The Rev. Les Singleton is a long-time friend of Nashotah House, and we are glad to share his ministry story with the Chapter readers. Fr. Singleton is from the Diocese of Florida and began serving in the priesthood in nearby Racine, Wisconsin, gladly accepting the offer to become an associate alumnus of Nashotah House, an honor he has held since the 1960s. Having grown up in Miami, Florida, Fr. Singleton attended Allapattah Methodist Church. At an early age, he considered ordination and later went to the University of Chicago. Becoming an Episcopalian, he felt a call to ministry, and went through the discernment process with the Diocese of Chicago, graduating from the University in 1964. He began his studies at Seabury Western, graduating cum laude in 1967, with a Bachelor of Divinity, now considered a Master of Divinity.

By the Rev. Lawrence Crumb, ‘61

In the fall of 1958, I entered Nashotah House, a seminary of the Episcopal Church, about 30 miles west of Milwaukee. It was just off Interstate 94 and about one third of the way to Madison. The chapel was a stone building whose construction had been interrupted by the Civil War. It replaced an older, frame building, the Red Chapel, still on the grounds but not used at that time. The chapel had originally served double duty as a parish church and was appointed accordingly. At some point, the parish was dissolved and most of the space filled with choir stalls facing each other; there was a small area outside the rood screen with chairs for visitors, called “the court of the Gentiles.” The woodwork, including wooden statues behind the altar, had been crafted by a German company brought to Fond du Lac for the cathedral there.

By the Rev. Canon Kelly O’Lear, DMin, Director of Formation & Leadership Development at Nashotah House

One in four U.S. pastors (23%) selects “lack of leadership training and development” as a major concern facing their church today. (1) Leadership as an art seems to have been lost in many parts of the church. The U.S. Army defines leadership as “influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.” (2) I learned this in two decades as an Army Chaplain. I have often thought that definition as good and possibly useful for church, as purpose, direction, and motivation correspond to the Christian goals of new life in Christ (purpose), sanctification (direction), and love for God and neighbor (motivation) while fulfilling the Great Commission (mission/improving the organization).

A Student Reflection

The Rev. Maureen Martin, MDiv ‘20

I grew up as a Lutheran and made my way to the Episcopal Church as an adult, after being invited to hear a friend’s parish priest preach. It just so happened that the priest was a son of the House from the early 70s, and, in addition to his very good sermon, I was taken by the simplicity of worship in this Anglo-Catholic church. The wideness of God’s mercy was tangible there, with ordained men and women serving together in friendship; the homeliness we talk about in Anglicanism was unmistakable, and I have never looked back. As I explored God’s call on my life, I wanted that sense of quiet assurance for myself; I wanted to be a “Nashotah Priest.”

By the Rt. Rev. William Walter Webb, D.D., L.L.D., Bishop of Milwaukee, President of the Board of Trustees, President of Nashotah House 1897 to 1906

From “peacock vestments” to Dr. Gardner scaring himself with his own ghost stories, to the faithful generosity of young Alice Sabine, President of Nashotah House Dr. Webb (1897-1906) captured many of the old House stories.

By the Rev. Audrey Sutton ‘21

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.” - Malachi 3:1

During this season of Advent, we have been looking at four different prophets from the Old Testament in connection with the coming of Jesus Christ; here we look at our second prophet, Malachi, in particular. Specific characteristics of the prophet Malachi have not been preserved in history, but we do know that he was probably among society’s  elite and that his name means “my messenger.”

Sermon by Tyler Been, Nashotah House Senior, delivered at St. Mary’s Chapel at Nashotah House on December 10, 2021

Reading: Isaiah 48:17-19

Our reading from the prophet Isaiah this morning gives us a short snapshot from chapter 48. Of course, the problem with snapshots is that we don’t have any of the necessary context; in the words of my bible college professors, “Context is key!” The context of Isaiah 48, in a word, is idolatry. In the beginning of chapter 48, the Lord tells Israel that it was because of their stubbornness that he tells them what is going to happen before it happens.

By The Rev. Thomas L. Holtzen, PhD, Professor of Historical & Systematic Theology at Nashotah House

What is Nashotah House? Answering that question is as important now as it has ever been, as we seek to reach an ever-changing world for Jesus Christ. It is a question about identity and purpose, one of ethos and character. Are we a seminary? Are we a theological college? Are we the same as other institutions of higher education? So, “What exactly is Nashotah House?” In answering that question it is helpful to recall the history of its founding. 

By Elisabeth Rain Kincaid, Ph.D.

Sex, money, politics: all the things we are told not to talk about. However, as the ethics professor at Nashotah House, which draws diverse students from across the theological spectrum, teaching on these controversial issues is an important and challenging part of my job. As a professor, it’s easy for me to believe that my responsibility in teaching on controversial issues extends only to giving a compelling lecture or leading an animated discussion. However, unless controversial issues are presented in a context in which the students and I are open to learning and changing, there is always a risk that the class simply confirms the students who already agreed with me in their convictions and alienates the students who disagree, making their future openness to change even less likely.

The Rev. Bernard Eugene Moritz, III, (‘73) "Gene," of Richmond, Virginia and Sewanee, Tennessee, son of Jane Enochs Moritz and Joseph Samuel Moritz, was born in Natchez, Mississippi, on March 26, 1941, and died at his home in Richmond on November 1, 2021. Fr. Moritz was a member of the Nashotah House Class of 1973.

The Rev. James Luther Rogers, priest of the Episcopal Church died Saturday, November 13, 2021 at his residence.

Funeral services for Fr. Rogers, (‘71), will be conducted Wednesday, November 17, at 2:00 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Columbia, Tennessee, with the Rt. Rev. John Bauerschmidt officiating and the Rev. Thomas Wilson and the Rev. Chris Bowhay assisting.

Nashotah House Theological Seminary is pleased to invite you to livestream our Service of Advent Lessons and Carols at 5:00 p.m CDT on December 9, 2021. Extended prelude begins at 4:45 p.m. CDT.

By the Rev. Charles Hoffacker (’82)

In many parts of the world with a long history of Christianity, you’ll find villages, monasteries, and churches named for a local saint, often an obscure one. These dedications bear witness to a holy person who once dwelt in the area that was deemed worthy of honor and remembrance by contemporaries and subsequent generations. The presence of a manifestly holy person also yielded something further: the sense of a place as manifestly holy, related to that person’s abiding presence.

The original advertisement for the publication of Francis J. Hall’s Dogmatic Theology in ten volumes by Longmans, Green and Company characterized it as “the long-desired Anglican Summa of doctrine, designed to constitute a connected treatment of the entire range of Catholic Doctrine,” making an implicit comparison to the magisterial Summa Theologicae (Summary of Theology) of St. Thomas Aquinas. The two are of roughly similar length, but it is in terms of comprehensiveness that the latter most resembles the former. Hall does for Anglicans what Aquinas did for Roman Catholics: systematize the contents of the Faith as taught by the Church and confirmed by the Scriptures.

By Kreigh Knerr

I’ve got to be honest: I couldn’t wait for Advent 2020. I was feeling every inch of “Lord Jesus, quickly come,” and I couldn’t wait because I knew I’d get to read Fleming Rutledge’s exquisite Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ (Eerdmans, 2018) alongside a group of fellow parishioners. I knew they would relish the season as much as I did because they too were already living within it.

By Erin M. Diericx, ‘19

As you stand to preach from the pulpit, how many individuals with disabilities do you see? How many individuals are in wheelchairs? How many individuals use walkers or canes? How many individuals have outbursts during the service? And who is not present? Who has opted to stay home to avoid the glares from others who might not understand them? Who are the homebound? Who cannot drive and cannot get to church? Who makes up your congregation?

By Jim Watkins, Ph.D.

There are few books more surprising than Robert Farrar Capon’s The Supper of Lamb. It is not surprising for its plot twists or unexpected ending. Rather, it stands out for being utterly singular. Survey the landscape of human literature. What does one find? A great flock of fantasy over there. A herd of folktales grazing on the hillside. A small swarm of historical fiction buzzing nearby. Capon’s book is all by itself.

I came to Nashotah in the fall of 1950, with a salary of $2,600, plus room and board. The room-- there were two rooms in the administration building on the second floor, looking in this direction. What kind of a place was Nashotah in the 1950s? First of all, the primary characteristic was that it was a close-knit community of men living very much of a common life. We did everything together, so what you had was a community of comrades. Most of them came right out of college. Even those who were veterans from the war had come back from the war, then went to college, then came, and the result was we were all in this together and there was a community spirit that is difficult to comprehend today.  — Donald Parsons, 13th Dean of Nashotah House