can give an account of his faith in the Latin tongue, either in writing or otherwise, as may be required.” (Canon 8).

│

1804—House of Bishops set a “Course of Ecclesiastical Studies,” including an appended list of books for “the Library of a Parish Minister.”

│

1817—gENERAL tHEOLOGICAL seMINARY established in New York City by act of General Convention, with set curriculum. GTS is the first and official seminary of the Episcopal Church. Bishop William White of Pennsylvania disagrees with the idea of a national seminary, and would prefer regional or diocesan schools for the training of clergy, but agrees to support the will of the broader church. The Rev. Dr. Samuel Turner, who had been appointed by White as teacher of theology in Pennsylvania, is subsequently appointed first professor at GENERAL SEMINARY.

│

1824—Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary (Virginia Theological Seminary) established in Alexandria, VA. VTS was evangelical and missionary in outlook, in contrast to the high church and establishment sensibility of GTS. Among its founders were Bishop William Meade, the third Bishop of Virginia, and Francis Scott Key, whose 1814 poem “The Defence of Fort McHenry” became the text for the National Anthem in 1931. In 1818, Francis Scott Key formed “An Education Society” and five years later opened the “School of Prophets,” to become the PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN VIRGINIA. The school opened with two instructors and 14 students enrolled.

│

1824—Kenyon College established in Worthington Ohio, by Bishop Philander Chase, for the purpose of training candidates for ministry. Institution moved to Gambier Hill in 1825. Bexley Hall as the seminary component of the college, was later separately identified, in honor of Nicholas Vansittart, 1^st Baron Bexley, an early benefactor of the college.

│

1834—Episcopal Theological Seminary in Kentucky established in Lexington by Bishop Benjamin Bosworth Smith to provide education on the western frontier. Fell into quick decline by 1837 due to financial troubles. Later had nominal existence as a department of Shelby College in Shelbyville, KY.

│

1841—Nashotah House established in Nashotah, Wisconsin at the urging of western missionary Bishop Jackson Kemper by recent graduates of General Theological Seminary: James Lloyd Breck, William Adams, and John Henry Hobart, Jr. Established as a semi-monastic missionary seminary with a high church sensibility. The first graduate, in 1845, was Gustaf Unonius, a Swedish immigrant who was ordained by Jackson Kemper and worked to establish Swedish Episcopal congregations in the Upper Midwest, until returning to Sweden.

│

1854—Berkeley Divinity School founded in Middletown, CT. Named for the Irish philosopher and bishop George Berkeley, it offered a middle way between the high church sensibility of General Seminary and the evangelicalism of Virginia Theological Seminary. Bishop John Williams of CT served simultaneously as Berkeley’s first dean and instructor in church history and theology. 

│

1854—James DeKoven joined the faculty of NASHOTAH HOUSE. The most widely-known and respected leader of the Anglo-Catholic movement in the 19th century American Church, DeKoven brought many of the principals and practices of the Tractarian movement to the attention of the Episcopal Church, especially a firm belief in the doctrine of the Real Presence. He later defended the practice of Eucharistic adoration. He left NASHOTAH HOUSE in 1859 to serve as warden of Racine College, but his imprint on the seminary was profound. DeKoven was nominated Bishop of Massachusetts in 1872 and of Milwaukee in 1874. He was elected but not consecrated Bishop of Illinois in 1875 because he did not receive the necessary consents from a sufficient number of diocesan standing committees in the Episcopal Church. He was never made a bishop, but is remembered as the "American Keble."
│

1857—University of the South established in Sewanee, Tennessee by 10 dioceses: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. It was established to provide denominational education free from northern domination. Formal education delayed due to the start of the Civil War. School of Theology opened in 1868. Several Confederate leaders were prominent in the life of the university, before and after the Civil War. 

│

1857—the Divinity School of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Divinity School) established by Bishop Alonzo Potter. Dr. George Emlen Hare, a graduate of General Seminary, served as the first dean. PDS came to fuller and more organized life in 1862, with the establishment of a Board of Trustees, Board of Overseers, appointment of instructors, and a charter, and constitution. Courses of study were open to students of all races.

│

1858—SEABURY DIVINITY SCHOOL established in Fairbault, Minnesota by James Lloyd Breck, previously first dean of Nashotah House, and Solon Manney. It was intended to be part of a larger Bishop Seabury University, which never came to be; however, the DIVINITY SCHOOL flourished for a time under the leadership Henry Benjamin Whipple, first bishop of Minnesota. Though founded by Breck, SEABURY developed a low church and missionary frontier sensibility. Notably, it included white and Native American students.

│
1862-1865—During the Civil War, the Union Army took possession of the VIRGINIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY property in Alexandria and used it as an army hospital. During the war it was used to house 1,7000 wounded federal troops, with 500 deceased buried on the grounds.  The seminary was reopened following the war. 
│

│

1867—Episcopal Theological School founded in Cambridge, Mass. by Benjamin Tyler Reed, a Boston businessman. Established with a lay Board of Trustees, to avoid ecclesiastical interference on teaching. Instead, all teaching had to conform to the Doctrine of Justification by Faith (as contrasted with the Unitarianism of Harvard University and the High Church teaching of General Seminary). John Seely Stone, previously on the faculty of Philadelphia Divinity School, appointed first dean. School supported by prominent figures like Phillips Brooks, William Reed Huntington, Amos Adams Lawrence, and Thomas March Clark.

│

1869—St. John’s Memorial Chapel built at Episcopal Theological School. Other buildings followed, completed in a Flemish style by architects Ware and Van Brunt: Lawrence Hall, Reed Hall, and Burnham Hall.

 │

1878—Bishop Payne Divinity School founded in Petersburg, Virginia to train African Americans for vocations in ministry in the Episcopal Church. Originally a branch of the Virginia Theological Seminary and associated with the St. Stephen’s Normal and Industrial School, it was led by the Rev. Thomas Spencer as Principal. In 1884 it was named for James Payne, first bishop of Liberia.

│

1878—ST. ANDREW'S DIVINITY SCHOOL established in Syracuse, New York at the behest of Bishop Frederic Dan Huntington. It was meant to serve primarily as a seminary for the Diocese of Central New York. Addressing his diocesan convention in 1876, Bishop Huntington said: “Experience shows that the most experienced men for our missionary service are those trained on our own ground. Reasons for this will readily suggest themselves. Besides, every Bishop wants the use of all his own candidates during their Diaconate, a period of great practical importance, for the free work of itinerancy and in small stations, of which we have so much on hand. It is clear to me that we shall never be furnished with a full force of Evangelists and Associate Missioners till we educate them among ourselves. We ought, therefore, to be looking forward to that measure, and shaping plans for a training school at the center of the Diocese, conducted with a regular course of study, lectures in the different departments of scientific and pastoral Theology and parenetics by our own scholars, with terms of practical exercise under Parish ministers. Such a class of Candidates for Orders, near at hand, with their teachers, would be almost sure to impress many devout youths with the demands of the sacred calling, and to turn them toward it.”
│

1880s—Philadelphia Divinity School began offering training for deaconesses, often African Americans offering education to freed slaves.

│

1883—Western Theological Seminary founded in Chicago, IL under the leadership of Bishop William McLaren. Western’s mission was to educate “fit persons in the Catholic Faith in its purity and integrity, as taught in the Holy Scriptures, held by the Primitive Church, summed up in the Creeds, and affirmed by the undisputed General Councils.” It relocated to Evanston, IL in 1929 at the invitation of Northwestern University and Garett Biblical Institute.

