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135-537: In May 1817 General Convention , the governing body of the Episcopal Church, met in New York City and passed two resolutions: first, to found a general Episcopal seminary to be supported by the whole church; second, that it be located in New York City. This was emended in 1820 to remove the school to New Haven , Connecticut , but in 1821 the will of Trinity Church vestry member Jacob Sherred unexpectedly heeded

270-566: A Hebrew Bible from 1264, in which the comment was so written as to form decorative pictures. It also includes three tenth-century Gospels, one decorated with colored miniatures, and a complete Latin Bible from about 1250. In 2024, GTS announced that it would move 6,500 rare books and 13 archival collections from the GTS Keller Library (which is closed for most of the year) to the VTS campus library (which

405-509: A Methodist primary school and the family lived in the mud-brick schoolmaster's house in the yard of the Methodist mission. The Tutus were poor; describing his family, Tutu later related that "although we weren't affluent, we were not destitute either". He had an older sister, Sylvia Funeka, who called him "Mpilo" (meaning 'life'). He was his parents' second son; their firstborn boy, Sipho, had died in infancy. Another daughter, Gloria Lindiwe,

540-516: A "convocation" or "synod", terms which denote a body called together by a bishop) of clergy and lay representatives of the congregations. In White's plan, the state conventions would send representatives to three provincial conventions which would elect representatives to the General Convention every three years. The constitution written in 1789 was very similar to White's plan, except that state conventions would elect representatives directly to

675-494: A South African and thought Tutu would be a less controversial choice than Mandela or Mangosuthu Buthelezi . In December, he attended the award ceremony in Oslo —which was hampered by a bomb scare—before returning home via Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Tanzania, and Zambia. He shared the US$ 192,000 prize money with his family, SACC staff, and a scholarship fund for South Africans in exile. He was

810-1176: A TEF grant to study for a master's degree, doing so from October 1965 until September 1966, completing his dissertation on Islam in West Africa. During this period, the family moved to Bletchingley in Surrey, where Tutu worked as the assistant curate of St Mary's Church. In the village, he encouraged cooperation between his Anglican parishioners and the local Roman Catholic and Methodist communities. Tutu's time in London helped him to jettison any bitterness to whites and feelings of racial inferiority; he overcame his habit of automatically deferring to whites. In 1966, Tutu and his family moved to East Jerusalem , where he studied Arabic and Greek for two months at St George's College . They then returned to South Africa, settling in Alice, Eastern Cape , in 1967. The Federal Theological Seminary (Fedsem) had recently been established there as an amalgamation of training institutions from different Christian denominations. At Fedsem, Tutu

945-492: A block from the Chelsea Piers , where Law & Order , Law & Order: Criminal Intent were filmed and where Law & Order: SVU and The Blacklist are currently filmed, the seminary's Close has frequently appeared in those shows as a stand-in for several schools whose campuses are not as accessible and most frequently as the fictitious Hudson University . Notes Bibliography General Convention of

1080-546: A central quadrangle or Close. Likely Dean Hoffman's most influential addition to the seminary's campus was the Chapel of the Good Shepherd which was begun in 1886, completed two years later, and became known as the "Jewel of Chelsea Square." Its set of 15 tubular bells is the oldest extant in this country, with tubes by John Harrington of Coventry, England; original installation (1888) by Walter Durfee of Providence, Rhode Island; and

1215-489: A ceremony at Maseru 's Cathedral of St Mary and St James; thousands attended, including King Moshoeshoe II and Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan . Travelling through the largely rural diocese, Tutu learned Sesotho . He appointed Philip Mokuku as the first dean of the diocese and placed great emphasis on further education for the Basotho clergy. He befriended the royal family although his relationship with Jonathan's government

1350-1003: A collection of his sermons and speeches, Crying in the Wilderness: The Struggle for Justice in South Africa ; another volume, Hope and Suffering , appeared in 1984. Tutu testified on behalf of a captured cell of Umkhonto we Sizwe , an armed anti-apartheid group linked to the banned African National Congress (ANC). He stated that although he was committed to non-violence and censured all who used violence, he could understand why black Africans became violent when their non-violent tactics had failed to overturn apartheid. In an earlier address, he had opined that an armed struggle against South Africa's government had little chance of succeeding but also accused Western nations of hypocrisy for condemning armed liberation groups in southern Africa while they had praised similar organisations in Europe during

