On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, members of the broader community of Seminary of the Southwest gathered at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Austin, TX, to witness the installation of Dr. Scott Bader-Saye as the ninth Dean and President of the beloved Episcopal seminary. Despite unusually cold weather and a dusting of snow in the Austin area that had closed schools and business that day, the pews in the church were filled full with members of the Board of Trustees, alumni, supporters, clergy, academic colleagues, bishops, faculty, and staff that were there to witness the beginning of this new chapter for the seminary.
“Despite the threat of bad weather, a robust crowd turned out to celebrate the seminary and its future,” said Dean Bader-Saye. “I am grateful for all those who planned and executed this event and for all the participants—board members, deans and bishops, students and alumni, faculty and staff, family and friends. The joy was palpable, and Bishop Curry brought the Spirit with a rousing sermon that encouraged us to keep our eyes on the prize. I could not have asked for a better kick off to my tenure as dean and president!”
The service, officiated by the Rt. Rev. Kathryn M. Ryan, Bishop Suffragan in the diocese of Texas and chair of the Southwest Board of Trustees, was a service of Choral Evensong highlighted by an inspirational sermon from the Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church.
“Tell out my soul the goodness of this school,” said Bishop Curry in his sermon. “I was ready to sign up and re-enroll myself….this seminary and its graduates change this world from the nightmare it often is, to the dream that God intended.” Throughout his sermon, Bishop Curry referenced a Civil Rights era song he learned from his grandfather, returning multiple times to the refrain as counsel for the new dean and all who uphold the mission of the seminary: “Got my hand on the gospel plow, wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now, keep your eyes on the prize, hold on, hold on.”
Watch Bishop Curry’s sermon here
“What a wonderful day for Seminary of the Southwest and for the greater church,” said Bishop Ryan. “I speak for the entire board and alumni everywhere when I say we are excited about what Dean Bader-Saye’s leadership will mean for Seminary of the Southwest. To have a transformational leader like Bishop Curry honor us with the sermon he delivered was a true blessing. His words inspired me, and I know they inspire Dean Bader-Saye as he leads us into this next chapter. I am so grateful for his presence, for the hospitality of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, and for all who joined us for this special moment.”
At a meeting of the Southwest Board of Trustees the following day, the board unanimously approved a resolution thanking Bishop Curry for his sermon and leadership.
Designed and led by Southwest’s Dean of Chapel and interim Academic Dean, the Rev. Dr. Benjamin King, the installation service featured music from some of the musicians most recognized in Christ Chapel over the past decade: the seminary choir, the Francisco Chavez family, Sharon Coleman, and Southwest’s Director of Music, Kevin McClure. After Dean Bader-Saye was invested with the Dean’s Cross by Bishop Ryan, representatives from ten different constituencies of the great Southwest community presented the new dean with gifts representing their faith, hope, and support for his new administration.
Watch the full installation service here
Dean Bader-Saye was unanimously elected by the Southwest Board of Trustees in May of 2024 to be the ninth Dean and President of Seminary of the Southwest. He began his service as dean on July 1, 2024. Previously, he joined the faculty of Seminary of the Southwest as the Helen and Everett H. Jones Chair in Christian Ethics and Moral Theology in 2009 and has served as academic dean since 2013. He enters the role of Dean and President after Southwest’s Eighth Dean and President, the Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge concluded her term on June 30, 2024, a decision she announced in October, 2023.
“I am thrilled and excited about the appointment of Dr. Scott Bader-Saye as the next dean and president of our Seminary of The Southwest,” said the Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, IX Bishop of Texas when the appointment was announced. “The Episcopal Church is at a pivotal point in the formation of the baptized and clergy, and we see this in the current unrest around the future of seminaries and their work. Seminary of the Southwest has astutely seized this moment to create opportunities. Southwest is well-positioned for the future, a testament to the leadership of our previous deans and chairs. I am deeply grateful to the search committee and board, who have unanimously selected Dr. Bader-Saye as the perfect leader for the next mission age for the church.”
Prior to coming to the seminary, Dean Bader-Saye taught for twelve years in the religion department at the University of Scranton, a Jesuit university in Scranton, PA. He is the author of Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear, Formed by Love, and Church and Israel After Christendom. He has contributed chapters to the Routledge Companion to Christian Ethics, The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics, and The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels, and he has published widely in theological journals and magazines.