│

1893—Church Divinity School of the Pacific founded in Man Mateo, California by Bishop William Ford Nichols, second bishop of California. Originally called GIBBS HALL, after a wealthy businessman, George Gibbs, who donated property. Several buildings destroyed by the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, after which the seminary moved to San Francisco on the grounds of Grace Cathedral. Included students from the west, as well as from China, Japan, and the Pacific Islands.

│

1893—EPISCOPAL THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL Dean William Lawrence is elected bishop of Massachusetts, following the unexpected death of Bishop Phillips Brooks. A theological liberal, his election to the episcopate brings the consternation of those concerned with theological orthodoxy. As bishop, he was instrumental in founding the Church Pension Fund. Lawrence was succeeded as dean at ETS by George Hodges, who serves until his death in 1919.
│
1905—ST. ANDREW'S DIVINITY SCHOOL in Syracuse, New York closes upon the death of its then dean, Theodore Babcock, having educated 74 candidates for the ministry, most ordained by Bishop Frederic Dan Huntington. Included among them are George Hodges, dean of the EPISCOPAL THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, and James Otis Sargent Huntington, founder and superior of the Order of the Holy Cross. 
│

1915—Philadelphia Divinity School relocates to a new campus adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania. The campus plan called for a set of Gothic inspired buildings. While costs prevented all planned buildings from being completed, the stunning St. Andrew’s Collegiate Chapel was finished in 1925. The campus also included a classroom, library, refectory, and deanery, with other faculty residences near by.  

│

1922—Episcopal Theological School New Testament Professor Norman Burdett Nash argues that women should be ordained to the same orders as men. In 1921 a woman had applied for admission to ETS in order to prepare to teach Bible, but her application was not accepted.

│

1924—Episcopal Theological School faculty publish Creeds and Loyalty in reaction to increasing pressure for Episcopal Church seminaries to teach in conformity with doctrinal orthodoxy. The faculty advocated instead freedom of biblical and creedal interpretation, in line with theological modernism.

│

1924—Church Divinity School of the Pacific relocates to Berkeley, California, to benefit from closer association with other denominational seminaries already there.

│

1928—Berkeley Divinity School, under the leadership of its dean William Palmer Ladd, relocates from Middletown to New Haven to take advantage of the resources of Yale University, as well as the opportunities for ministry and learning in an industrial center.  A liturgical scholar, Dean Ladd sought to integrate the insights of the liturgical movement and the sacramental life with concerns for social justice.

│

1929—Philadelphia Divinity School begins admitting women to its programs of study, adapted for those preparing to teach religion in colleges.

│

1931—Philadelphia Divinity School graduates its first woman student, Elizabeth Hummerwell Willing. She was the first woman to graduate from any Episcopal seminary. She went on to serve as president of the Windham House, a national Episcopal training center for women.

│

1933—Seabury Divinity School merged with Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, forming Seabury-Western Theological Seminary.  The new seminary combined the low church sensibility of Seabury with the high church outlook of Western.

│

1933-1935—Philadelphia Divinity School is hit especially hard by the Great Depression. The School is forced to end the 1934 academic year early and faculty pay is suspended for six months (later extended to over a year). Troubles are deemed to be both financial and programmatic, with too little attention paid to practical training for pastoral ministry. Several faculty resigned as PDS began a thorough reorganization to respond to the growing need for pastoral and clinical training.

│

1935—Two women apply for admission to Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge. Faculty agrees that if they apply as cross-registrants through Radcliffe they can be permitted to take ETS classes. But they are not admitted as ETS degree students.

│

1936—Philadelphia Divinity School introduced Clinical Pastoral Education under the direction of Professor Reuel Howe. Students were required to have field placements during all three years of study. A major faculty and curricular change at PDS was undertaken to implement the clinical education program. This began PDS’s move away from traditional academic education toward a model grounded in praxis and experiential learning. Professor Howe later taught pastoral theology at Virginia Theological Seminary. 

│

1938—Philadelphia Divinity School welcomes to the Church Training and Deaconess School to its campus and appoints Katherine A. Grammer to the faculty as Dean of Women. Women and men at PDS were both awarded the Bachelor of Theology degree. Dean Grammer left PDS in 1945 for St. Margaret’s House, formerly the Deaconess Training School of the Pacific, in Berkeley, California and associated with the Church Divinity School of the Pacific until its closure in 1966.

│ 

1938—Several Episcopal Church seminaries receive early accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools: Berkeley Divinity School; Church Divinity School of the Pacific; Episcopal Theological School; General Theological Seminary; and Virginia Theological Seminary.

│

1941—Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge hires Adelaide Teague Case as Professor of Christian Education. Case is the first woman to serve as a regular faculty member in an Episcopal seminary (and not principally for women students).

│

1941—Church Divinity School of the Pacific, building on its relationship with St. Margaret’s House, admits women to its programs and graduates Ethel Springer from its Bachelor of Divinity program, the first Episcopal seminary to award the B.D. degree to a woman. (PDS had offered the Bachelor of Theology).

│

1943—Philadelphia Divinity School student Paul Washington (’46) lives in PDS dormitory. Although the seminary was always open to African American students, Washington was the first African American to reside on campus at PDS.

│

1949—Bishop Payne Divinity School closes after 70 years of education for African American candidates in the south. It formally merged with Virginia Theological Seminary in 1953.  The Virginia Seminary Library was subsequently renamed the Bishop Payne Library in honor of the former school.

│
1950—Professor Massey Hamilton Shepherd of the EPISCOPAL THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL publishes his influential book, The Oxford American Prayer Book Commentary. While at ETS he likewise published The Living Liturgy (1944) and The Worship of the Church (1952). A graduate of the BERKELEY DIVINITY SCHOOL, he later taught at the CHURCH DIVINITY SCHOOL OF THE PACIFIC from 1954 to 1981.  He was a major architect in the development of the 1979 Prayer Book.
│

1951—John Walker, later bishop of Washington, enrolled as the first African American student at Virginia Theological Seminary.

│

1951—Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest established in Austin, Texas by Bishop John E. Hines, coadjutor of Texas, as “a seminary for the while church.” The Rev. Gray M. Blandy served as the first dean. It was founded as an racially integrated institution.

│

1952—Church Training and Deaconess School abruptly departs Philadelphia Divinity School campus and relocates to New York, affiliating with the Windham House Training Center for Women. The move ends decades of pioneering education for women at PDS.

│

│

1953—The University of the South’s policy against admitting African American students led to the resignation of six faculty and the transfer of 35 of 56 divinity students in protest. Soon the trustees reversed their position. In the fall of 1953 the first black graduate student was admitted to the university. Merrick William Collier of Savannah was enrolled as the first African American student in the seminary in 1954. Segregation continued in the wider university and associated properties, including a hotel and restaurant, into the 1960s.

│

1958—Episcopal Theological School opened its bachelor of divinity programs to women on an equal basis with men. Additionally, postulancy was no longer required for admission. Faculty continued to call for the ordination of women to the diaconte and priesthood.

│

1962—Church Divinity School of the Pacific joins the creation of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

│

1965—Episcopal Theological School students attend the freedom march in Selma. Jonathan Daniels and Judith Upham stay in Alabama to work for civil rights and integrate St. Paul’s Church. Daniels was murdered on August 20, 1965 in Hayneville, Alabama, at a convenience store just after being released from jail. Daniels jumped in front of Ruby Sales, an African American civil rights activist. She later attended EDS as a student in the 1990s.