1485-577: A football administrator for a local team. In 1953, the white-minority National Party government introduced the Bantu Education Act to further their apartheid system of racial segregation and white domination. Disliking the Act, Tutu and his wife left the teaching profession. With Huddleston's support, Tutu chose to become an Anglican priest. In January 1956, his request to join the Ordinands Guild

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1620-518: A foreign import irrelevant to Africa. In 1975, Tutu was nominated to be the new Bishop of Johannesburg , although he lost out to Timothy Bavin . Bavin suggested that Tutu take his newly vacated position, that of the dean of St Mary's Cathedral, Johannesburg. Tutu was elected to this position—the fourth highest in South Africa's Anglican hierarchy—in March 1975, becoming the first black man to do so, an appointment making headline news in South Africa. Tutu

1755-799: A job as their director for Africa, a position based in England. South Africa's government initially refused permission, regarding him with suspicion since the Fort Hare protests, but relented after Tutu argued that his taking the role would be good publicity for South Africa. In March 1972, he returned to Britain. The TEF's headquarters were in Bromley , with the Tutu family settling in nearby Grove Park , where Tutu became honorary curate of St Augustine's Church. Tutu's job entailed assessing grants to theological training institutions and students. This required his touring Africa in

1890-508: A lease agreement to occupy the seminary campus pending approval from the government authorities. Vanderbilt made it clear that General Theological Seminary would continue to occupy some space on the Chelsea campus, but would remain a separate entity. GTS had previously sought to lease the campus to a Catholic-affiliated music school, but dropped the plan following opposition from local bishops, who expressed concern about "the lack of full acceptance of

2025-488: A modern baton clavier (1983) by Royal Eijsbouts of Asten, Netherlands. The tower chime is played daily by members of the seminary's Guild of Chimers to call the community to worship. Architect Charles C. Haight designed and supervised construction of most of the buildings on Chelsea Square while Haight's father, Benjamin I. Haight, was the first priest at nearby St. Peter's Episcopal Church . Due to growing housing needs for married students, GTS acquired 422 West 20th Street,

2160-424: A new South Africa – non-racial, democratic, participatory and just. This is a non-violent strategy to help us do so. There is a great deal of goodwill still in our country between the races. Let us not be so wanton in destroying it. We can live together as one people, one family, black and white together. — Desmond Tutu, 1985 The mid-1980s saw growing clashes between black youths and the security services; Tutu

2295-581: A non-racial South Africa where people count because they are made in the image of God. So the SACC is neither a black nor a white organization. It is a Christian organization with a definite bias in favour of the oppressed and the exploited ones of our society. — Desmond Tutu, on the SACC After John Rees stepped down as general secretary of the South African Council of Churches , Tutu was among

2430-402: A platform with anti-apartheid campaigner Winnie Mandela in opposing the government's Terrorism Act, 1967 . He held a 24-hour vigil for racial harmony at the cathedral where he prayed for activists detained under the act. In May 1976, he wrote to Prime Minister B. J. Vorster , warning that if the government maintained apartheid then the country would erupt in racial violence. Six weeks later,

2565-462: A racially equal, de-segregated future was possible for South Africa. He encountered some resistance to his attempts to modernise the liturgies used by the congregation, including his attempts to replace masculine pronouns with gender neutral ones. Tutu used his position to speak out on social issues, publicly endorsing an international economic boycott of South Africa over apartheid. He met with Black Consciousness and Soweto leaders, and shared

2700-642: A residential building opposite the seminary's 20th Street gate in March 1957. A renovation and expansion of the seminary's buildings facing 10th Avenue was completed in 2007, when the Desmond Tutu Center opened. Named for Desmond Tutu , former visiting professor at GTS and retired archbishop of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa , the Tutu Center operates primarily as a hotel and conference center. In 2007

