Religion
Retired archbishop's belief in unity finds a home at Seattle U.

By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times staff reporter

	STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES Moments before the blessing of Seattle University's Hunthausen Hall by Seattle Archbishop Alexander Brunett (in background at left), retired Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen points out friends. Beside him is the Rev. Stephen Sundborg, Seattle U. president.
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That was fitting, for the focus of Thursday's ceremony at Seattle University was a newly renovated building named for retired Seattle archbishop Raymond Hunthausen, known for his dedication to reaching out to other Christian traditions.

Hunthausen Hall will be the new home of the university's School of Theology and Ministry, unique among Catholic ministerial schools for allowing students from both Catholic and Protestant traditions to pursue ministerial degrees together.

"It's humbling to have something named after you," Hunthausen told a crowd of about 400. "If it had to happen, I couldn't imagine anything else I'd rather have my name associated with."

Hunthausen, 82, who now lives in Helena, Mont., served as Seattle archbishop from 1975 to 1991. He is popular and controversial for his outspoken, liberal views on subjects such as the role of women, ministry to gays, and nuclear arms.

He was the subject of a two-year Vatican investigation after critics accused him of ignoring or deviating from church teachings on homosexuality, premarital sex and birth control, among other things.

Hunthausen said the School of Theology and Ministry is a model not only for ministerial schools but for "the church we are called to be — sharing faith experiences, seeking God together, learning from one another."

"How can we hope for nations to live in peace if we Christians cannot learn to live in hope and unity?" Hunthausen asked.

	STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES Visitors file into Hunthausen Hall after the renovated building was blessed. It will become the new home of Seattle University's School of Theology and Ministry.

Hunthausen Hall is the result of a $5 million, yearlong renovation of a campus building. It will allow the faculty, staff and facilities of the School of Theology and Ministry to be under one roof for the first time since the school was founded in 1996. (The Institute for Theological Studies, which eventually became the School of Theology and Ministry, was founded in 1985.)

The school's 250 students and nearly 40 faculty and staff members have been spread across five buildings on and off campus.

The school originally was intended to train Catholic lay ministers, but in 1997 it was expanded to accommodate the specific requirements of students from about 10 Protestant denominations. The member churches and their students pay for teacher salaries and benefits.

Students take core classes together, such as those on Scripture and historical and pastoral theology. Denomination-specific classes include those on church law, sacraments and preaching.

The idea of Protestants receiving training at a Jesuit university, as Seattle University is, may seem unusual, given that Protestantism arose in part as a reaction to the power of the pope in Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. The Jesuit order, founded by Ignatius de Loyola in 1534, led the Catholic reaction to the Protestant reformation.

But more recently, the Jesuit order has focused on ecumenical and interfaith work, and Seattle University has always welcomed such efforts on its campus.

At Thursday's dedication ceremony, Seattle Archbishop Alexander Brunett said that, in a place such as the highly secular Pacific Northwest, Christian leaders must build trust and understanding of each other in order to have a strong voice on larger issues of social justice and quality of life.

Brunett, who has been highly involved in ecumenical efforts on an international level, hosted a Seattle meeting earlier this month of Catholic and Anglican church leaders.

The Rev. Phyllis Anderson, associate dean at the School of Theology and Ministry, said she hoped Hunthausen Hall would, like its namesake, come to symbolize "ecumenical and multicultural integration, and faith that does justice."

"May Hunthausen Hall be a place of meeting across all boundaries," she said. "May the School of Theology and Ministry be a sign in this world of God's grace."

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company