│

1966—Episcopal Theological School Ethics Professor Joseph Fletcher publishes his ground-breaking and controversial work, Situation Ethics. He argues that there is no consistent ethical norm except love, which changes in every situation.

│

1967—St. John’s Memorial Chapel at Episcopal Theological School renovated, removing pews and stone altar, creating a more flexible worship space. Renovations overseen by former Presiding Bishop and ETS graduate, Arthur Carl Lichtenberger. 

│

1968—Episcopal Theological School dean John Coburn, moved by the Civil Rights movement, resigns to teach at the Urban League’s Street Academies in Harlem, New York. He later served as President of the House of Deputies and Bishop of Massachusetts. Coburn was succeeded as dean by Harvey Guthrie.

│

1968—Episcopal Theological School hires Robert Avon Bennett as professor of Old Testament. A graduate of KENYON COLLEGE, GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, and HARVARD UNIVERSITY, he is the first African American faculty member at ETS.

│

1968—Bexley Hall disassociated from Kenyon College and relocated to the campus of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York. Also sharing the campus was ST. BERNARD'S SEMINARY, a Roman Catholic institution, thus creating a truly ecumenical venture of Roman Catholic, Baptist, Episcopal, and other Protestant traditions on one seminary campus. 

│

1968—Weston College (later Weston Jesuit SChool of Theology) relocated to the Episcopal Theological School campus in Cambridge. The BOSTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE is founded the same year, also initially housed at ETS. Thus began a new era of ecumenical cooperation, inspired by Vatican II.

│
1970—The General Convention establishes the GENERAL BOARD OF EXAMINING CHAPLAINS to evaluate the academic preparation of candidates for ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church, with a goal of ensuring that ordination candidates across the church meet the same standards. The first General Ordination Exam is administered in 1972. 
│

1970—John M. Burgess, Episcopal Theological School graduate of 1934, is elected bishop of Massachusetts. He is the first African American diocesan bishop in the Episcopal Church. He previously had been suffragan bishop of Massachusetts since 1962. Upon retirement in 1975, Bishop Burgess taught at Yale Divinity School.

│

1970s—Philadelphia Divinity School launches an innovative new curriculum, grounded in small group learning, educational projects, and close student-faculty interaction.

│

1971—Berkeley Divinity School federates with Yale University, with students earning degrees at Yale and denominational training through Berkeley. BDS maintains its own President, Board of Trustees, and endowment.

│

1971—EPISCOPAL THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, and the PHILADELPHIA DIVINITY SCHOOL form the Episcopal Consortium for Theological Education in the Northeast: ECTNE anticipated a common curriculum, faculty and student exchanges, a doctoral program, and potentially a merger. ECTENE appointed adjunct faculty in the areas of urban mission and women in the church, among them Suzanne R. Hiatt, ETS ’64.

│

1971—Women first admitted as regular degree students at the General Theological Seminary. Students were permitted to marry in 1972.

│

1970s—Openly gay students were admitted to Episcopal Theological School, whereas in previous decades students suspected of being gay were quickly dismissed.

│

1973—The Episcopal Church’s Board for Theological Education announced that it would recommend to the General Convention that year the consolidation of the church’s 11 seminaries into four regional centers for theological education, with school’s in or near Alexandria, VA; Chicago, IL; Berkeley, CA; and one in the Northeast (either Boston, New York, or Philadelphia, noting the ECTENE cooperation already underway). It likewise encouraged the Episcopal Church to offer increased financial support for theological education.

│

1974—Dean Harvey Guthrie of Episcopal Theological School announces at the spring commencement that he will resign unless an ordained woman is hired to the faculty over the next year, as nearly half of ETS’s students are women.

│

1974—Episcopal Theological School and Philadelphia Divinity School merge in Cambridge to form the new Episcopal Divinity School, effective June 6, 1974. (General Seminary’s constitution did not allow it to participate in a merger outside of New York City). EDS builds on strengths of its parent institutions, including the BTI and ETS’s long-standing association with Harvard, as well as the new competency based curriculum pioneered at PDS. ETS and PDS deans Harvey Guthrie and Ed Harris serve as co-deans of the new school. All tenured faculty of both schools are retained, 26 in total (16 from ETS and 10 from PDS).

│

│

1974—11 women deacons were irregularly ordained at Philadelphia’s Church of the Advocate on July 29. The Rev. Paul Washington, rector and PDS graduate of 1946, is master of ceremonies. ETS trustee and vice president of the House of Deputies Dr. Charles V. Willie preaches. Several faculty members from both ETS and PDS participate in laying on hands.

│

1975—Episcopal Divinity School hires two Philadelphia 11 priests to the new faculty, sharing one full-time position: the Rev. Suzanne R. Hiatt (ETS ’64) and the Rev. Carter Heyward. They were hired with full rights to serve as priests in

St. John’s Memorial Chapel. 22 faculty vote in favor of their hire. 4 faculty were opposed. Appointments draw ire of many in the church as their ordinations were still considered “irregular” or even “invalid.”

│

1975—Episcopal Divinity School establishes a new program titled “the Pastoral Institute for Training in Alcohol Problems” (PITAP), with funding by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The program was led by Professors Rollin Fairbanks, Edward Steiss, and the Revs. Bruce Noyes (ETS’ 56) and Meredith Hunt (ETS’ 74). PITAP closed in the 1980s due to a conclusion of its funding. Many graduates of that era said it was the most important aspect of their ministry training.

│

1975—School of Theology at the University of the South launches a new program for lay ministry titled “Theological Education by Extension.”  Originally intended to serve 28 southern dioceses, it eventually grows into Education for Ministry serving the whole church.

│

1976—Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry founded by evangelical and charismatic Episcopalians in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.  Bishop Alfred Stanway, retired Australian missionary bishop to Tanzania, became the first dean, followed by John Rodgers. 

│

1977—Philadelphia Divinity School campus sold to the University of Pennsylvania for only $607,000—far below the estimated value of $2.8 million. Net proceeds of the sale were just $455,000, leading to a considerable operating deficit at the new EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL.

│

1970s—Episcopal Divinity School faculty members “come out” as gay and lesbian. First was Ethics Professor Hayden McCallum (previously of PDS) in 1974, followed by Carter Heyward in 1979. Notably, Heyward was not yet tenured. Each mentored increasing numbers of LGBT students.

│

1977—The Council of Seminary Deans, Inc. affirm the ordination of women to the priesthood. Nine of ten Episcopal seminary deans pass the following resolution: “The Deans of nine accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church meeting at the Marydale Retreat House in Erlanger, Kentucky, on December 2, 1977, expressed their firm belief in the significance and value of the opening of the Priesthood and the Episcopate to women and affirm their support for the ministry of the many women in Holy Orders who are enriching the life and mission of the Church.” Deans voting in the affirmative were: Berkeley Divinity School at Yale (Charles H. Clark), Bexley Hall (Richard H. Mansfield), Church Divinity School of the Pacific (Fredrick H. Borsch), Episcopal Divinity School (Harvey H. Guthrie, Jr.), Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest (Gordon T. Charlton), The General Theological Seminary (Roland Foster), School of Theology of the University of the South (Urban T. Holmes, III), Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (O.C. Edwards, Jr.), and Virginia Theological Seminary (Cecil Woods, Jr.). The Dean of Nashotah House, the Very Rev. John Ruef, was unable to attend the meeting. His representative at the meeting, the Rev. Prof. William Petersen, abstained from voting. The deans further recommended that their faculties pass similar resolutions.
│
1978—EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL holds a forum on institutional racism which attracts a gift of $20,000 for the recruitment of students of color. As a result of intentional recruitment efforts, EDS attracts 10 African American students during the 1982-1983 academic year.

