| The General Theological Seminary | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Sermo Tuus Veritas Est |
| Motto in English | Thy Word is Truth |
| Established | 1817 |
| Type | Private seminary |
| Religious affiliation | Episcopal Church |
| President | The Rev. Lang Lowrey |
| Dean | The Rt. Rev. Peter Lee |
| Academic staff | 12 full-time faculty,[1] various adjunct professors[2] |
| Students | 118[3] |
| Location | Manhattan, New York, United States |
| Campus | Urban 5.5 acres (0.02 km²) |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Nickname | Penguins |
| Website | gts.edu |
The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (commonly referred to as General or GTS) is a seminary of the Episcopal Church in the United States and is located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York.[4]
Founded in 1817, General is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and a leading center of theological education in the Anglican Communion.[5] The seminary was chartered by an act of the Episcopal Church's General Convention and its name was chosen to reflect its founders vision that it be a seminary to serve the whole Church.[6] Throughout its history, GTS has occupied a mediating position between the broad church tradition and Anglo-Catholicism[7] and its faculty generally reflect the moderate-to-liberal consensus on moral and theological issues espoused by the Episcopal Church.
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In May 1817 General Convention, the governing body of the Episcopal Church, met in New York City and passed two resolutions: first, to found a general Episcopal seminary to be supported by the whole church, and second, that it be located in New York City.
The location in New York City allowed for support from the parishioners of Trinity Church including vestry member Jacob Sherred, who in 1821 left an endowment of $70,000 to the new seminary. Clement Clarke Moore, famous for penning A Visit from St. Nicholas, owned the estate "Chelsea," which included most of what would become the Manhattan neighborhood by that name. Also a member of Trinity Church, he donated 66 tracts of land–what was his apple orchard–to become the site of the new seminary. It was not, however, until 1827 that the seminary occupied that land.[8]
Other figures influential in the founding of the seminary include Theodore Dehon, William White, and John Henry Hobart. Bishop Hobart served as General Seminary's first dean, after which the Bishop of New York served in this capacity until the 1850s.
In 1878, Eugene Augustus Hoffman—said to be the richest clergyman in the world due to his extensive real estate holdings[9]—was appointed dean. Under his tenure, the seminary saw tremendous growth, both in student body and facilities. Dean Hoffman's "grand design" was for the seminary's Chelsea campus to be built on an Oxford model, with neo-Gothic buildings facing onto a central quadrangle or Close. Likely Dean Hoffman's most influential addition to the seminary's campus was the Chapel of the Good Shepherd which was begun in 1886, completed two years later, and became known as the "Jewel of Chelsea Square." Its set of 15 tubular bells is the oldest extant in the country and is played daily by members of the seminary's Guild of Chimers to call the community to worship. Architect Charles C. Haight designed and supervised construction of most of the buildings on Chelsea Square while Haight's father, the Rev. Benjamin I. Haight, was the first priest at nearby St. Peter's Episcopal Church.
Due to growing housing needs for married students, GTS acquired 422 West 20th Street, a residential building opposite the seminary's 20th Street gate in March 1957.[10]
A renovation and expansion of the seminary's buildings facing 10th Avenue was completed in 2007, when the Desmond Tutu Center opened. Named for Desmond Tutu, former visiting professor at GTS and retired Archbishop of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, the Tutu Center operates primarily as a hotel and conference center.