2835-555: A sit-in protest over the university administration's policies; after they were surrounded by police with dogs , Tutu waded into the crowd to pray with the protesters. This was the first time that he had witnessed state power used to suppress dissent. In January 1970, Tutu left the seminary for a teaching post at the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (UBLS) in Roma, Lesotho . This brought him closer to his children and offered twice

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2970-763: A third son, Tamsanqa, who also died in infancy. Around 1941, Tutu's mother moved to the Witwatersrand to work as a cook at Ezenzeleni Blind Institute in Johannesburg. Tutu joined her in the city, living in Roodepoort West . In Johannesburg, he attended a Methodist primary school before transferring to the Swedish Boarding School (SBS) in the St Agnes Mission . Several months later, he moved with his father to Ermelo , eastern Transvaal . After six months,

3105-863: A three-month sabbatical at the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York. In the city, he was invited to address the United Nations Security Council , later meeting the Congressional Black Caucus and the subcommittees on Africa in the House of Representatives and the Senate . He was also invited to the White House , where he unsuccessfully urged President Ronald Reagan to change his approach to South Africa. He

3240-459: A wide range of subjects, among them his criticism of South African presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma , his opposition to the Iraq War , and describing Israel's treatment of Palestinians as apartheid . In 2010, he retired from public life, but continued to speak out on numerous topics and events. As Tutu rose to prominence in the 1970s, different socio-economic groups and political classes held

3375-575: A wide range of views about him, from critical to admiring. He was popular among South Africa's black majority and was internationally praised for his work involving anti-apartheid activism, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize and other international awards. He also compiled several books of his speeches and sermons. Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born on 7 October 1931 in Klerksdorp , Transvaal , South Africa. His mother, Allen Dorothea Mavoertsek Mathlare,

3510-514: Is a magnificent treasury of books, manuscripts, records and source materials for the study of the life and thought of Christianity." The library's first donation was by John Pintard in 1820 and, within a year, the library had grown to over 2,500 volumes. J. H. Feltus was the first librarian and, in 1834, the Friends of the Library association was formed and their endowment is still productive today. Under

3645-432: Is an engaged not an academic, detached theology. It is a gut level theology, relating to the real concerns, the life and death issues of the black man." He stated that his paper was not an attempt to demonstrate the academic respectability of black theology but rather to make "a straightforward, perhaps shrill, statement about an existent. Black theology is. No permission is being requested for it to come into being... Frankly

3780-523: Is at the center of seminary life and the community gathers several times throughout the day for worship in the centrally located Chapel of the Good Shepherd. Because it has formed many of the church's clergy, GTS has maintained a considerable influence on the life of the church. Notable former professors include J. Robert Wright the St. Mark's in the Bowery Professor of Ecclesiastical History and David Hurd

3915-543: Is entitled to representation in the House of Deputies by two clergy deputies and two lay deputies, all with seat and voice but no vote. The Official Youth Presence is a group of eighteen high school youth, two from each province . They also have seat and voice but no vote. Resolutions must pass both houses in order to take effect. The convention is divided into committees which consider resolutions. Resolutions arise from four different sources: Each properly submitted resolution

4050-468: Is for you, fathers, sitting in a single-sex hostel, separated from your children for 11 months a year... This award is for you, mothers in the KTC squatter camp, whose shelters are destroyed callously every day, and who sit on soaking mattresses in the winter rain, holding whimpering babies... This award is for you, the 3.5 million of our people who have been uprooted and dumped as if you were rubbish. This award

4185-478: Is for you. — Desmond Tutu's speech on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize By the 1980s, Tutu was an icon for many black South Africans, a status rivalled only by Mandela. In August 1983, he became a patron of the new anti-apartheid United Democratic Front (UDF). Tutu angered much of South Africa's press and white minority, especially apartheid supporters. Pro-government media like The Citizen and

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4320-539: Is more convenient for scholars). GTS owned a Gutenberg Bible from 1898 to 1978, when it sold the book for $ 2.2 million to the Württembergische Landesbibliothek in Stuttgart, Germany . One of the pages of this copy was found to have been forged and was replaced with another page from another incomplete Gutenberg Bible, making this the first incomplete Gutenberg Bible to be made whole again. Located on

