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 (United States), Episcopal Church, located in Evanston, Illinois. It ceased operations as a residential seminary granting the Master of Divinity degree in May 201 ...

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 seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

operated from two locations—in

Bexley, Ohio Bexley is a suburban city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,928 at the 2020 census. Founded as a village, the city of Bexley is a suburb of Columbus, the Ohio state capital, situated on the banks of Alum Creek next ...

, a suburb of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, and in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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

Chicago Theological Seminary Founded in 1855, the Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) is the oldest higher education institution in the City of Chicago and was established with two principal goals: first, to educate pastors who would minister to people living on the new weste ...

in Chicago's

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

/ Woodlawn district. Bexley Seabury is one of 10 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 to o ...

in conjunction with the establishment of

Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is se ...

Gambier, Ohio Gambier is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,391 at the 2010 census. Gambier is the home of Kenyon College. A major feature is a gravel path running the length of the village, referred to as "Middle Path". This ...

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 (1824-1968), Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio

Bexley Hall (1824-1968), Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio

Bexley Hall disassociated with Kenyon in 1968 and moved from Gambier to

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, where it affiliated with Colgate Rochester Divinity School (which since became

Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School is a Baptist seminary in Rochester, New York It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History 1820s-1960: Early history Four Baptist institutions merged over the course of the 19th and 20t ...

.) 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 is an Evangelical Lutheran seminary in Columbus, Ohio. History In 1830, the German Theological Seminary of the Ohio Synod, later known as the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary (ELTS), was f ...

of Columbus, adjacent to the

Capital University Capital University (Capital, Cap, or CU) is a private university in Bexley, Ohio. Capital was founded as the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio in 1830, and later was associated with that synod's successor, the Ame ...

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 Char ...

. 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 and the

Methodist Theological School in Ohio The Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO) is a graduate theological school and seminary in Delaware, Ohio. MTSO is one of the 13 official seminaries of The United Methodist Church. MTSO is accredited by the North Central Association of Col ...

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

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

* Lloyd E. Gressle (1919-1999), bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem * Donald M. Hultstrand, Bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Springfield The Episcopal Diocese of Springfield is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is located in the state of Illinois and includes the area east of the Illinois River and south of the Counties of Woodford, Livingston ...

* S. Arthur Huston (1876-1963), bishop of

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

* 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 state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

* Mark Lattime, Bishop of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

* Santosh Marray, 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 The Episcopal Church in Minnesota, formerly known as the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which has jurisdiction over all of Minnesota, except Clay County, which is in the Episco ...

Ernest Vincent Shayler Ernest Vincent Shayler (October 11, 1868 – June 25, 1947) was the fourth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska. Early life and education Shayler was born on October 11, 1868, in North Moreton, Oxfordshire, England, to Charles William S ...

, 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 is bordered by 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, US. The diocese is headed by Bishop Paula Clark, who is the first woman and first African-American to lead the diocese. ...

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

Episcopal Diocese of Michigan The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is the Episcopal diocese comprising more than 70 congregations in the southeast part of Michigan. The diocese traces its roots to the founding of St. Paul's, Detroit in 1824. It became a diocese of the Episcop ...

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 Private universities and colleges in New York (state) Episcopal Church (United States) Seminaries and theological colleges in Illinois