Bexley Hall was an Episcopal seminary from 1824 until April 27, 2013, when it federated with

Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (SWTS) was a seminary of the Episcopal Church, located in Evanston, Illinois. It ceased offering the Master of Divinity degree in May 2010, and in January 2012 it moved from Evanston to the Evangelical Luth ...

as Bexley Hall Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Federation, also known as '
Bexley Seabury
For three years, Bexley Seabury

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

operated from two locations—in

Bexley, Ohio Bexley is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,928 at the 2020 census. The city is a suburban enclave of Columbus, situated on the banks of Alum Creek east of Columbus's Near East Side. It was founded in 1908 ...

, a suburb of Columbus, and in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

—until July 2016 when it consolidated at a single campus location at

Chicago Theological Seminary The Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) is a Christian ecumenical American seminary located in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of several seminaries historically affiliated with the United Church of Christ. It is the oldest institution of higher e ...

in Chicago's Hyde Park/ Woodlawn district. Bexley Seabury is one of nine official seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Bexley Seabury's mission includes, "creating new networks of Christian formation, entrepreneurial leadership and bold inquiry in the service of the Gospel".

History

Bexley Hall seminary was established in 1824 by Bishop

Philander Chase Philander Chase (December 14, 1775 – September 20, 1852) was an Episcopal Church bishop, educator, and pioneer of the United States western frontier, especially in Ohio and Illinois. Early life and family Born in Cornish, New Hampshire, t ...

in conjunction with the establishment of

Kenyon College Kenyon College ( ) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase. It is the oldest private instituti ...

Gambier, Ohio Gambier ( ) is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,213 at the 2020 census. Gambier is the home of Kenyon College. History Gambier was laid out in 1824. The village was named after one of Kenyon College's early ...

Bexley Hall was later identified separately, and was named in honour of

Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley, (29 April 1766 – 8 February 1851) was an English politician, and one of the longest-serving Chancellors of the Exchequer in British history. Background and education The fifth son of Henry Vansittart ...

, an early benefactor of Kenyon College.Bexley and Coburn Halls
at Kenyon College website. Retrieved on September 8, 2006. "For more than a century, this building was the home of the seminary known as Bexley Hall. Kenyon was founded in 1824 as both a college and a seminary, with the aim of training Episcopal clergy for America's western frontier." Bexley Hall disassociated with Kenyon in 1968 and moved from Gambier to

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, where it affiliated with Colgate Rochester Divinity School (which since became Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.) Although the seminary is no longer affiliated with

, the 1839 seminary building in Gambier is still known as ''Bexley Hall''. After 30 years in New York state, in 1998, Bexley Hall re-established a campus in Ohio through a partnership with

Trinity Lutheran Seminary Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University (formerly the German Theological Seminary of the Ohio Synod; the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary, ELTS; and Trinity Lutheran Seminary) is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in A ...

of Columbus, adjacent to the

Capital University Capital University (Capital, Cap, or CU) is a private university in Bexley, Ohio, United States. Capital was founded as the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio, Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio in 1830 and ...

campus, a liberal arts institution with undergraduate, graduate and professional school divisions, in a suburb coincidentally named

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

. In February 2008, the dean announced the May closure of the Rochester campus, citing falling student numbers and more stringent accreditation requirements. In addition to its relationship with Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Bexley Hall has developed partnerships with the

Pontifical College Josephinum The Pontifical College Josephinum is a Roman Catholic seminary and private university in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded by Joseph Jessing in 1888 to prepare seminarians for the many German-speaking communities in the United States at that time. ...

and the Methodist Theological School in Ohio that give students registration access to selected classes. Additionally, the transformative federated relationship between Bexley Hall and Seabury-Western seminaries has enhanced the new school's mission, geographic scope and operational capacity. In April 2013 Bexley Hall inaugurated a historic federated relationship with

and together formed Bexley Seabury seminary
Bexley Seabury
offers a Master of Divinity and two Doctor of Ministry degrees as well as a diploma in Anglican Studies and continuing educations and lifelong learning courses.

Notable alumni

* James P. deWolfe (1896-1966), bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Long Island The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the counties of Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk, which comprise Long Island, New York. It is in Province 2 and ...

* William Crane Gray (1835-1919), bishop of

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

* Lloyd E. Gressle (1919-1999), bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem * Donald M. Hultstrand, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Springfield * S. Arthur Huston (1876-1963), bishop of Olympia * Peter Kwong (鄺廣傑) (born 1936), archbishop and primate of the

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (abbreviated SKH), also known as the Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal), is the Anglican church in Hong Kong and Macao. It is the 38th Province of the Anglican Communion. It is also one of the major denominations ...

* Stephen T. Lane, bishop of

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

* Mark Lattime, Bishop of

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

Santosh Marray Santosh Kumar Marray (born 1957) is the eleventh and current bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton. Before this, he served as assistant bishop for both the Diocese of Alabama (2012-2016) and the Diocese of East Carolina (2009-2012). Prior ...

, Eleventh Bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Easton The Episcopal Diocese of Easton is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America that comprises the nine counties that make up the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It is in Province III (the Middle Atlantic region) and was created ...

* Philip McNairy, Sixth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota * Ernest Vincent Shayler, Bishop of Nebraska * Douglas E. Theuner, bishop of

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

* William W. Wiedrich, suffragan bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Chicago The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago is the official organization of the Episcopal Church in Chicago and Northern Illinois, USA. The diocese is served by The Right Reverend Paula Clark, who serves as Bishop of the diocese. The cathedral of the dioce ...

* Charles D. Williams (1860-1923), fourth bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Michigan The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal diocese comprising 70 congregations in the southeast part of Michigan. The diocese traces its roots to the founding of Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Detroit), St ...

References

External links

Bexley Hall - Bexley Seabury
website {{authority control Anglican seminaries and theological colleges Seminaries and theological colleges in Ohio Universities and colleges in Franklin County, Ohio Educational institutions established in 1824 Kenyon College Bexley, Ohio History of Rochester, New York Episcopal Church (United States) Seminaries and theological colleges in Illinois Defunct private universities and colleges in New York (state)