wfn.org | Episcopal Bishop Steven Charleston

[Daphne Mack <dmack@dfms.org>]

For more information contact:
Kathryn McCormick
Episcopal News Service
Kmccormick@dfms.org
212/922-5383
http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/ens

99-059
Bishop Steven Charleston 
named president-dean of 
Episcopal Divinity School
by James Solheim
(ENS) Bishop Steven Charleston, one of the Episcopal Church's 
most prominent Native Americans, has been chosen as president and 
dean of Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 
and will assume his new position in August.

The Rev. Lyle Hall, chair of the board of trustees, said that Charleston

"truly embodies a passionate concern for justice and the eradication of 
oppression, as well as being an individual of deep personal
spirituality."

Charleston, who is currently chaplain at Trinity College in Hartford, 
Connecticut, is former bishop of Alaska. He is a graduate of EDS and, 
before his election in Alaska, was creator and director of
cross-cultural 
studies at Luther-Northwestern Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Over 
his career he has been deeply involved in exploring different models of 
theological training to meet the needs of a changing church. He has been

a special advocate for theological education that is culturally
sensitive 
and meets the needs and concerns of local faith communities.

"In coming to join the community at EDS, I experience both a genuine 
sense of humility and a real feeling of excitement," Charleston said in 
response to his appointment. Expressing gratitude for the confidence 
extended to him, he added that he was "absolutely excited at the 
possibilities that this offers to us all. With God's grace and guidance,
I 
believe this is the beginning of a wonderful chapter in the history of
our 
school."

Charleston directed a Dakota Leadership program in South Dakota before 
joining the Episcopal Church staff as executive director of the National

Committee on Indian Work. As a collegial member of the House of 
Bishops, he chairs the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation task
force.
EDS one of bright spots in church
In an interview Charleston said that he felt "an unmistakably clear,
sacred 
invitation" after his conversations on campus with faculty and students.
"I 
felt that I had to step through the door and see what God has in mind."

Charleston is convinced that EDS is "one of the bright spots in our
church, 
a strong community trying to live out the Gospel." He said that he felt
"an 
enormous amount of energy" during his visit to the campus. "EDS has a 
strong sense of its history but is also looking for a new beginning.
They 
affirm their history but they are committed to a powerful renewal of
their 
spiritual heritage."

Owanah Anderson, former director of Native American Ministries for the 
Episcopal Church, expressed tremendous excitement about the appointment.

"Not only because he is a member of the Choctaw Nation-which in our 
culture makes him my son, but because he now moves into a highly visible

position in our church where his talents for addressing justice issues
with 
deep spiritual insight will make a great contribution."

Anderson added that "many, many Anglican Native peoples-from the 
Yukon River of Alaska to Hawaii and to New Zealand-join in rejoicing 
that EDS has selected an indigenous person to lead it into the new 
millennium."