College of Preachers and Cathedral Program Department Merge to Form Cathedral College; New Warden Named

August 6, 2004

Washington, DC — The College of Preachers and Washington National Cathedral are merging their educational programs to form a new Cathedral College. The Cathedral College will create and offer a wide range of educational programs, building on the historical offerings of the College of Preachers and the National Cathedral.

The Board of Trustees of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation ratified a merger agreement between the Governing Board of the College of Preachers and the Chapter of Washington National Cathedral to establish the Cathedral College of Washington National Cathedral effective September 1, 2004.

The Rev. Dr. Howard R. Anderson, rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Duluth, Minnesota, will serve as the first warden of the newly formed Cathedral College.

The Right Rev. John Bryson Chane, bishop of Washington and chair of the Foundation Board of Trustees, encouraged the idea of the merger. “The merger brings together the very best resources of both institutions, creating an educational center that will empower local, regional and global religious and secular communities in proclaiming the power of God’s word. It will be a center for both sacred and secular discourse, where the fruits of such engagement will have a transformational impact on the national and international scene,” he said. He and other trustees saw the merger as a means of expanding the programmatic ministry of both institutions and carrying forward the 75-year history of the College of Preachers as a conference center for clergy and laity. The Cathedral College will also carry forward the educational ministry of Washington National Cathedral, a ministry that has traditionally focused on lectures and short series for broader audiences on topics in biblical studies, theology and spirituality.

“What we envision ... is a Cathedral College that will have the capacity to make a greater educational impact than either the College of Preachers or the Program Department of the Cathedral have been able to make alone,” said the Rev. Canon James C. Fenhagen II, warden of the College of Preachers over the past three years. “We are excited about expanding our vision to offer a greater breadth of program offerings that will touch the complexities of the world today.”

One major change resulting from the merger will be the retirement of the current College of Preacher’s Governing Board and the Cathedral Chapter’s Programming Committee. These two governing bodies will be replaced by a national programming board, which will be formed to oversee the Cathedral College. Representatives from both current governing bodies will serve on the new board, which will report to the Cathedral Chapter.

The College of Preachers, a center for the continuing theological education of religious leaders, has been located next to the Cathedral since 1929. Its proximity will allow the Cathedral to expand its educational programming through use of the College’s conference center. For its part, the College of Preachers will enjoy the additional resources the Cathedral offers.

The Rev. Dr. Howard Anderson, the newly designated warden for the Cathedral College, comes to the post with an extensive background in Church, civic and academic affairs, and is well known as an administrator, educator and preacher. He is a graduate of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and attended seminary at St. John’s College in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He holds a doctorate in American Studies from the University of Hawaii.

Prior to his ten-year tenure as a parish rector, Anderson held various posts in the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota including service as the officer responsible for Stewardship and Congregational Development and consultant for Lay Ministry. Throughout his career he has also served as a seminary instructor and a university and high school teacher, and he was the Founding Executive Director of the Native American Theological Association.

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