4455-759: Is referred to a convention committee which makes its recommendation to the House. When one house has acted on the resolution it is sent to the other house for consideration. The presiding officer of the House of Bishops is the Presiding Bishop . Both houses take part in the selection of a new Presiding Bishop. The members of the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop are elected from both houses. The House of Deputies elects one clerical and one lay delegate from each province, and

4590-424: Is the older of the two houses having been formed in 1785. William White was the first President of the House of Deputies. The House of Bishops was formed in 1789 to win the support of those who wanted a greater role for bishops. The House of Deputies had the advantage because with an 80 percent majority it could override a veto of the House of Bishops until 1808 when both houses were given absolute vetoes. White became

4725-497: Is to ask on whose side is God; it is to be concerned about the humanisation of man, because those who ravage our humanity dehumanise themselves in the process; [it says] that the liberation of the black man is the other side of the liberation of the white man—so it is concerned with human liberation. — Desmond Tutu, in a conference paper presented at the Union Theological Seminary, 1973 Tutu accepted TEF's offer of

4860-548: The African Methodist Episcopal Church and then to the Anglican Church . In 1936, the family moved to Tshing , where Zachariah became principal of a Methodist school. There, Tutu started his primary education, learned Afrikaans , and became the server at St Francis Anglican Church. He developed a love of reading, particularly enjoying comic books and European fairy tales . In Tshing his parents had

4995-747: The Episcopal Church in New Orleans before traveling to Kentucky to see his daughter Naomi, who lived there with her American husband. Tutu gained a popular following in the US, where he was often compared to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. , although white conservatives like Pat Buchanan and Jerry Falwell lambasted him as an alleged communist sympathiser. This award is for mothers, who sit at railway stations to try to eke out an existence, selling potatoes, selling mealies, selling produce. This award

5130-533: The Second World War . Tutu also signed a petition calling for the release of ANC activist Nelson Mandela, leading to a correspondence between the pair. After Tutu told journalists that he supported an international economic boycott of South Africa, he was reprimanded before government ministers in October 1979. In March 1980, the government confiscated his passport; this raised his international profile. In 1980,

5265-680: The South African Broadcasting Corporation criticised him, often focusing on how his middle-class lifestyle contrasted with the poverty of the blacks he claimed to represent. He received hate mail and death threats from white far-right groups like the Wit Wolwe . Although he remained close with prominent white liberals like Helen Suzman , his angry anti-government rhetoric also alienated many white liberals like Alan Paton and Bill Burnett , who believed that apartheid could be gradually reformed away. In 1984, Tutu embarked on

5400-498: The Soweto uprising broke out as black youth clashed with police. Over the course of ten months, at least 660 were killed, most under the age of 24. Tutu was upset by what he regarded as the lack of outrage from white South Africans ; he raised the issue in his Sunday sermon, stating that the white silence was "deafening" and asking if they would have shown the same nonchalance had white youths been killed. After seven months as dean, Tutu

5535-668: The UN Special Committee Against Apartheid . In England, he met Robert Runcie and gave a sermon in Westminster Abbey , while in Rome he met Pope John Paul II . On his return to South Africa, Botha again ordered Tutu's passport confiscated, preventing him from personally collecting several further honorary degrees. It was returned 17 months later. In September 1982 Tutu addressed the Triennial Convention of

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5670-411: The University of Kent , General Theological Seminary, and Harvard University . As head of the SACC, Tutu's time was dominated by fundraising for the organisation's projects. Under Tutu's tenure, it was revealed that one of the SACC's divisional directors had been stealing funds. In 1981 a government commission launched to investigate the issue, headed by the judge C. F. Eloff . Tutu gave evidence to

5805-681: The University of the Witwatersrand , his parents could not afford the tuition fees. Instead, he turned toward teaching, gaining a government scholarship for a course at Pretoria Bantu Normal College , a teacher training institution, in 1951. There, he served as treasurer of the Student Representative Council, helped to organise the Literacy and Dramatic Society, and chaired the Cultural and Debating Society. During one debating event he met