│

1981—Urban T. Holmes, Dean of the SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH dies unexpectedly at the age of 51. A graduate of the Philadelphia Divinity School before being ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church in 1954, he was awarded the Ph.D. degree from Marquette University in 1973 and taught previously at NASHOTAH HOUSE. Dr. Fredrica Thompsett, who as director of the Church's Board for Theological Education worked closely with Holmes, said of him: “I don't know of anyone who did more work in shaping the contemporary theological framework for the Church's ministry. In many circles, as conference leader, in the Church's Council of Seminary Deans, and in ecumenical settings he was a passionate and energetic voice for this role.”
│

1983—Episcopal Divinity School conducts a racism audit, which called for a commitment to hire people of color to the faculty.

│

1984—School of Theology at the University of the South elects Professor John E. Booty of Episcopal Divinity School to serve as its dean.

│

1984—Episcopal Divinity School committed to hire feminist faculty in each academic department, joining Professors Heyward and Hiatt. Three appointments were made in 1984: Katie Geneva Cannon in ethics (first African American woman on the faculty), Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza in New Testament, and Fredrica Harris Thompsett in Anglican church history.

│

1980s—Episcopal Divinity School included sexual orientation in its employment and admissions non-discrimination statements and permitted same-sex couples to live in student and faculty housing.

│

1985—Episcopal Divinity School called Bishop Otis Charles of Utah as its dean upon the retirement of Harvey Guthrie.

│

1986—Episcopal Divinity School established the Feminist Liberation Theology and Ministry Program. FLTM utilized EDS’s curriculum and pedagogical emphasis on experience to challenge traditional theological concepts, sexism, heterosexism, and patriarchy in church and societyIts first director was the Rev. Dr. Alison Cheek, a Philadelphia 11 priest and recent EDS D.Min. graduate. She was followed as director by the Rev. Dr. Renee Hill and Dr. Gale Yee.

│

1988—Episcopal Divinity School publishes inclusive language orders of worship for St. John’s Memorial Chapel, utilizing resources prepared by the Episcopal Church. Dean Otis Charles leads the effort, having previously been chair of the Standing Liturgical Commission. Liturgical rites alternate weekly between Rite II and Inclusive Language. Inclusive language canticles are likewise prepared, under the direction of Professor of Music Alistair Cassels-Brown.

│

1989—Episcopal Divinity School establishes the Parish Ministry in the Contemporary World program (later renamed Congregational Studies). It was geared toward students who wished to focus their programs on parish ministry preparation, integrating theory and practice, with an emphasis on small group reflection. It was initially directed by Professor George I. Hunter. After being reworked into the Congregational Studies program, which included regular continuing education seminars, it was directed by Charles Bennison and Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook (EDS ’83). 

│

1989—Episcopal Divinity School establishes the Anglican, Global, and Ecumenical Studies program (AGE). Planning was led by Professor Ivan Kaufman, previously of the PDS faculty, who had also taught at El Seminario Episcopal del Caribe in Puerto Rico (Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Caribbean). Aiding him were the Revs. Titus Pressler and Ian Douglas. Douglas was elected to the faculty as the director of AGE in 1990. AGE sought to bring an international perspective to campus through international student scholarships, visiting lectures, etc.

│

1988—Episcopal Divinity School Trustee Barbara C. Harris elected Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts. Consecrated in 1989, Bishop Harris is the first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion. The Rev. Suzanne Hiatt deeply involved in securing Harris’ election. Harris was awarded an honorary doctorate by EDS in 1989.

│

1991—Under Dean Otis Charles, Episcopal Divinity School’s chapel is closed to weddings and commitment ceremonies until a consensus can be reached on the appropriateness of same-sex blessings.

│

1991—NASHOTAH HOUSE'S Board of Trustees reaffirms the seminary's opposition to women in the priesthood and maintained a ban on women presiding at the Eucharist in the seminary chapel. In adopting a “Statement of Identity,” the trustees advocated a return to a traditional and orthodox program of formation for the male-only priesthood.
│

1991-1998—Episcopal Divinity School establishes two scholarships for US students of color: Absalom Jones Scholarship and the J. Rawson Collins Scholarship.

│

1993—Bishop Otis Charles resigns as dean of Episcopal Divinity School. Upon retirement he comes out as a gay man, the first bishop of the Episcopal Church to do so. The Rev. Dr. William Rankin (ETS ’66) called as President and Dean of EDS. Rankin was a classmate of Jonathan Daniels and deeply committed to racial justice in church and society.

│

1994—Dean Rankin of Episcopal Divinity School allows weddings to resume in St. John’s Memorial Chapel, along with same-sex blessings.

│
1994—THE GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY'S Trustees amend campus housing policy to allow same-sex couples to live in student and faculty housing. The change comes after Professor Deirdre Good brought a legal challenge to the seminary for precluding her to live in faculty housing with her partner. The new policy requires that students in same-sex relationships who are preparing for ordination and seek seminary housing must receive written approval from their diocesan bishop as a sign of “shared responsibility” for the decision.
│

1994—Virginia Theological Seminary elects the Rev. Martha J. Horne as dean and president. Horne is the first woman to serve as an Episcopal Church seminary dean. EDS awards her an honorary doctorate in 1996.

│

1995—Episcopal Divinity School inaugurates the Foundations for Theological Praxis course for first year students, with a focus on the integration of anti-racism awareness with theological study and ministerial preparation and establishes the Change Team and Anti-Racism Facilitation Group. They recommend that EDS “should focus on anti-racist, racial diversity and multicultural change institutionally and culturally … as a dimension in every part of its life, with the implication that all other forms of liberation would be inherently addressed.” These commitments lead EDS to partner with VISIONS, Inc.

│

1998—William Rankin resigns as dean of EDS after 5 years. He takes new position with the United Religions Initiative and later is co-founder of the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance. 

│

1998—Bexley Hall re-established itself in Ohio, teaching on the campus of Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. In 2008 Bexley completely left the campus of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in New York.

│

1998—Virginia Theological Seminary changes policy on sexuality and inclusion, allowing openly gay and lesbian students, if approved by their dioceses.

│

1999—Bishop Steven Charleston (EDS ’76) is called as President and Dean of Episcopal Divinity School. A Native American of the Choctaw Nation, Bishop Charleston is the first person of color to lead an Episcopal seminary.

│

2000s—Episcopal Divinity School’s program areas (FLT, AGE, and Cong. Studies) were ended due to financial constraints. The curricular emphases continued in an integrated way, but without faculty as dedicated directors.

│

2000s—Episcopal Divinity School becomes a partner seminary of the Metropolitan Community Churches, and launches a Doctor of Ministry program for Asiamerican Ministries.

│

2005—Weston Jesuit School of Theology announces merger with Boston College and relocation to the BC campus, ending nearly 40 years of ecumenical collaboration on the Episcopal Divinity School campus.

│

2007— TRINITY SCHOOL FOR MINISTRY drops "Episcopal" from its name, stressing its evangelical Anglican and ecumenical focus and relationships.

