Nashotah House, Nashotah, Wisconsin

A theological seminary of the Episcopal Church in the catholic tradition. It was founded on Aug. 30, 1842, by three young deacons, James Lloyd Breck, William Adams, and John Henry Hobart, Jr., who answered the call of Missionary Bishop Jackson Kemper to serve on the western frontier. At first they lived a monastic life, but this did not continue. The original idea was to establish in Wisconsin an associate mission from which to evangelize the surrounding region and prepare candidates for holy orders. The seminary is still known as “The Mission.” In 1847 Nashotah House was chartered as a college of learning and piety. A collegiate department, usually called the preparatory department, was at St. John's Hall, Delafield. St. John's Hall merged with Racine College in 1859, and in 1873 Nashotah House and Racine College terminated their cooperative effort. A preparatory department continued at Nashotah House until 1933. The work of theological education became the primary concern at the seminary, with daily worship and manual labor still prominent features of community life. The Board of Trustees stated in 1991 that “until such time as Catholic Christendom decides the issue of female ordination, only ordained men will function sacerdotally at Nashotah House.”