5940-567: The Archbishop of Cape Town, the most senior position in southern Africa's Anglican hierarchy. In this position, he emphasised a consensus-building model of leadership and oversaw the introduction of female priests . Also in 1986, he became president of the All Africa Conference of Churches , resulting in further tours of the continent. After President F. W. de Klerk released the anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990 and

6075-507: The Board of Trustees of the seminary treated the letter as a mass resignation, which it accepted on September 29. The faculty contested this characterization, noting that no resignations were tendered, and published the details of their grievances online, including the original September 17 letter. Citing the controversy roiling the seminary, a previously arranged series of lectures by Stanley Hauerwas were canceled when he declined to attend. Around

6210-638: The Chelsea Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The seminary is frequently noted for the beauty of the gardens on its campus, called the Close, an English term used to refer to a private piece of enclosed property and often associated with cathedrals . The seminary's Close is characterized by a row of neo-Gothic buildings along 21st Street and tree-shaded lawns uncharacteristic of its urban setting. Worship

6345-650: The Church Unity Commission, served as a delegate at Anglican-Catholic conversations, and began publishing in academic journals . He also became the Anglican chaplain to the neighbouring University of Fort Hare ; in an unusual move for the time, Tutu invited female as well as male students to become servers during the Eucharist . He joined student delegations to meetings of the Anglican Students' Federation and

6480-504: The Convention which study and draft policy proposals for consideration and report back to General Convention. Task forces may vary in their size, membership, and duration depending on the General Convention resolution that orders their formation. The Executive Council, composed of the officers of General Convention and members elected by the General Convention and provinces of the Church, oversees

6615-614: The Episcopal Church in the United States of America The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America . With the exception of the Bible , the Book of Common Prayer , and the Constitution and Canons , it is the ultimate authority in the Episcopal Church, being the bureaucratic facility through which the collegial function of

6750-490: The Episcopal Church, whether active or retired, have seat and vote in the House of Bishops. Each diocese of the Episcopal Church, as well as the Navajoland Area Mission and the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe , is entitled to representation in the House of Deputies by four clergy deputies, either presbyters or deacons , canonically resident in the diocese, and four lay deputies who are confirmed communicants in good standing. The Episcopal Church of Liberia

6885-399: The Episcopal churches in the United States . There had been no Anglican dioceses or bishops in the Thirteen Colonies before the Revolution, thus when the American congregations were separated from the Church of England , "the chain which held them together [was] broken". In 1782, William White , the father of the Episcopal Church, wrote in his pamphlet The Case of the Episcopal Churches in

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7020-564: The General Convention. Bishops would be democratically elected and responsible to the General Convention and their respective state (later diocesan) conventions. Bishops would be "servants of the Church and not its lords". It is often said that the Constitutions of the United States and the Episcopal Church were written by the same people. While this is not true, both were written around the same time in Philadelphia by people who knew each other and who sought to "replace hierarchical rule with egalitarian, democratic government". The House of Deputies

7155-501: The General Seminary ... would be chiefly at the beginning, and would be decreasing every year". With some stipulations concerning its governance, Bishop Hobart consented to the union of the diocesan school with the General Seminary rather than contesting the inheritance. The unified school opened for the spring term of 1822. Other parishioners of Trinity Church went on to support the once more local institution. Clement Clarke Moore , famous for penning A Visit from St. Nicholas , owned

7290-419: The General Theological Seminary has been known as the St. Mark's Library since the 1960s. In 2011, the library moved into a new facility on the east side of the Close, on the site of the former Sherrill Hall. In October 2011, the building was dedicated as the Christoph Keller, Jr. Library, to honor the tenth Bishop of Arkansas . According to Niels Henry Sonne , "The Library of The General Theological Seminary

7425-415: The House of Bishops elects one bishop from every province to sit on the joint committee. When a new Presiding Bishop is to be elected, the houses meet together in a joint session, and the nominating committee nominates at least three bishops. During the joint session, any deputy or bishop can nominate additional candidates. The House of Bishops elects the Presiding Bishop from among all nominees. The results of

