Andrew Grosso

Getting closer to God is a deep-seated goal for those students who journey to the Nashotah House.

But it may be the travels away from this esteemed seminary that allow graduates to experience spirituality in its highest form.

“Our hope and our goal is always that those who graduate from Nashotah House will help guide the members of the congregations and communities they serve deeper into a relationship with God through Christ and the Spirit, and will thereby better enable every member of the church to recognize God’s call on their lives to take part in the mission and ministry of the church in and to the world,” said the Rev. Dr. Andrew Grosso, research professor of philosophical and systematic theology, and associate dean for academic affairs at Nashotah House.

Recognizing God’s call and embarking on a mission and ministry have been continual goals for Nashotah House since its formation in 1842. The renowned seminary for The Episcopal Church, The Anglican Church in North America, the Episcopal Missionary Church and more, Nashotah House is in the midst of celebrating its 175th anniversary.

The seminary is one of the oldest institutions in Wisconsin.

“The seminary has since its inception been dedicated to pursuing mission on the frontier,” Grosso said. “Today the ‘frontier’ is not geographical, but cultural, and Nashotah continues to be shaped and guided by a dedication to preparing and supporting people called to proclaim both in word and deed the gospel of Christ in and to the world.”

Nashotah House began its observance of the 175th anniversary at the start of the 2016-17 academic year and will continue to do so through August, Grosso said. Although the seminary has already held several events in honor of the anniversary, the most notable ones are still to come.

Founder’s Day will be held April 6, the Feast of James Lloyd Breck (transferred from April 2); commencement will be held June 1; a conference on Anglicanism and the Church is set for June 6-9; and Land Day is scheduled for Aug. 27, Grosso said.

All the celebratory events are proof of the Nashotah House’s powerful draw through the years. “I believe the High Church, Anglo-Catholic identity and ethos of the House has over the years been the primary reason people have come here to seek formation for ministry,” Grosso said. “While there are, of course, many places people can go for academic studies designed to prepare them for ministry, there are relatively few places they can go where their experience of formation will be shaped by daily worship and the fellowship of the community to the extent that it is at the House.”

For more information, access the seminary’s website at www.nashotah.edu or call 1-262-646-6500.