CDSP Graduation, 2012

A graduation ceremony with Holy Communion.

When the ceremony was over, the newly minted graduates let out a half-hearted whoop and smiled, exhaustion mingled with elation.  There would be no tossing of mortar boards, which they did as twenty-somethings years ago.

Many graduates of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific have wrinkles and gray hair. They have less energy than the nearby Cal undergraduates, but they more than compensate with their motivation, purpose, and, yes, experience.

They will soon be ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church, one of the oldest Protestant denominations. It is a denomination that is dying. The Episcopal Church in America now counts less than two million members, less than half the number of the mid-20th century. And there are no signs of a turnaround; one can attend services all across the country without seeing anyone under 30 years of age.

But the gloomy prognosis did not dissuade these students. They were fully aware of the church's problems when they entered seminary.  Not for glory or riches did they begin their journey. They were answering a call.

On this beautiful Friday morning in Berkeley, hope flickered but refused to go out.