In 2007 the seminary engaged in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, along with general operating costs, by converting many of its buildings to geothermal heating and cooling.[11][12]
Also in 2007, the seminary, in need of funds, sold Sherrill Hall, a 1960s building along 9th Ave to the Brodsky Organization for the construction of a residential condominium building. The Chelsea Enclave was completed in 2010 and contains 53 residential units as well as retail space, an underground parking garage, and the seminary's new Keller Library. General Seminary's main entrance is now located on 21st Street between 9th and 10th Avenues.[13]
Still facing financial difficulties, General Seminary is currently engaged in its Plan to Choose Life, a strategic initiative which necessitates the sale of several properties: 422 West 20th Street, the Chelsea 2,3,4 building, and the West Building. Assets from the sales are expected to eliminate the seminary's debt, rebuild its depleted endowment, and restore it to financial solvency.[14][15]
The mission of General Seminary is to "educate and form leaders for the church in a changing world."[6] General does this chiefly through its Master of Divinity program which prepares men and women for ordination, primarily in the Episcopal Church. The M.Div. requires a foundation curriculum in Old Testament, New Testament, church history, systematic theology, ethics, ascetical theology, liturgics, homiletics, and pastoral theology.[16] Elective courses allow students to more deeply explore areas of particular interest and, if studying full-time, the Master of Divinity is generally completed in three years.
There are several additional degree programs offered, including the Master of Arts, Master of Sacred Theology, and Doctor of Theology. In recent years the seminary has widely expanded its programs of study for lay leaders and commuter students including an expansion of its programs in spiritual direction. General also offers a one year Diploma in Anglican Studies that is often sought after by students who are seeking ordination in the Episcopal Church, but earned their M.Div. from a non-Anglican seminary. Additionally, GTS operates The Center for Christian Spirituality.
Since 1880 General has annually hosted the Paddock Lectures which were founded by benefactor George A. Jarvis and named in honor of The Rt. Rev. Benjamin Henry Paddock, Class of 1852. The lectures have featured many of the world's top theologians including Francis J. Hall, Diogenes Allen, and William Temple.[17]
General Seminary has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada since 1938.[3]
Located on the west side of Manhattan in New York City, General Seminary sits in the heart of Chelsea, a largely residential area with a large gay population that is known as a center of the New York art world (with over 200 galleries in the neighborhood).[18][19] Chelsea Square, the block between 9th and 10th Avenues and 20th and 21st Streets, on which the seminary sits is at the center of the Chelsea Historic District[20] which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places[21]. General is frequently noted for the beauty of the gardens on its campus, called the Close,[22][23] an English term used to refer to a private piece of enclosed property and often associated with cathedrals.[24][25] General's Close is characterized by a row of neo-Gothic buildings along 21st Street and tree-shaded lawns uncharacteristic of its urban setting.[26]
Worship is at the center of seminary life and the community gathers several times throughout the day for worship in the centrally located Chapel of the Good Shepherd. Juniors (first year students) serve as acolytes, middlers (second year students) serve as readers, and seniors serve as thurifers and crucifers. Seniors also officiate Morning Prayer each weekday. The Eucharist is celebrated daily and the faculty, in choir dress, officiate Evensong each weekday, while Compline is sung most nights.
Primarily three guilds support the chapel life of the seminary. The Guild of Sacristans maintains the Chapel of the Good Shepherd and makes necessary provisions for the smooth conduct of liturgy. Members of the Guild of Precentors are chosen from the seminary's Schola Cantorum and serve as cantors and provide vocal prompting and support to the community as it sings. The Guild of Chimers play the seminary's historic set of fifteen Durfee tubular tower chimes each day calling the community to worship.[27]
Because it has formed many of the church's clergy, General Seminary has maintained a considerable influence on the life of the church.[28]
Current notable professors include J. Robert Wright the St. Mark's in the Bowery Professor of Ecclesiastical History and David Hurd the Professor of Church Music and Organist of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd.[1]
Notable alumni include:
Many other notable figures, including a number of bishops, have graduated from General Seminary.
Because of its proximity to film studios in New York City and its collection of neo-Gothic buildings, General has appeared in multiple television shows to portray a number of schools and universities. Only a block from the Chelsea Piers, where Law & Order was filmed and where Law & Order: Criminal Intent is currently filmed, the seminary's Close has frequently appeared in those shows as a stand in for several schools whose campuses are not as accessible and most frequently as the fictitious Hudson University.[32][33]
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