Seminarians Explore Communion Relationships

by the Rev. Catherine Tyndall Boyd

copyright The Living Church Foundation
(web posted October 2, 2006, & print issue of Living Church magazine October 22)

At September’s highly publicized meetings in New York and at Camp Allen, bishops conferred on the future of the Anglican Communion. On the weekend between, a modest gathering of Episcopal seminarians explored the present reality of their own communion with one another. Twenty seminary students from around the country worshiped, talked, and listened to one another at the annual Seminarian Leadership Conference Sept. 14-17 at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest (ETSS).

Meditations on the hymn, “St. Patrick’s Breastplate” began each day of conversation. Invoking the “strong Name of the Trinity,” participants explored the conference theme (“It’s all about relationship”).

“The Trinity is the ultimate example of a family relationship,” said M.E. Eccles from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill. “We don’t choose our families and are often very different from others in our family, but we can learn to dance harmoniously together. I was struck immediately by each person’s attitude of openness and genuine desire to come together.”

Conference host Kenneth Malcolm of ETSS says, “To be a member of the Anglican Communion is, by definition, relational. We can’t begin to express what that means for our church without first exploring our relationships with Christ and each other.”

The event, which varies annually in location among the 11 Episcopal seminaries, has been supported for several years by a grant from the Evangelical Education Society of The Episcopal Church.

“The conference proved to be a true instrument of unity,” says Mark R. Collins from General Theological Seminary in New York City. Despite coming “from different seminaries, diverse backgrounds and from all along the spectrum of opinion about the matters confronting our church and the Anglican Communion, seminarians were able to experience a genuine unity because we recognize that what binds us together is far, far stronger than our differences.”

Consistent with many ecclesiastical gatherings, seminarians considered a statement to be issued from the body of conferees. Ultimately, though, as Eccles says, “At this time, when so many Episcopalians are having a difficult time even wanting to come together, I believe our coming together and having such a good time was a gift of the Spirit.”

The Rev. Catherine Tyndall Boyd, ETSS Class of 2006, was the chaplain to the Seminarian Gathering conference. She is assistant at St. John's Episcopal Church in Austin