│

2007—Episcopal Divinity School launches its innovative Distributive Learning Program, allowing students to pursue degrees in a low-residency model.

│

2008—Episcopal Divinity School announces campus partnership agreement with Lesley University.  EDS sells Lawrence, Winthrop, and Washburn Halls to Lesley, as well as 101 Brattle Street. The Library becomes shared property in a condo arrangement. EDS’s endowment grows as a result from a low of $35 million to $73 million.

│

2008—Bishop Steven Charleston resigns as President and Dean of Episcopal Divinity School. He is succeeded in 2009 by the Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale (EDS D.Min., ’98). Ragsdale is the first openly gay or lesbian dean of an Episcopal seminary.

│

2009—Virginia Theological Seminary launches its “Second Three Years” mentorship program for recent alumni/ae, providing continuing education for VTS graduates in their first several years following seminary and ordination. All the expenses of this program are met by the Seminary.

│

2009—Seabury Western Theological Seminary, facing a decreasing endowment, closes its Master of Divinity program and decides to sell its campus to Northwestern University and relocates to the headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It continues to offer low-residency certificate and Doctor of Ministry programs.

│

2010—Virginia Theological Seminary’s historic Immanuel Chapel (consecrated in 1881) burns to the ground. A new chapel is built and consecrated in 2015. Dignitaries present at the consecration included Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. 

│
2012—The GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY initiates a plan to "Choose Life," which includes the sale of a hotel built into its Desmond Tutu Conference Center, as well as other buildings in its complex. The sale enabled the seminary to retire $40 million in debt and strengthen its struggling endowment. 
│

2013—Bexley Hall - Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation established, combining boards of trustees and faculties over two campuses in Columbus and Chicago. Master of Divinity programs are offered in Columbus and Doctor of Ministry and certificates in Chicago.

│

2013—SEMINARY OF THE SOUTHWEST appoints the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge as its eighth dean and president. She is the third woman called to lead a Episcopal seminary.
│

2013—The Board of Trustees of Episcopal Divinity School voted to suspend any future tenure-track appointments or awards of tenure until deeper conversations about the future shape and mission of the school could be undertaken. The vote led to significant conflict between the faculty and the Board and President and Dean.

│

2014—Eight (of eleven) members of the General Theological Seminary faculty strike over conflicts with the dean. The Board of Trustees considers the strike a resignation. Many are eventually reinstated for the remainder of the academic year, but do not continue on the faculty long-term.

│

2015—Episcopal Divinity School President and Dean Katherine Ragsdale resigns after a period of conflict. She is succeeded as interim president and dean by the Rev. Frank Fornaro (EDS ’96).

│

2016—Bexley-Seabury Seminary Federation consolidates and relocates to the campus of Chicago Theological Seminary, offering low-residency theological education.

│

2015-2016—Episcopal Divinity School Trustees establish a Future Visions Task Force to envision a sustainable future for the School, following several years of declining enrolments and deficit spending. The Trustees vote on July 21, 2016 to cease degree granting operations in 2017, while considering future partnerships. A Teach out program is announced for continuing students, with Distributive Learning students to be taught by Bexley-Seabury in Chicago and traditional learning students at the Boston University School of Theology.

│

2017—EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL sells Cambridge campus to LESLEY UNIVERSITY and relocates to New York City in federation with UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, offering an Anglican studies program within Union's academic degrees. Kelley Brown Douglas is named the first Dean.

│

2022—TRINITY SCHOOL FOR MINISTRY formally disassociates with the Episcopal Church. In 2024 it is renamed TRINITY ANGLICAN SEMINARY, with a focus on serving the Anglican Church in North America, as well as other Anglican and ecumenical bodies.

│

2019—CHURCH DIVINITY SCHOOL OF THE PACIFIC establishes alliance with TRINITY CHURCH on WALL STREET, NY, whereby the Trinity vestry becomes the Trustees of CDSP. The alliance is intended to strengthen CDSP's financial position and expand global relationships.

│

2022—Facing serious financial struggles, GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY federates with  VIRGINIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY establishing a joint Board of Trustees and a single President & Dean, headed by Virginia's Dean Ian Markham. 

│

2023—GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY concluded its residential seminary programs, shifting exclusively to a hybrid low-residency M.Div. program.  

│

2023—EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL and UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY announce the end of their federated relationship. EDS leaves the Union campus and establishes offices at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York while it discerns a new future.

│

2023—CHURCH DIVINITY SCHOOL OF THE PACIFIC announces that it will conclude its residential seminary program to focus solely on its low-residency hybrid M.Div. In 2024 it announces as well that it plans to end its long-standing relationship with the ecumenical GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION. It announced as well the possible sale or leasing of its Berkeley campus.

│

2024—NASHOTAH HOUSE names Dr. Lauren Whitnah as its Dean & President. She is the first woman to lead the Anglo-Catholic seminary, which draws students and faculty from the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church in North America, and the broader Anglican Communion. A lay person, she was affiliated with an ACNA congregation before joining the seminary.

│

2024—As of 2024, five of the Episcopal Church-related seminaries offer residential theological education--VIRGINIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, SEWANEE (UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH), NASHOTAH HOUSE, SEMINARY OF THE SOUTHWEST, and BEREKELY DIVINITY SCHOOL at YALE. Three seminaries offer low-residency hybrid education exclusively--BEXLEY-SEABURY, CHURCH DIVINITY SCHOOL OF THE PACIFIC, and GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL, which announced endowment holdings in excess of$77 million, continues to discern its future while offering workshops and short programs. 

│

© The Rev. Matthew P. Cadwell, PhD

A Pastoral Message after an Election

Dear friends,

Every election brings joy to some and disappointment to others--whether election to the library board or to the presidency of the United States. If our preferred candidate loses, elections of the greatest consequence also bring out fear that our worldview and most deeply held beliefs may somehow be challenged or defeated. Our Christian faith tradition reminds us, however, that new and abundant life grows even in the midst of fear and despair. Our faith reminds us, in fact it compels us to believe, that love is more powerful than hate, that hope is greater than fear, and that life is stronger than death. Always.

Within our Emmanuel family there are some who were hopeful for a Donald Trump victory, and others who were equally hopeful that Hillary Clinton would come out on top. Many, if not most, of us were disgusted by the campaign that unfolded in front of our eyes, by the accusations and insults, by the way that it brought out the worst in us as individuals and as an American community—racism, sexism, classism, and xenophobia to name just a few issues of concern. Thankfully, the ugliness of the campaign is now over. We can hope that the rhetoric reflected more the heat of the moment than the true character of those involved. For our own well being as a nation we must hope that.

I'll be honest and share that the final result is not the one for which I had hoped. And as of this writing, Hillary Clinton is leading in the popular vote count by over 235,000 votes. So, we are a nation deeply divided indeed, reflected in different electoral college and popular vote outcomes, with more of our citizens voting for the candidate who will not become president. But the system is what it is. We have survived the same disparity before, difficult as it was to accept for many. I believe that beyond the most extreme supporters on the fringes, those who voted yesterday reflect the hopes and dreams of the American people. They are people in need of a better job, better health care, safer communities, and fuller access to the American dream. This is equally true of Trump and Clinton supporters. Of course, the preferred political and philosophical means for achieving those ends are different. But, we all long for full and abundant life--whatever our race, gender, sexual orientation, economic situation, or political philosophy.

