On Thursday, June 22, General hosted sixty members of the National Episcopal Historians and Archivists (NEHA) Conference for an afternoon visit. The conference attendees had the opportunity to learn about and experience many of General’s notable and historical facets. Professor Emeritus Bruce Mullin offered a historical tour of the Close and Professor Kevin Moroney gave a talk on and tour of the Close’s “crown jewel,” The Chapel of the Good Shepherd.
Founded in 1961, the NEHA serves as a nationwide network for Episcopal archivists and historians to share ideas and support in their shared efforts to preserve the history of the Episcopal Church. At the Christoph Keller, Jr. Library, NEHA visitors had the chance to tour the Library’s special collections and archives and to see a variety of treasures from the seminary’s collection, including the 1784 concordat between Samuel Seabury and Scottish Bishops, Egyptian funerary figurines from Dean E.A. Hoffman’s collection, and proceedings from the first General Conventions of the Church, among many others.
After the tours, visitors participated in evensong in the Chapel and had the opportunity to attend the seminary’s annual Garden Party to get together with General’s students, faculty, and neighbors. It was a wonderful opportunity for the community to welcome and meet Episcopalians who are interested in and who work with the history of the Church. Many attendees noted how the seminary’s holdings reflect the history of their respective institutions, and how their institutions’ histories affected General and its story. The visit from NEHA speaks to General’s place in the history of the Episcopal Church, and the role the seminary continues to play as it lives out its mission, history, and traditions.