"In the Footsteps of Tikhon and Grafton" — Nashotah House Hosts Anglican-Orthodox Ecumenical Conference with St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary
Partnership between two schools marks new step in ecumenical relations

Nashotah, WI, November 1, 2009 – Nashotah House played host to an ecumenical conference between scholars of the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox traditions on October 8-10, 2009. Entitled “In the Footsteps of Tikhon and Grafton - Anglican and Orthodox Identity, Ministry and Mission in the 21th Century,” the Anglican-Orthodox Conference featured discussions and addresses by representatives of Nashotah House and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY, together with several worship services representing the spiritual riches of both traditions. The conference concluded with the signing of a “Covenant Partnership,” pledging continued prayer, fellowship and ecumenical cooperation between the two schools.

Nashotah's guests from the Orthodox tradition included His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, Orthodox Metropolitan of All America and Canada, who is President of the St. Vladimir’s Board of Trustees, and the Very Rev. Chad Hatfield, an alumnus of Nashotah House who is now Chancellor of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.

“St. Vladimir's Seminary is committed to working out a new relationship with Nashotah House that honors our common legacy and heritage,” says Fr. Hatfield. “Together we can take the work and witness or our forefathers and reclaim the voice of Christian orthodoxy that this world is starving to hear once again. Not to do so would be to fail to build upon the foundations of both seminaries and the two traditions that they represent. Now is the time to act boldly, and together we will in common witness to the truth of the Gospel of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. May it be blessed.”

The Very Rev. Dr. Robert S. Munday, Dean and President of Nashotah House expressed his conviction that this new relationship between the two seminaries “is an important step in furthering a renewal of Anglican—Orthodox ecumenical dialogue, which is the oldest ecumenical dialogue between Christian traditions." Dean Munday added, "It is particularly appropriate that Nashotah House should resume the ecumenical efforts begun over 100 years ago by Bishop Charles Grafton (2^nd Bishop of Fond du Lac and Chairman of the Nashotah House Board of Trustees) and Saint Tikhon of Moscow (who was archbishop of the Orthodox Church in America, and who was made an honorary Doctor of Divinity by Nashotah House in 1905, later becoming Patriarch of Moscow and head of the Russian Orthodox Church)."

Founded in 1842 as a mission to the American frontier, and chartered by the state of Wisconsin in 1847 as a “college of learning and piety,” Nashotah House is Wisconsin’s oldest institution of higher learning. “The Mission,” as the seminary is locally known, provides degree programs for men and women called to pastoral and leadership ministries throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion of Churches. For more information, telephone Fr. Steve Schlossberg, Director of Communications, at (262) 646-6506.

J. I. Packer Speaks at Nashotah House Commencement

NASHOTAH, WI, May 21, 2009 – Anglican theologian and author J. I. Packer served as preacher at Nashotah House’s 164th Commencement Exercises on May 14. Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Rev. Dr. Packer also serves as an executive editor of Christianity Today and has long enjoyed world renown as a consolidating figure and spokesman for Christian orthodoxy.

The commencement exercises, which included a Solemn Eucharist, were held at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Oconomowoc, WI. Twenty-four graduates received earned degree and diplomas at the service, including students from Episcopal Dioceses and Anglican jurisdictions as various as Bethlehem, Central Florida, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Fort Worth, Iowa, Hpa-an (Myanmar), Quincy, South Carolina, Springfield, Tennessee, Western New York, Western Tanganyika, and the Anglican Province in America. Sixteen of the graduating seniors received the Masters of Divinity (M.Div.) degree, four received the Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.) degree, three graduates received Anglican Studies certificates, and one a Master of Arts in Ministry degree.

At the same service, the Nashotah House Board of Trustees conferred Doctor of Divinity Degrees, honoris causa, upon the Rt. Rev. Paul E. Lambert, Suffragan Bishop of Dallas; the Rev. Jonathan Baker, Principal of Pusey House at Oxford University; and the Rev. Dr. Packer.

