For Immediate Release
Date: Sunday, December 22, 2024
Columbia, S.C.—Cherry Hill Seminary held its Winter Commencement on December 22, recognizing the achievement of summer and fall students, and announcing the Wendy Griffin Professor of the Year. A third special award was presented, the Hypatia Award For Excellence in Education. The ceremony began with a keynoted address by Dr. Jeffrey Keefer, Chair, Board of Directors
Following the keynote, Academic Dean Margot Wolfe presented Helene Grogan of Massachusetts and Stacy Patterson of California who each earned the Community Ministry Certificate this year. The CMC represents thirteen months of self-directed study with the guidance of a faculty-mentor. The Seminary acknowledged the many hours of dedication demonstrated by these students.
Four additional students were honored as the first cohort to complete the Writing As A Spiritual Practice certificate: Margaret Meggs, Diana Payton, Troy Robinson, and Diane Sontum. The year-long intensive program culminated in the creation of an anthology of students’ work. Hypatia Dreaming: An Anthology of Poems, Prayers, and Stories by the Students of Cherry Hill Seminary. The book is in the process of publication and should be ready for purchase by early January.
Rev. Diane Cacciato, Professor of the Year
Each year the Votaries Alumni Circle leads the selection of the coveted Wendy Griffin Professor of the Year award.* This year the recipient is Rev. Diane Ciacatto. Diane is the creator of the Writing As A Spiritual Practice certificate. Votary Polly Springhorn said, “Rev. Cacciato’s students experienced firsthand her wealth of personal experience, wide array of informational resources, and her willingness not only to provide personalized feedback, but to edit and finalize multiple submissions for publication – all while scheduling classes to accommodate students living all over the globe. Thanks to her, the cohort of four is armed with a well-rounded approach to the writing process and renewed inspiration to communicate their spiritualities and learn about those of others.”
Jeffrey Keefer, Chair of the Board of Directors, delivered a keynote address to the virtual gathering, including this excerpts:
You know that education is not easy – we are stretched [as students], we are challenged, and we are transformed often in ways great and small. If this were easy, you would have finished this years ago. But whatever forces were at work needed this time and now we need you, to minister, to support, and to encourage a world desperately in need of your gifts. There is not always a perfect time to serve, there’s not always a clear invitation. Sometimes there is not even a clear way forward, but serve we must. Your CHS experience will likely not make you rich, or powerful or even powerful, but you knew that when you started. . . Your CHS experience will help you look into the mirror and respect who is looking back at you, for what you are going to bring to you. You will work with people who need what you offer. And there are few things greater than to serve those who need you.
Following recognition of all the graduates and the Professor of the Year, longtime board member Ron Schaefer presented Dr. Keefer with the Hypatia Award for Excellence in Education. “This award goes to someone who as our namesake Hypatia has the intellect and the temperament and the motivation and the focus to bring all of us of disparate background, on the board, staff, faculty, to serve together in a unified cohesive manner to press forward with the goals of Cherry Hill Seminary – this usually requires someone to go beyond their normal daily duties and their standard mundane work.” Schaefer continued, “It’s reaching out to someone in need, it’s helping someone who needs a hand, it’s mentoring a new professor or staff, it’s resolving conflicts, doing that with skillful aplomb in the way and nature that we all understand Hypatia would have done.”
Executive Director Holli Emore added, “Jeffrey’s vision, expertise and curiosity have only been matched by his kindness and generosity of spirit. Always willing to listen, to advise, to suggest a fresh approach, he has been an example to me of true leadership. He is someone who leads by example, never seeking the spotlight. First arriving to our Seminary doors during our most difficult time, he has led us through more than ten years of expansion, innovation, and growing stronger.
*About the Wendy Griffin Professor of the Year Award
Sponsored by the CHS Votaries Alumni Circle, this prestigious award is presented annually to one deserving faculty member who has demonstrated teaching excellence in the classroom and a commitment to spiritual growth for students. Nominations are accepted throughout the calendar year until Thanksgiving weekend, and the award is announced and presented at a special online event early in the new year following.
As Cherry Hill Seminary’s first permanent Academic Dean, Wendy Griffin (1941-2021) brought to Cherry Hill Seminary a dedication to academic integrity and a devotion to Pagan and Nature Spirituality. She was an academic pioneer in the study of Goddess Spirituality and Wicca, and served in the American Academy of Religion and on the editorial board of The Pomegranate: the International Journal of Pagan Studies. By the time she retired in 2018, Griffin had inspired students and colleagues alike with her intellect, skills and engagement.
Cherry Hill Seminary is the leading provider of education and practical training in leadership, ministry, and personal growth in Pagan and Nature-based spiritualities, empowering spiritual leadership, scholarship, and ethics, providing transformative education and empowering students to advance academically and lead spiritually.. https://cherryhillseminary.org/