One of signal characteristics of our Emmanuel Episcopal Church community is the ability to come together, even when we disagree. Our parish community includes Democrats, Republicans, and independents, people with differing beliefs and backgrounds who are friends and family, who work and volunteer together, and who pray, sing, and receive the sacrament side by side. We are people who love and cherish each other, not because of our political beliefs, or even in spite of them, but instead because we know that we are drawn together by God, as God's beloved and cherished people. That is who we are, and why we are.

In my "Focus on Faith" column in the Wakefield Daily Item a few weeks ago I wrote that we can live together when we disagree, and even that we should live together when we disagree, so that we can begin to understand each other--both the greatest joys and the deepest concerns of our hearts. When we do that, we have the power to overcome suspicion, fear and mistrust. When we do that, we have the power to live the resurrection. That is my hope and prayer now that the election is over--that we will grow closer together and that we will incarnate the resurrection and manifest God's love to each other, to our friends and family, and to the world.

I also wrote in that “Focus on Faith” column that it will not be up to the political candidates to heal the deep and profound divisions in our society--at least not alone, though certainly they have a role to play. Really, it is up to us. For we are Christ's body in the world. We are Christ’s hands and feet. We are Christ’s heart and love. It is a love that casts out fear and offers glimpses of radiant light and enduring hope. This calling, to be Christ’s presence, is as real and true for those who feel victorious after the election as it is those who feel concern and even despair, wondering what the future holds.

I want to close this message by saying, yet again, how much our community means to me. How much you mean to me, my friends and family in faith. We have the power to hold each other up, to comfort each others' fears and anxieties, and really and truly to be the love of God for each other. In the days ahead, I invite and encourage you to share that love with those who need it, and also receive that love yourself.

Here is a prayer that I offered at our candlelight Evening Prayer and Vigil service on Monday night. I think it is even more appropriate today.  

Almighty God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: Send down, we beseech thee, upon all those who hold office in this land the spirit of justice and integrity, of wisdom and charity; that seeking their own good in the well-being of those committed to their charge, they may ever advance thy kingdom upon earth and promote the welfare of thy people. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessings,

Matthew+

The Revd Matthew P. Cadwell, PhD

Emmanuel Episcopal Church

5 Bryant Street

Wakefield, MA 01880

Focus on Faith: Fervent Prayer for our Nation

The following article appeared in the Wakefield Daily Item newspaper on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016

Focus on Faith

The Rev. Matthew P. Cadwell, PhD

Rector, Emmanuel Episcopal Church

A few weeks ago, we held a church work day on a beautiful Saturday morning. Parishioners worked inside and out. Some gardened. Others polished silver. There was a lot of dusting and cleaning out closets. Quite a bit was thrown away, recycled, and donated to the Good Will. It was a lot of work, but also fun, sharing a crisp fall morning with friends, knowing, too, that we were spending the day with God, and for God. The name of our church—Emmanuel—means “God with us.” And it felt that way. It felt like God was with us as we laughed and shared stories and wondered why we had hung on to old 70s era plastic dishes for so long.

As I drove home from the church that day, I reflected on the fact that among the dedicated parishioners working side by side, laughing and sharing stories, were people I know to be liberal Democrats and others who are conservative Republicans. Others identify as Independents. So far as I was aware, no one called anyone else “deplorable,” nor labelled anyone “crooked.” There were no threats of imprisonment or deportation. Rather, we focused on the tasks at hand—planting mums and organizing kids’ toys and art supplies. Even more than that, we enjoyed being together, with all our similarities and all our differences. 

As we approach election day, it sometimes seems that the press and the presidential candidates would have us think that people with political differences share very little, and that our worldviews are so far apart that we actually have to live states apart. Facebook and other social media contribute to that perception as well, only feeding us news and commentary that support our own limited worldview and perspective. In fact, they encourage us to easily “share” sharp articles that reinforce perceptions and beliefs, dividing us from friends, family, and acquaintances who may disagree. 

It doesn’t have to be that way, however. We can live together, even when we disagree. In fact, we should live together, so that we begin to understand each other. We can step back from launching missiles of insults, whether verbally or electronically. It may take a little self-control. But it’s worth it—for good of our society and for the good of our hearts and souls. 

Thankfully, there are less than two weeks remaining in the current campaign season. As much as I have a hoped for outcome, about which I feel passionately, I am also looking forward to an end to the ads, the fights, and the allegations. I am looking forward to an end of the toxic language and vitriol that are infecting our hearts, poisoning our souls, and driving us further and further apart. The candidates and their most vociferous supporters will say and do what they think is necessary to be elected. We can’t control them. We can control us.

My goal over the next two weeks is to pray daily for our nation. I am going to pray for Donald Trump and his supporters. I likewise am going to pray for Hillary Clinton and her supporters. I am going to pray for those who feel caught in the middle or left behind and just want a better life. Most especially, I am going to pray that our nation finds a way to come together in hope for a new day. Ultimately, it won’t be up to the new president to change and heal our nation—at least not alone. Instead, that healing and reconciliation will be up to us, working side by side, Democrats and Republicans alike, just like my parishioners on that Saturday work day.

Over the next two weeks, I invite you to join me in that fervent prayer for our nation. Then, whatever happens on November 8, I encourage you to take up the hard but necessary work of healing our divided and hurting country, so that we can look to the future together in hope. When we do, I believe we will know that God truly is with us.  

Hear Our Prayer: A Sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

After hearing today’s interesting readings—with Hosea’s rather bizarre talk of whoredom, Jesus calling his disciples evil, and his unexpected sayings about giving children snakes and scorpions instead of fish and eggs—you can maybe see why we had scheduled a hymn sing for this morning. But God clearly had other plans. And behind the somewhat strange language at the end, this morning’s gospel reading is focused on an important subject for Christians and people of faith: prayer, both how we pray and what we are to pray for. It is an especially useful and timely topic, I think, given the state of the world, and the intense realities of our lives. Lately, it seems that we—collectively, and some of us individually—are being inundated with trials, tribulations, and concerns.

All you need do is turn on the TV or open the newspaper to find stories of shootings or worse. I watched Friday’s news of the shooting spree in Munich with particular horror, as I was just there two weeks ago. It’s both saddening and frightening to think of the places I saw and the people I met under siege, being told by the police that they need to shelter at home and not go out on a beautiful Friday night. It leads us to wonder just what has happened to the world. What has happened to human life?

Some of us may even wonder—at least some of the time—whether there is any point to prayer, whether God listens at all, let alone answers our prayers, at least in any of kind of recognizable way. I confess that I have pondered these questions myself from time to time. And yet at other times, we may well believe that maintaining a life of prayer is the only way to find the strength we need to make it from one day and one trial to another. For many, prayer is a source of comfort and hope and perseverance.

Now, when it comes to the subject prayer I can’t claim to be an expert. Just yesterday I was saying to Dave Sullivan, after the Rev. David Prentice’s priesthood ordination celebration, that for the 20 years that Tom Shaw was our bishop I always had this inner feeling of unworthiness when it came to prayer, since unlike Bishop Shaw I wasn’t able to spend two or three hours every morning in prayer. Then, again, Bishop Shaw was a monk. Prayer is their expertise. And I don’t think monks would expect everyone to adopt prayer lives like that. In fact, I think they know that most of us won’t be able to share in that same prayer focus, and so they pray for us, on our behalf. Bishop Gates, by the way, is a less intimidating to me that way, though I am sure he has a rich and full prayer life as well. He loves to sing, and I suspect that singing is prayer for him, as it is for me as well.