A prolific writer and lecturer, J. I. Packer is perhaps best known for his 1973 book Knowing God, now considered a modern classic. He has also served as general editor for the English Standard Version of the Bible and was a notable contributor to the watershed Evangelicals and Catholics Together: Toward a Common Mission, the ecumenical project launched by Charles Colson and the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus. Packer has also collaborated on books with Thomas Howard and Thomas Oden, and remains a seminal thinker in contemporary Anglicanism.

Originally founded by Bishop Jackson Kemper as a mission to the American frontier, Nashotah House has been training priests and ministers of the Church in the Anglican tradition since 1842. With a commitment to classical Christian theology, ancient Benedictine spirituality, and bearing the fullness of the gospel to the world, Nashotah House remains on the frontier of Christian mission and on the cutting edge of theological education today. For more information, telephone Fr. Steve Schlossberg, Director of Communications, at 262.646.6506.

NASHOTAH, WI, April 3, 2009 – Cole Cottage, a faculty residence at Nashotah House Theological Seminary, burned to the ground early this morning. Vacant at the time of the fire, the historic building was first seen burning at approximately 12:15 a.m. and the first of several local fire companies to answer the emergency arrived minutes later. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

“We are very thankful that no one was injured,” said Fr. Bill Easterling, the seminary’s Associate Dean of Administration. “Weighed against human life, all that brick and mortar is a small loss. But we are sorry to lose a part of our history. Brick and mortar sometimes means more than just brick and mortar. And that old house was home to many fond memories for many people.”

The three-story frame house was built by the seminary in 1887 as a residence for Elizabeth Cole, widow of the seminary’s late dean, the Rev. Azel Dow Cole. Upon Mrs. Cole’s death, the cottage was used as faculty housing, but has not been occupied as a home since 2008.

Asked what the seminary will do with the site, Fr. Easterling said, “Nashotah House is experiencing a great season of growth right now, and we are doing a lot of strategic planning. So the possibilities here are just about endless.”

Founded in 1842 as a mission to the American frontier, and chartered by the state of Wisconsin in 1847 as a “college of learning and piety,” Nashotah House is Wisconsin’s oldest institution of higher learning. “The Mission,” as the seminary is locally known, provides a classical theological education for men and women called to pastoral and leadership ministries in the Episcopal Church and the whole Anglican Communion of Churches. Tucked away in 365 acres of woods overlooking a lake 35 miles west of Milwaukee, the seminary has been experiencing a period of remarkable growth since its current President and Dean, the Very Rev. Robert S. Munday, joined the institution in 2001.

Anglican Global Mission Partners also meet at seminary, join conference

NASHOTAH, WI, Novemter 6, 2008 – Nashotah House Theological Seminary hosted a conference entitled “World Missions: All Are Called,” October 31-November 1, in association with the Anglican Global Missions Partners (AGMP). The two-day conference was aimed at helping clergy and lay leaders discern their call to participate in and support world missions, and to communicate that call to the people of their parishes. Featuring addresses by the Rt. Rev. William Godfrey, Bishop of Peru and a close friend of seminary, the Conference also included breakout sessions led by members of the Anglican Global Missions Partners.

An association of 34 Anglican organizations, institutions, jurisdictions and individuals committed to living out the Great Commission, the AGMP held its semi-annual meeting at Nashotah House immediately preceding the Conference. The AGMP helps dioceses and parishes form working relationships with missionaries and mission organizations overseas, to coordinate and quicken the work of the whole Church in bringing the gospel “to those who are far off and to those who are near.” Nashotah House is a member institution of AGMP.

Founded in 1842 as a mission to the American frontier, Nashotah House has always a strong commitment to missions, and the Jackson Kemper Missionary Society is a student organization pledged to invigorate the missionary life of the Church. The Nashotah House Missions Conference, offered annually, equips present and future leaders of the Church to fulfill the Great Commission by supplementing rigorous academic study with practical training for ministry in the world.

Nashotah House hosts Young Anglicans Project Summit