On May 24, 2023, at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Austin, TX, the Seminary of the Southwest Class of 2023 graduated at Southwest’s 72nd Commencement Exercises. Amid the 40 graduates were those receiving Masters degrees in Divinity, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Spiritual Formation, and Religion. Diplomas in Anglican Studies we are also awarded, as well as Honorary Doctorates to Ms. Florence McGee and Dr. Catherine Meeks.
View more Commencement photos here
Dr. Roger Reeves, the award-winning poet and author, delivered a Commencement sermon in which he acknowledged the difficult journey these graduates had endured to receive their degrees. “A seed planted doesn’t burst through the soil easily,” said Dr. Reeves, an Associate Professor of Poetry at the University of Texas. “A seed must press its young head against the obstacles. The soil is doing what it’s supposed to do- preparing you for your lives.”
“It was a very happy day when we celebrated our graduates accomplishments on the beautiful Good Shepherd campus,” said the Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, Dean and President. “Members of the board, faculty, staff, students, and their families share in the liturgy of beginning that is Commencement.”
Southwest awarded Honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters to McGee and Meeks in recognition of the tremendous impact each has had in their communities and on the Episcopal Church as a whole. “It was truly an honor to host Flo McGee and her husband, Wade Upton, at our commencement events this year,” said Kittredge. “Flo is a longtime friend of this seminary and of our leaders past and present. Her impact and effectiveness are surpassed only by her kindness and grace. “
“Dr. Meeks has been a leader and friend of Seminary of the Southwest as we have convened our conversations around race among student and faculty,” added Kittredge. “It was a blessing to have her among us and to honor her at Commencement.”
Click to read the citations honoring Ms. McGee and Dr. Meeks
The day was also marked by a surprise announcement by the Rt. Rev. Kathryn M. Ryan, Bishop Suffragan in the Diocese of Texas and Chair of the Southwest Board of Trustees. In the announcement, Bishop Ryan shared the news that to mark the end of Dean Kittredge’s tenth year as Dean and President, some key donors had worked with the Board of Trustees to establish the Cynthia Briggs Kittredge Leadership Chair. The newly created endowed chair will fund the position of Dean and President at Seminary of the Southwest in perpetuity. The fundraising and announcement were all undertaken without Dean Kittredge’s knowledge.
“What an extraordinary honor and happy surprise to receive this announcement in the final moments of the glorious commencement,” said Kittredge. “I am overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and generosity of the friends and colleagues who have created this Leadership Fund. The flourishing of Seminary of the Southwest over these ten years has come through the creative energy of this community with the action of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God!”
Learn more and support the Cynthia Briggs Kittredge Dean’s Leadership Chair
“Our bond doesn’t end on graduation day,” said Reeves in his sermon. “We are collaborators and conspirators now.”
Watch the entire Commencement service below:
