Church Divinity School of the Pacific : 2001 Seminar
Office Hours
Professor Jones is in her office.1 She is scheduled to preside at the Community Eucharist that evening, which will necessitate leaving for a rehearsal at 4:50. She has been holding office hours, but intends to spend the time between 4:30 and 4:45 reviewing the plans for that evening's service, practicing chanting an unfamiliar Proper Preface, and centering herself. At 4:00 one of her advisees comes in for a previously scheduled appointment.
Priscilla, a part-time M.Div. student, is among the 50-60% commuters who belong to CDSP's student body2; her drive from San Jose takes one to two hours, depending on traffic. Priscilla begins by saying that nearly everything in her life is going great right now. She loves her courses and her instructors are giving her good grades and praising her work. Her family is happy and supportive of her plans to be ordained. In her home parish she has recently completed her term on the vestry. For the last three years she has been working with the associate rector on a Sunday afternoon liturgy they call "St. James Unplugged," which is attracting over 200 worshipers, many of them new to the church. Because one of the new members has recently married a Hindu, they are now planning to begin incorporating Hindu elements in the liturgy, along with the Christian and Buddhist elements already there. "Of course that is a bit of a challenge," says Priscilla, "because in the Hindu tradition there are many gods." The bishop has expressed his affirmation of this new liturgy, and Priscilla believes that he is supportive of her call to ordained ministry, although she is still in the early stages of the discernment process in her home parish.
"Sounds like everything is going great, then!" observes Professor Jones. "Just about," says Priscilla. "Everyone in my life is happy with me right now, except for the administration at CDSP." "Really? What seems to be the problem there?"
At this moment another student, a Japanese man called Kiyo, pokes his head around the frame of the office door, which has been left partially ajar in keeping with the CDSP faculty's customary practice.
"Sorry to bother," he says with a heavy accent. "I just need ask you one small thing for my paper." (Professor Jones is teaching introductory Greek this semester, and Kiyo is among the quarter of the students in the class who have come from other GTU schools as part of the consortium's cross-registration arrangement.)
"I'm with someone right now," says Professor Jones. "Could you come back tomorrow morning?"
"I don't come on Fridays," says the student. "This only take short time." Priscilla nods to Professor Jones, and Professor Jones steps out into the hall.
"You gave me F on re-write," says the student, displaying the paper. "What should I do?"
"Well, I'm wondering if the problem isn't really English, rather than Greek. The assignment was to compare English translations of your New Testament pericope, and explain the differences. There were significant differences based on some variant readings, but you don't really deal with them in your paper, even after I underlined where the differences were. I wonder if the differences in the English are too subtle for you to get. Is there someone at your (other GTU) school who might help you with English?"
"Not really," says Kiyo. "Could you just tell me what is exegesis?"
"I'm not sure what you mean," says Professor Jones. "This whole course has been about how to do exegesis. Part of every chapter has been about using the Greek tools for exegesis. Have you had an introductory scripture course at your school?"
"Yes, New Testament. But I didn't agree with professor. I believe it not right to criticize Bible."
"Well, I understand that position," says Professor Jones. "But you have known from the syllabus on the first day that this course is intended to give you tools for a historical-critical reading of scripture. I have to grade you on that basis."
"But how do I do it?"
"I'm really sorry, but I'm with another student now, and then I have obligations in chapel. You should really try to get some help with that from someone at your school—your New Testament prof, maybe. I can't really tell you anything that hasn't been outlined already in what we've discussed in class. It's all in the book."
Kiyo sighs and leaves. It is now 4:20. Professor Jones returns to the office, closes the door, and tries to regroup. "You were saying you were having a problem with the CDSP administration?"
"Well, there are three problems, actually," says Priscilla. "One is that I keep getting nasty e-mails from the Dean of the Chapel about not showing up for my assignments on the chapel rota, even though I never know when it is that I'm supposed to be there. Another problem is that I'm going to need more than six years to finish the M.Div. program because with all my responsibilities at home and church I can only take one course a semester. And the third problem is that the Director of Field Education isn't going to let me have a field placement in my home parish, even though the associate rector there is willing to write a letter saying that I am already learning everything I need to know there. It seems like the seminary is being really inflexible about all this."
