The educational ministry of the Cathedral College is one of the ways the Cathedral extends its voice in service to others. The rich offerings of the College include programs in spirituality, theological initiatives, preaching, global justice and reconciliation, and Christian formation.
Cathedral College History
The College of Preachers was first envisioned in the early years of the twentieth century by the Rt. Rev. Henry Yates Satterlee, first Episcopal Bishop of Washington. Satterlee dreamed of founding a school of the prophets to provide post-ordination training for clergy.
The College’s actual founder was the Rt. Rev. James E. Freeman, third bishop of Washington. In 1924, Freeman—motivated by his own interest in preaching and stirred by an awareness of Bishop Satterlee’s earlier dream—founded the College and prevailed upon Philip M. Rhinelander, Bishop of Pennsylvania, to become its first Warden. The first session of the College was held in June 1924.
Three years later, Bishop Freeman visited his long-time friend Alexander Smith Cochran in Paris. As Freeman was about to leave on the evening of June 9, 1927, he told Cochran it had been difficult to leave Washington because the College of Preachers was holding its June session. This off-hand comment provoked interest from Cochran and resulted in his decision to provide funds to build a home for the College and to endow its program: a gift of $1,450,000. The building was dedicated on November 14, 1929, the 145th anniversary of the consecration of Samuel Seabury, the first Episcopal Bishop in America. Since 1929 the College’s location in the nation’s capital on the grounds of Washington National Cathedral, its focus on proclamation, and its tradition of faculty excellence have given it a unique role among residential continuing education centers in the United States.
Wardens and Presidents of the College of Preachers
- Philip M. Rhinelander, Warden 1924–1937
- Noble Cilley Powell, Warden 1937–1941
- Theodore O. Wedel, Warden 1942–1960
- Frederick H. Arterton, Warden 1960–1972
- Clement W. Welsh, Warden 1972–1981
- William H. Marmion, Interim Warden 1981–1982
- T. Herbert O.Driscoll, Warden 1982–1983
- Charles J. Minifie, President 1983–1991
- Erica B. Wood, Interim President 1991–1992
- Erica B. Wood, President and Warden 1992–2001
- James Corner Fenhagen II, President and Warden 2001–2004
- Howard Anderson, President and Warden 2004–2008