Dr. Jenny Te Paa-Daniel, GTU '01, will give the address at CDSP's 120th Commencement on May 23, 2014 at 10:30 am in the St. Margaret's Courtyard. The event is open to the public and will be broadcast live online at www.cdsp.edu. 

Te Paa-Daniel, who will be awarded an honorary doctorate, will also be a visiting professor in CDSP's new Women in Religion program during the Fall 2014 semester.

"She is personally engaging and a passionate communicator," said the Very Rev. W. Mark Richardson, dean and president, in announcing the news. "She is an advocate of a strong Anglican Communion that recognizes the gifts of all regions and cultures. She presses toward full inclusion of women in the church, and she is a strong advocate of theological education for all."

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Breidenthal '82, bishop of Southern Ohio, and the Rt. Rev. Dr. Edward J. Konieczny '94, bishop of Oklahoma, will also receive honorary degrees at the ceremony.

Te Paa-Daniel is the subject of a profile in the upcoming Spring 2014 issue of CDSP's magazine Crossings, which unveils a new look and editorial approach for the publication. The article traces Te Paa-Daniel from her experiences growing up Maori in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, to her work as principal of Te Rau Kahikatea, a constituent of the College of St. John the Evangelist in Auckland, and her emergence as one of the most influential women in the Anglican Communion.

Read more.

(l-r) Episcopal Service Corps intern Grace Aheron, Diocese of California ministry development officer Julia McCray-Goldsmith, Spencer Hatcher and Maggie Foster say compline on the Eastshore Footbridge

Earlier this year, two first-year CDSP students-Maggie Foster from the Diocese of Southern Ohio and Spencer Hatcher from the Diocese of Maryland-got to talking about initiatives to bring people into local churches with programs like yoga, community meals, and other non-liturgical events.

"Then we wondered, 'What would it look like to do the opposite?' What if we took BCP [the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer] worship-the core of what we do as Episcopalians-outside?" Foster said

To answer that question, the two women organized Monday night compline during Lent at six public outdoor locations in Berkeley. Drawing up a flyer that announced "BYO BCP and flashlight," the pair spread the word to other CDSP students, Episcopal Service Corps interns, local clergy and friends, and L. Ann Hallisey, dean of students.

The group, which ranged between two and twelve people over six weeks, said the final office of the day at Indian Rock Park, the Martin Luther King Park World Wall for Peace, Springer Gateway at the University of California at Berkeley, the downtown Berkeley BART Station, on the Eastshore Footbridge, and at the Berkeley Pier. 

(l-r) Tommy Dillon, rector of St. Aidan's Episcopal Church, Kathleen Piraino of Episcopal Charities and Stefani Schatz and Eric Metoyer '11 of the Diocese of California were panelists at the urban mission forum where this year's Celtic Cross grants were announced.

"Who knew a few empty parking spaces, some canned soft drinks, and other offerings could turn into $20,000 in Good News for organizations around the world?" said Deacon Twila Smith, a third-year MDiv student who serves as Celtic Cross missioner. In addition to raising funds, Celtic Cross students raise awareness of community needs and conduct the annual grants process. 

Read more. 

Last week, MDiv middler Andrea Briggs of the Diocese of Los Angeles attended Reclaiming the Gospel of Peace, a churchwide event organized by Bishop Ed Konieczny '94 and held in Oklahoma City. After Briggs returned to campus, she shared this reflection:

I was really excited to have my whole church affirm the nonviolence of Jesus' message. This affirmation came at the highest levels; the meeting rooms in Oklahoma City were filled with bishops who were willing to be there, right before Palm Sunday, and to carry this mandate back to their dioceses. We talked about all the parts that call for our attention--repenting of our violence and asking God for healing for us and those we have harmed and allowed to be harmed; growing the peacefulness of our own hearts; honoring those with whom we differ; learning the discipline of turning repeatedly to peaceful means for resolving our conflicts. I have been engaged in peacemaking and reconciliation for a long time, with and without the explicit backing of my church. It felt very good to me to have this standing together in the name of the gospel of peace.

--Andrea Briggs