Interestingly, 20 years ago, in the spring of 1996, I took a seminary class called “The Life of Prayer,” which was very popular—not only with seminarians, but people from the wider community. I think it was the highest enrolled seminary course at that point. We met in the chapel and each week there would be an initial lecture by the professor, and then we would try on different prayer models—usually types quiet contemplative prayer—for at least an hour or more. Unfortunately, at age 23 I found it really hard to settle into that life or style of prayer—either on my own or in the classroom. Thoughts were so busy bouncing around in my mind that it was hard to quiet things down and move into a quieter and more contemplative space. And often, once I started to get into that mental state, the professor would say something and I’d lose it again, ending up more frustrated than prayerful. So, developing that deeper personal prayer practice is something that has come later in life, on my own, as I have sought a deeper connection with God. I kind of wish I could go back and retake that “Life of Prayer” class now. I think I would appreciate it far more. 

In any case, what I do know about prayer is that when it comes to intercessory prayer—when we pray for certain intentions, as we often do—I don’t subscribe to the idea that God is a giant supernatural Pez Dispenser or Santa Claus up in the sky, who just gives us what we ask for at any particular moment. While Jesus does say in today’s gospel, “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you,” I have to imagine that he was not focused on the attainment of material goods or even the fulfilling of wishes. 

Perhaps like many of you, I was disabused of that idea when I was a kid. As you know, I was brought up in a religious family, so prayer was part of our lives—not necessarily always in a deep way, but it was there. We prayed before dinner, every night before bed and if we were struggling with something. I remember in particular, when I was maybe 5 or 6, standing outside on a very clear and starry night, praying and praying with great fervency. And what, you may wonder, was I praying for? 

Wizard of Oz toys.

I wanted them so badly. The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie, and of course it was only on TV once a year in those days—with no VCRs or DVD players, no Netflix or youtube, so these toys were, I suppose, a way to keep those wonderful characters with me all the time. So I prayed and prayed, not just once, but night after night after night—I prayed for my birthday. But nothing came. Then I prayed for Christmas, but sadly again nothing came. And then I prayed just because. Still nothing. I couldn't have prayed harder. But somehow those much longed for toys just never showed up. This leads me to believe that either God either must not care too much about Wizard of Oz toys. Or maybe, prayer just doesn’t work that way.

Maybe, prayer is not so much about asking for things, or getting things, but instead maybe it is about communicating our concerns with God. Even communicating ourselves with God. Maybe, and I suspect this is true, maybe prayer is about keeping the lines of communication open between us and God, and offering the deepest and truest concerns of our hearts to God, in as open and vulnerable a way as possible. That can be frightening, of course. Vulnerability is not easy, even when it is just between you and God. It can be tremendously hard to explore and name the deepest questions and concerns, and also the hopes and desires, of our hearts and souls. It requires that we grapple with and confront some hidden aspects of ourselves. 

We contend with health scares or ongoing, chronic conditions; some of us struggle with job and money insecurity; others with loneliness, depression, or questions of meaning; some of us fight addictions that weigh us down and prevent us from living freely and fully; and of course, eventually all of us are forced to deal with the deaths of those dearest to us, leading us to ponder questions of eternity. Just this week, two members of our parish family lost those closest to them—Colleen Moran’s father died while out for a swim, and Bernie Hutchens lost his brother after a plane crash. And, of course, on the societal or global scale nearly every day we hear of shootings, of cities and nations at war, of people fearing for their lives. There is so much to pray for, and sometimes it can be so hard to find the words, or the openness or vulnerability necessary to communicate with God, to truly commune with God.

That’s why Jesus offers us a guide, a road map, really. When you pray, he says, try praying like this:

Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.

And do not bring us to the time of trial.

I do not think Jesus means that we have to use these words exactly, though Christians pretty much have for 2000 years. But, I think, he means that these are the concerns that we should have at the forefront of our minds and hearts and souls—when we come to God in prayer and probably at all times.

We pray for the coming kingdom of God—in contrast with the kingdoms of the world. We pray for the place and the time in which all people will be free, in which all people are reconciled, and in which war and pain, conflict, death, and illness are ended. Pray for that, he says. And pray for daily bread—the food we need to survive, though probably not the excess that we are so accustomed to in the west and especially in the United States. And pray that others have enough to eat as well.

We pray to be forgiven for our sins, for our faults, for the things we do and the things we say that hurt others and that hurt ourselves. Of course, to receive this forgiveness we have to acknowledge to God, to ourselves, and to others, that we are not perfect. We are compelled to search our hearts and souls and lay them open, to become vulnerable, so that we can freed, so that we can be liberated really, from all that weighs us down. Of course, this also means that we likewise have to forgive others—of their debts, whether financial, spiritual, or moral. For our own good we can’t go on carrying our baggage forever—dragging garbage bags full of hurts and mistakes, frustrations and disappointments behind us. And neither can we go on dragging others’ baggage behind us either, holding onto old hurts and grudges and debts, sometimes for years and years. Instead, Jesus tells us, when we forgive and when accept forgiveness, we experience liberation. We experience resurrection life. Pray for that liberation, he says. Pray for that resurrection life.

In fact, when you think about it, prayer—as offered to us by Jesus—is all about liberation. It’s all about real, abundant, resurrection life. Sometimes we may use words when we pray, since that’s largely how we communicate. But then again, sometimes words are completely inadequate, and all we have is our breath, our touch, or the beating of our hearts. Because really prayer, however, wherever, and whenever it happens, is about opening ourselves and opening our hearts to God—so that we allow God in, so that we allow God to take root in us, so that we allow God to live and grow in us and through us and among us. That’s why we pray.

At its deepest and most profound, in prayer we invite God to bring God’s kingdom to life in us—whether that prayer happens at home at the dinner table or before bed; in a hospital nursery at the joyous birth of a baby, or gathered around a bed in the ICU,  even after life support systems have been shut down. It happens here in church, in words and in song and in quiet moments of solitude. And it also happens before a job interview and maybe even sometimes before a first date. Prayer can be hard. And it can also be a source of life.

Too often in church we feel rushed and we don’t allow ourselves enough time to pray. So, as I close today, I invite you to take a few moments to pray. With words or in silence, offering the concerns of your heart, or maybe quietly opening yourself to what God may be want to say to you now. After a few moments, I will gather us back together. So, let us pray….

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.  And may God’s kingdom live and grow in you and those you love, now and always. Amen.

© The Rev. Matthew P. Cadwell, PhD

Faith, Heritage, and Liberty: A Sermon for Independence Day Weekend

St. Paul writes: “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.”

This gem of a passage, tucked into Paul’s letter to the Galatians, offers helpful and encouraging words on this holiday weekend as we celebrate Independence Day and all that is good and true in our nation. Often, on the Sunday closest to the Fourth of July, I preach about the American Revolution and, in particular, how the Episcopal Church came to be—born or forged, as we were, in the crucible of that war. We are tied to England in our theology and rich traditions, especially the Book of Common Prayer, but we are also uniquely American. So much so, in fact, that our British cousins have difficulty understanding us. They don’t understand, for example, how it is that we elect our bishops. Bishops in England are selected by a commission, and ultimately appointed by the Queen herself, a direct chain from God, since they believe that kings and queens are divinely appointed and anointed—God’s chosen representatives on the throne. We prefer a more democratic approach. Though, each has its limitations. Democracy can be just as problematic as monarchy. The British are contending with the complexity of democracy just now in the aftermath of the European Union vote.

