seabury next

In June, students in Seabury and CDSP's DMin in congregational development program took a weeklong intensive in "Congregations in the 21st Century." The Rev. Mariclair Partee reflected on her experience:

I ended my week in Chicago refreshed, renewed, and on fire to put the things I learned into practice in my own congregation. Spending five days sharing worship, class time, meals, and bountiful discussion from diverse points of view with colleagues and specialists reinvigorated me for the work God has called me to do.

Read her post on Seabury's blog.

We have received word from the Cathedral of St. James in South Bend, IN that the Rev. Canon Leonel L. Mitchell, Professor Emeritus of Seabury Western, died Wednesday afternoon in South Bend.  He was a Professor Church History and Liturgy at Seabury Western from 1978 to 2005.  He was well known as the author of Praying Shapes Believing, published by Morehouse Publishing in 1991. Dean Brian Grantz, St. James' Cathedral Rector, wrote:

Greetings, Sisters and Brothers in Christ.

The Rev. Canon Leonel Mitchell, theologian, teacher, pastor, and friend, died this afternoon following a brief illness. Canon Mitchell was known to many from his days teaching liturgy at Seabury Western and the University of Notre Dame, to many more whose liturgical education required "Praying Shapes Believing," and to all of us, knowingly or not, through his work on the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. It has been my great honor to serve with him at the Cathedral of Saint James in South Bend these past four years.

Please keep his wife, Beverly, in your prayers, as well as his children, David and Anne, and their families.

Funeral arrangements are pending. 

CHICAGO, Illinois, May 8, 2012—On Saturday, May 12, at 10:30 am, the Most Rev. Frank Griswold, former presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, former bishop of Chicago and Seabury adjunct faculty member, will preach at the 154^th commencement of Seabury Western Theological Seminary. The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee, bishop of Chicago and a Seabury trustee, will preside.

The doctor of divinity honoris causa will be awarded to Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce, bishop suffragan of Los Angeles, and Bishop Andrew M.L. Dietsche, bishop coadjutor of New York. Bruce holds a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in Congregational Development from Seabury, a master of divinity from Claremont School of Theology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from the University of California at Berkley. In 2009, she was elected seventh bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, becoming the first woman to be elected bishop in that diocese. Prior to her election to the episcopacy, she served ten years as rector of St. Clement’s by-the-Sea Church in San Clemente, California.

Dietsche holds a master of divinity degree from Seabury and a bachelor of arts degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he majored in studio art. Prior to his 2011 election as bishop coadjutor of New York, Dietsche served as the diocese's canon of pastoral care for ten years. His first day of work for the diocese was September 12, 2001, the day after the attack on the World Trade Center. From 1990–2001, Dietsche served as rector of The Church of the Good Shepherd in West Springfield, MA.

Seabury's Interim President Dr. Robert Bottoms and the Rev. Dr. Gwynne Wright, board chair, will present three eDMin in congregational development degrees and eight diplomas of Anglican studies to graduating students. The Rev. Roger Albert Ferlo, Ph.D., D.D., president-elect of Seabury and Bexley Hall, will attend the ceremony. A luncheon reception will follow.

On Friday, May 11 at 4:30 pm, Seabury will also host a panel discussion with Paul Nahirney, Tom Thoeni and John Palarine, three students who will be awarded the DMin in congregational development the following day. Evensong will follow at 6 pm.Commencement Eucharist and Friday Evensong will be held in the chapel of the ELCA at 8765 W. Higgins Road in Chicago. The commencement reception will be held at Seabury, located on the sixth floor of the building. To RSVP, please call Ron Fox at 773-380-6781.

Seabury’s theological education—from single classes to certificates and doctoral degrees—embodies generous Christianity and is open to the intellectually and spiritually curious. For church leaders, for seminarians and for seekers, Seabury’s innovative programs are rooted in the Episcopal tradition and presented with academic rigor. Find out what’s next at www.seabury.edu

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COLUMBUS, March 27, 2012--At historic meetings this month, the boards of Seabury Western Theological Seminary in Chicago and Bexley Hall in Columbus unanimously voted to federate and to elect the Rev. Roger Albert Ferlo, Ph.D., D.D., as the Federation’s first president.

EVANSTON, September 23, 2011—Officials at Seabury Western Theological Seminary announced today that the school will move from suburban Evanston into space at the Lutheran Center, the headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Chicago.