(Dallas, TX) His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah recently received an Honorary Doctorate from Nashotah House in Wisconsin. The most traditional of Anglican seminaries in the USA, Nashotah House has a long history of contacts with the Orthodox Church dating back to St. Tikhon when he was the Russian bishop in the USA.
Although a seminary of The Episcopal Church (TEC), “The House” has long been an outspoken critic of the ordination of women and practicing gays to orders in the Episcopal church. Such a stance in recent years cost the school dearly as enrollment plummeted, however in recent years and with the establishment of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) enrollment is again growing, especially from students of the Anglican Diocese of Fort Worth, which is being hounded by legal battles led by TEC over property as Diocese of Fort Worth parishes exit TEC over doctrinal and ecclesiological issues.
His Beatitude and Archpriest Chad Hatfield, a graduate of Nashotah House, were present for the 2010 Academic Convocation at which the Metropolitan received his Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa. Father Hatfield delivered the sermon at the liturgy encouraging the students and faculty to stand fast for the Truth against the onslaught of relativism destroying the Episcopal church.
In conjunction with the Convocation, members of the Diocese of the South continued their dialogue with representatives of the ACNA in the wake of His Beatitude’s presentation to the forming ACNA Convention in 2009 in Texas. The OCA, Diocese of the South was represented by Archpriest Joseph Fester, DOS Chancellor, Priest John Parker, Mt. Pleasant, SC., and Deacon Gregory Norris of St Seraphim Cathedral in Dallas. The lead delegate from the OCA was Father Hatfield.
Progress was marked at the meetings with ACNA representatives, headed by Bishop Ray Sutton of Dallas, TX, who reported that the ACNA has recommended to its synod of Bishops that the original form of the Creed be prayed in all ACNA churches. Thus the “filioque” would no longer be added. A series of educational programs on the original creed as crafted by the first and second Ecumenical Councils are being planned.
In other meeting developments, as a result of the Concord signed between St. Vladimir’s Seminary and Nashotah House a proposal for two convocations one at St. Vladimir’s in 2011 and the second at Nashotah House in 2012 be offered with academic papers on issues of faith and practice between Anglicans and Orthodox presented.