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Katherine Ragsdale installed as Episcopal Divinity School's president and dean
The service, held at nearby Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church to accommodate the large crowd, brought together Boston-area academic leaders, including Lesley University president Joe Moore; EDS administrators, faculty, trustees, students, and alumni/ae; representatives of other Episcopal seminaries; and Episcopal bishops, among the more than 400 people who gathered to celebrate. The service was also streamed live on the Internet and is available on the EDS website.
Co-presiders at the Eucharist were Massachusetts Bishop Tom Shaw and retired Bishop Suffragan Barbara Harris. Both have served as EDS trustees.
In her address following the formal installation by Brett Donham, chair of EDS' board of trustees, Ragsdale delved deep into the histories of EDS' predecessor institutions, the Episcopal Theological School (ETS) and the Philadelphia Divinity School (PDS). She cited a long history of forward thinking and positive action on such issues as racial justice; the inclusion of women, lesbians, and gays in ordained ministry; and the blessing of same-gender relationships. She also noted that she is the second woman and first openly gay or lesbian person to head an accredited Episcopal seminary.
"EDS has long led the way. And all the issues we wrestle with now -- as well as the way we wrestle with them -- have roots in our own past," said Ragsdale. "This is a school that knows who and what it is. Though it's a sometimes-uncomfortable legacy, we keep returning to it and embracing it with passion."
Fr. Vasken A. Kouzouian welcomed the gathering on behalf of the Armenian congregation, and noted that, when Armenians began to settle in Boston in the 1880s, visiting Armenian clergymen held services using the facilities of local Episcopal churches.
A choir composed of the EDS Singers and the choir of St. David's Church in Pepperell, Massachusetts, where Ragsdale served as vicar for 14 years, presented "The Canticle of the Turning," a setting of the Magnificat to the Irish folk tune "Star of the County Down."
As the service drew to a close, the Rev. Alison Cheek, retired EDS faculty member and one of the first 11 women (and the first Australian woman) to be ordained priest in the Episcopal Church, presented the new president and dean with some "words of wisdom" from prominent women with whom Ragsdale has worked.
"We have served with her and been moved by her faithfulness and eloquence regarding social justice, and her loyalty to her colleagues, her faith, and the many women and men who have benefited from her service," said the letter, signed by feminist leader Gloria Steinem; Marie Wilson, president and founder of the White House Project and Take Our Daughters to Work Day; and Kim Gandy, immediate past president of the National Organization for Women. "If each of us were not away on missions of our own, we would proudly stand beside her today as she begins hers for you." (In fact, Gandy did attend the service.)
Following the service and reception at the church, celebration continued with dancing and dessert in Washburn Hall on the EDS campus, where the new president and dean joined the ten-piece band BeanTown on the drums for a rendition of -- what else? -- the Beach Boys' "Be True to Your School."
The installation service was streamed live and recorded. To view the webcast of this event, visit the EDS website here.
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