Seminary of the Southwest holds 59th Commencement
May 11, 2010
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church hosts seminary's Commencement
Katherine Rodriguez receives her MAR hood
MDiv grads Saylors (L-R), Wyndham, Crainer and Ensley
Southwest's graduates are ready to serve the Church and the world
Seminary of the Southwest held its 59th Commencement graduating the 27-member class of 2010 on May 11 at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Austin. The Honorable John C. Danforth, Senator from the State of Missouri, 1976 -95, preached the commencement sermon and received an honorary doctoral degree. The Rt. Rev. James Scott Mayer, Class of 1992 and bishop of the diocese of northwest Texas, also was awarded an honorary doctorate.
Seventeen graduates earned the MDiv or Anglican Studies diploma for ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church. They came to the seminary from dioceses throughout the country and from Pakistan. Ten people earned master's degrees in counseling, in religion, and in chaplaincy and pastoral care. Dean and President, Doug Travis said, "We're very pleased with the readiness of our graduates to lead and with the number who have assignments already in place."
The Honorable John C. Danforth is an Episcopal priest, former three-term senator from Missouri, and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Danforth wrote Faith and Politics out of his conviction that Christianity is a religion of peace which has too often been used to divide people struggling with difficult issues. Dedicated to reconciliation and peacemaking, Senator Danforth was a special envoy for peace in Sudan and ultimately facilitated a peace agreement that eventually ended the twenty-year civil war.
A graduate of Seminary of the Southwest, Bishop Scott Mayer is known for his leadership as a true friend and one who loves the people he serves. A native Texan, Mayer served the Church of the Heavenly Rest in Abilene for 14 years before being elected bishop for the Episcopal diocese of northwest Texas, which is comprised of 80 out of Texas' 254 counties and which encompasses the panhandle of Texas plus a swath of north and west Texas.