I’ve also sometimes talked about how decimated the Episcopalians were in New England during and after the war. Most of the Anglicans here were loyalists, so they fled to Canada or some went back to England. In Massachusetts there were only two Anglican priests left in the whole state at the conclusion of the war. Probably not too many parishioners, either. This was Puritan, Congregationalist territory and the Episcopal Church was suspect as the religion of the king. Maybe that’s why Emmanuel is such a small church while the Congregational church in town in so large. Perhaps it reflects our colonial heritage.

I’ve also talked about how, despite that bleak New England history, in the Middle and Southern states things were different and the Episcopalians often still called the shots. People you’ve probably heard of, like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and even Betsy Ross were Episcopalian, at least some of the time. Albeit with eclectic understandings and approaches to religious faith.

George Washington, for example, was a vestryman, but he never received communion in his adulthood. Martha always did, though, perhaps on behalf of the whole family. Ben Franklin rewrote the Book of Common Prayer to bring it closer to his own unusual faith (See here). Betsy Ross was a refugee from Quakerism, expelled when she married an Anglican. And Thomas Jefferson, well, he rewrote the whole New Testament, taking out the miracle stories because he didn’t believe in them. When Jefferson ran for president New England Congregationalists warned that if elected, he would confiscate all Bibles and convert churches into temples of prostitution. 

Like a number of people today, many of our colonial forebears preferred a more enlightened or scientific approach to the faith. You might also say that it was a somewhat more boring approach to faith—since everything one believed had to be subject to easy or scientific or verifiable explanation, with little room or justification for mystery. This was so much true that in the earliest proposed version of the Book of Common Prayer for the United States, they had wanted to omit the Nicene Creed from the Communion Service, because it was too hard for people to believe in it, and they condensed the psalms down to just a few. Ultimately, that proposed Prayer Book failed and the church officially adopted a more traditional faith, but with room for all sorts of questions and different interpretations. In the process, they embraced as much, if not more, diversity of belief as we have among us today.

Diversity of belief is not only at the heart of the Episcopal Church. It is also at the heart of American society. In fact, it is what we celebrate, really, on Independence Day. We celebrate the freedom to worship God in whatever way makes sense to us, as communities and as individuals—whether that’s with candles, chanting, and incense; with praise bands and hands uplifted in prayer; in Jewish synagogues praying and chanting in ancient Hebrew, thousands of years old; or even kneeling on carpets in a mosque. Central to who we are as Americans is the freedom, the liberty, to practice our faith and to speak to God and listen for God in the language of our hearts. Our responsibility, as Americans, and especially as Americans of faith, is to protect and preserve that freedom, that liberty, for others, and ultimately for ourselves. Yesterday we learned of the death of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. His life, his story, is the most profound and powerful reminder and witness to how important freedom of religion is for all of us, whatever our faith tradition, and how we have to defend it on behalf of each other.

Related to that idea, I think, is the belief, the value, that people don’t have to jettison their rich cultural backgrounds when they make their home here. Of course it’s important to try to live within the rules and structures of society—to follow the laws and such. But there’s nothing wrong, and probably there’s much right, with being proud of who you are, and where your family came from, and the traditions they brought with them—whether that’s pasta and tomato sauce, haggis and bagpipes, bagels and lox, or Lutefisk and St. Lucia. As you know, I largely identify with my Scandinavian heritage—Swedish and Finnish, that’s half of me. But I also have German and Irish and English heritage. Each is interesting, and each tells a story.

I had always thought that my ancestors, to a person, arrived in the United States during the waves of 19^th century immigration. However, in doing research on Ancestry.com I discovered recently that my Cadwell heritage goes back to the 1600s here in New England, when the first Cadwell—Thomas—emigrated from Braintree, England and settled in Hartford, CT. In fact, he married the daughter of one of the founders of Hartford. His great grandson, John Cadwell, fought in the American Revolution for the patriots. So I could apply to be a son of the American Revolution if I wanted.

I also discovered that on my mom’s side, there was a German immigrant named George Kentner—something like my 5^th great-grandfather, who came to the American colonies as an indentured servant in 1764. Eventually he earned his freedom and began life as a farmer in Pennsylvania. When the Revolution broke out, he sided with England and fought for the King. Ironically, he was captured and jailed in Hartford, CT—who knows, maybe he crossed paths with John Cadwell there. Great-grandpa George won his freedom by lying and saying that he would support the American cause. But he didn’t. He fled to Canada to regroup with the Loyalist soldiers called the Butler's Rangers. After the war, he and other German immigrants settled in a rural area of Ontario. They named their town Matilda, after a daughter of King George III. She later became the Queen of Wurttemburg in Germany. Eventually, a few generations later, after things calmed down his family filtered back down into New York and west to Minnesota and finally out to Oregon, where my grandmother was born. Thus, my family tree includes patriots and loyalists alike, as well as later arrivals from Sweden, Finland, and Ireland. I wouldn’t be who I am without that rich mix of backgrounds. And you wouldn’t be who you are without yours—loyalists, patriots, and later arrivals from Germany, Ireland, China, India, Italy, Mexico, and Armenia, to say nothing of the Native Americans who were already here and those who arrived in chains against their will.

That diverse combination of heritages and races, stories, beliefs and values is all part of the American fabric. And what a strong and durable fabric it is, too. The whole world is present here—every race, every religion, every background. We have Democrats and we have Republicans. We have socialists and libertarians, too. There are big sprawling farms in the Midwest—as in my home state of Minnesota—and there are massive cities teeming people speaking multiple languages and making a veritable smörgåsbord of ethnic foods (“smörgåsbord” —that’s a Swedish word, by the way, it literally means “sandwich table”—but now it’s part of our American English vocabulary as well). This country is so different, and I would say so much better, than anything our colonial ancestors could possibly have imagined when they declared their freedom and independence in 1776. We might add that England and Canada are a lot better, too.

Of course, it has not come to be without considerable struggle, pain, loss, and war along the way. We have not and we do not always live up to our full potential as a nation, as a people. Americans have sometimes kept other Americans in bondage—physical, emotional, and spiritual bondage. We have too often denied each other’s humanity and dignity, despite the fact that we declared our independence with words that have echoed through the centuries: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We have not and we still do not always live up to these ideals. In fact the author of these extraordinary words didn’t live up to them himself, keeping his fellow human beings in slavery.

And yet, that transcendent vision, idea, and hope, first set to parchment by Thomas Jefferson so long ago, still calls to us today. In particular, it calls us embrace what it truly means to be American—which ultimately doesn’t have much to do with flying the flag or colorful bombs bursting in air, though there’s certainly nothing wrong with such acts of patriotism. Instead, it has everything to do with how we treat one another, with how we uphold one another, and with how we welcome, respect, and honor one another—not despite our differences, but because of them. Because these differences make us who we are—as a people, as God’s holy people—in this place, at this time. What an awesome calling it is. What a weighty responsibility it is. But also, what an example we can share and leave—not only for our fellow Americans, but for all people everywhere, longing for life, longing for liberty, and longing for the ability to pursue happiness, in freedom and in hope. 

Let’s hear again those words from St. Paul: “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.”

That’s our charge, today and every day— do what is right, and work for the good of all—as Episcopalians, as Americans, and most especially and most importantly, as the people of God.

So let us pray:

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The Rev. Matthew P. Cadwell, PhD