On November 10, 2021, the 53rd Annual Blandy Lecture and Symposium was presented to attendees both in person and remote as the Rt. Rev. Hector Monterroso delivered a talk on the Multicultural Future of the Church. Hosted in a hybrid format, attendees had the option to attend in-person or online, with both types of attendance given the option to participate in pre and post-lecture networking and discussion.
In addition to the lecture, the event featured the awarding of the Hal Brook Perry Alumni Award, which was presented to the Rev. Isaias Ginson, class of 2010. A Q&A and breakout table discussion session was hosted by the Rev. Nancy Frausto, Southwest’s Director of Latinx Studies, and the Rev. Nandra Perry, Director of the Iona Collaborative at Seminary of the Southwest.
“It was exciting to welcome so many guests at the Blandy Lecture and Symposium, both in person and on line,” said the Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, dean and president. “Bishop Hector, Rev. Nancy, and Rev. Isaias beautifully conveyed a vision of a multicultural church. Graduates and friends reconnected with one another and with the community, which felt like a blessed return to normalcy in still complicated times.”
The Southwest Alumni Association helped plan and present the event, and the Rev. Mary Ann Huston, Co-Chair, presented Ginson with his award, reading his citation. “Your missioner’s heart has been evident throughout your ministry,” read a portion of the citation. “Whether in the islands of Micronesia or in the city or suburbs of New York, you have based your ministry on a Holy Spirit- led paradigm, trusting that the spirit is already at work in the community. You seek mutuality in ministry, and find ways to build relationships of trust, understanding and respect.”
Read the full citation here.
Southwest also sent attendees a prerecorded ‘State of the Seminary’ in which Dean Kittredge provide a glimpse into the state of Seminary of the Southwest as we close out 2021. You can view that here.
This was the 53rd year that Southwest has presented the Blandy Lecture in some form. This annual gathering was created to honor the Very Rev. Gray M. Blandy for his ministry and work as the first dean of the Seminary of the Southwest.
You can watch a recording of the Blandy Lecture in its entirety via this link.