"Well," Professor Jones said, "there is a connection between those three issues in that all of them have to do with the integrity of the M.Div. as an academic program that is more than just taking a bunch of courses. Preparation for ordained ministry is not only education and training, you know, but also formation. In fact, the traditional Anglican seminary approach has been described as ‘formation by osmosis,' because so much of it has to do with studying and praying together in community. That's why serving on the chapel rota is so important. As for the six-year limit on coursework, that is a requirement responding to our accrediting agencies' concern that a student's program has coherence and that the knowledge and skills aren't going to be out of date by the time the student graduates. And part of the Field Education experience has to do with going into an unfamiliar setting where you have to find out what it is like to be both a leader and a stranger at the same time. But I'm confused when you say that you never know when you are assigned to serve in chapel. Didn't you get a copy of the rota at the beginning of the semester?"
"I don't think so, unless they sent it to my student mailbox here on campus. I never open that mailbox."
"Well, that explains it! The rota does go to your student mailbox, and it is your responsibility to check the rota and get a substitute if you aren't able to make your assigned date. All of this is part of the description of the M.Div. in the Academic Handbook, you know."
"I certainly didn't realize that I was going to be expected to be here on certain days, no matter what. The seminary catalog does say that part-time students are welcome, doesn't it? I've told the sacristans that I can only be here on Tuesdays, when I come over for my class. And I can only take one course a semester because, frankly, my family and my church are higher priorities for me than getting through seminary. Would it be possible for the bishop to ordain me if I don't get an M.Div.?"
Just then there is a knock on the closed door and before Professor Jones can respond, the door opens and another head pops around the corner. It is Betsy, the student who is slated to lead the Intercessions at the Eucharist tonight.
"I don't mean to interrupt," she says brightly. "But I'm supposed to show you these prayers before rehearsal." Priscilla nods at Professor Jones again, and again Professor Jones steps out into the hall. It is now 4:40.
Professor Jones begins to read the Prayers of the People:
"Leader: The People's response to each petition is: Thank you Jesus.
People: Thank you, Jesus.
Leader: Let us pray for your holy catholic church. We pray for the bishops in the Diocese of Fort Worth and San Joaquin, and all bishops who are afflicted with homophobia and other sins. For your holy church,
People: Thank you, Jesus.
Leader: Let us pray for our seminary community, that a spirit of love may grow among us and that the faculty will learn to treat students with the respect they deserve. For your seminary, O God,
People: Thank you, Jesus."
Professor Jones can't read any farther. "Betsy, these just aren't acceptable, and I simply don't have time to help you re-do them now. It's just too late."
"Well, what's wrong with them? I use prayers like them at my home parish."
"I'm sorry. I've got an advisee with an appointment in there, the rehearsal starts in 15 minutes, and I haven't even had time to prepare to preside yet. You'll just have to use one of the forms in the Book of Common Prayer. I'll help you think them through afterwards. Can you come by tomorrow?"
"No, I'm not here on Fridays." Betsy turns about-face and disappears.
Professor Jones sighs, returns to her office, sits down, takes a deep breath, and focuses again on the student facing her.
"Look, Priscilla, I can certainly understand if your other commitments make it impossible for you to finish the M.Div. Maybe the bishop would waive the M.Div. in your case though that doesn't happen very often in your diocese. But I think you are going to have to make a decision. If you are going to be in the M.Div. program, you will have to open your mailbox, check the rota, show up for your assignments, take enough courses every semester to finish the program in six years, and make arrangements to take Field Education in another setting. If you can't do those things and want to drop out or transfer into anther academic program, we'll be sorry to lose you. But don't expect us to lower our standards just for you."
Priscilla grows very quiet. "Obviously, I have a decision to make then, if the seminary isn't going to be flexible enough to make it possible for someone like me to get an M.Div. here."
"This may not have been the kind of conversation with your advisor that you wanted," concludes
Professor Jones, "but I hope it has at least been clarifying."
"Goodbye," Priscilla whispers as she turns toward the door. It is 4:45.
Professor Jones closes the door behind her. She shakes her head. "As usual," she thinks to herself, "there just wasn't enough time even to begin the conversations I needed to have. There are so many different expectations, so many different needs, so many different programs3 to keep straight. . . . And so much confusion about what Anglican ‘formation' means in a seminary where things are no longer the way they used to be. I suppose we will talk about that issue at the faculty retreat next fall—just as we do every year!"
She turns back to her three-ring altar book. "The Lord be with you," she chants.
ENDNOTES
1 All 12 faculty offices open out onto a well-trafficked hallway surrounding an atrium and faculty lounge on the second floor of Shires Hall.
2 Headcount 120, FTE 98.75.
3 CDSP offers the M.Div., M.T.S., D.Min., Certificate of Theological Studies, and Certificate of Anglican Studies; the M.A. is offered jointly with the GTU; CDSP faculty also participate in the Ph.D. and Th.D. programs offered by the GTU.