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CHICAGO, December 13, 2016—Bexley Seabury, one of 10 accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church, today announced that the Rev. Dr. Roger Ferlo will conclude his term as president on schedule, in Fall 2017. Ferlo will retire after 32 years of ordained ministry and five years of service as the first president of Bexley Seabury. A search is under way for the next president. Click here for the search profile and nominating information.

Since Ferlo joined Bexley Seabury in March 2012, the seminary has introduced a series of operational and curriculum changes toward fulfilling its vision “to be a 21st century seminary beyond walls—open to all who seek to deepen their Christian formation in a generous spiritual and intellectual tradition.” Changes under Ferlo’s leadership include a more diverse faculty and student body; consolidated operations in Chicago’s historic Hyde Park/Woodlawn district; a new low-residency Master of Divinity program that incorporates a new model for spiritual formation through internships in students’ local communities that are designed and supervised in collaboration with Episcopal dioceses; and increased enrollment, currently 76 degree and diploma students.

“President Ferlo has led Bexley Seabury with equal measures of imagination and pragmatism,” said Board of Directors Chair the Rt. Rev. W. Michie Klusmeyer. “I believe the Ferlo era at Bexley Seabury will be remembered as a period of innovation and restoration that laid a firm foundation for the seminary’s next phase of service to the church.”

A native of Rome, N.Y., Ferlo came to Bexley Seabury from Virginia Theological Seminary where he was associate dean and director of the Institute of Christian Formation and Leadership and also served as professor of religion and culture. Earlier, Ferlo spent 19 years in parish ministry, in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New York City. He has more than 17 years of teaching experience at the university and seminary levels, including as professor of biblical interpretation and the practice of ministry at Bexley Seabury. Ferlo trained for the priesthood at General Theological Seminary after earning an A.B. (summa cum laude) degree at Colgate University, and M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees at Yale University. He was one of the first recipients of the Yale Faculty Distinguished Teaching Prize. Colgate University awarded Ferlo an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 2002. He has authored and edited three books and has published numerous essays, sermons, and reflections.

“My time at Bexley Seabury has enriched every aspect of my life,” Ferlo said. “I look forward to contributing all I can in my remaining time, and to celebrating with this exceptionally gifted community.”

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