7560-412: The House of Deputies is by concurrent action of both houses made the secretary of the General Convention. The secretary oversees the publishing of the Journal of the General Convention. In addition, the secretary also notifies the bishops and secretaries of every diocese to actions of General Convention, especially alterations to the Book of Common Prayer and the constitution of the Episcopal Church. If

7695-424: The House of Deputies, having been appointed upon the retirement of his predecessor, the Rev. Gregory Straub in 2013. Barlowe is also the Executive Officer of the General Convention, a position filled by joint appointment of the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies. The Executive Officer "oversees all aspects of the work of Church governance, from site selection through supervision and funding of

7830-488: The Institute of Christian Spirituality at Bishopscourt, with the latter moving into a building in the house's grounds. Such projects led to Tutu's ministry taking up an increasingly large portion of the Anglican church's budget, which Tutu sought to expand through requesting donations from overseas. Some Anglicans were critical of his spending. Tutu's vast workload was managed with the assistance of his executive officer Njongonkulu Ndungane and Michael Nuttall , who in 1989

7965-627: The LGBTQ stance of [the school's] founders." The seminary has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada since 1938. As of 2024, GTS offers a hybrid Master of Divinity program, which prepares persons for ordination , primarily in the Episcopal Church. The M.Div. requires a foundation curriculum in Old Testament , New Testament , church history , systematic theology , ethics , ascetical theology , liturgics , homiletics , and pastoral theology . Elective courses allow students to more deeply explore areas of particular interest and, if studying full-time,

8100-498: The Master of Divinity is generally completed in three years. Since 1880 the General Theological Seminary has annually hosted the Paddock Lectures, which were founded by benefactor George A. Jarvis and named in honor of Benjamin Henry Paddock who was a member of the Class of 1852 and later Bishop of Massachusetts . The lectures have featured many of the world's leading theologians including Francis Joseph Hall , Diogenes Allen , William Temple , and Rowan Williams . The library of

8235-408: The Professor of Church Music and Organist of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. Notable alumni include: Many other notable figures , including a number of bishops, have graduated from the seminary. Because of its proximity to film studios in New York City and its collection of neo-Gothic buildings, GTS has appeared in multiple television shows to portray a number of schools and universities. Only

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8370-430: The SACC committed itself to supporting civil disobedience against apartheid. After Thorne was arrested in May, Tutu and Joe Wing led a protest march during which they were arrested, imprisoned overnight, and fined. In the aftermath, a meeting was organised between 20 church leaders including Tutu, Prime Minister P. W. Botha , and seven government ministers. At this August meeting the clerical leaders unsuccessfully urged

8505-441: The Tutus felt liberated experiencing a life free from South Africa's apartheid and pass laws ; he later noted that "there is racism in England, but we were not exposed to it". He was also impressed by the freedom of speech in the country, especially at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park . The family moved into the curate's flat behind the Church of St Alban the Martyr in Golders Green , where Tutu assisted Sunday services,

8640-400: The US politician Ted Kennedy on the latter's visit to South Africa in January 1985, he was angered that protesters from the Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO)—who regarded Kennedy as an agent of capitalism and American imperialism —disrupted proceedings. Amid the violence, the ANC called on supporters to make South Africa " ungovernable "; foreign companies increasingly disinvested in

8775-527: The United Kingdom to study theology at King's College London . In 1966 he returned to southern Africa, teaching at the Federal Theological Seminary and then the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland . In 1972, he became the Theological Education Fund's director for Africa, a position based in London but necessitating regular tours of the African continent. Back in southern Africa in 1975, he served first as dean of St Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg and then as Bishop of Lesotho ; from 1978 to 1985 he

8910-458: The United States Considered , "it would seem, that their future continuance can be provided for only by voluntary associations for union and good government". In America, the central unit of the church would be the congregation, rather than the diocese. White, a disciple of John Locke , believed that the church, like the state, should be a democracy. He proposed that congregations in each state should unite to form an annual convention (as opposed to

9045-431: The University Christian Movement, and was broadly supportive of the Black Consciousness Movement that emerged from South Africa's 1960s student milieu, although did not share its view on avoiding collaboration with whites. In August 1968, he gave a sermon comparing South Africa's situation with that in the Eastern Bloc , likening anti-apartheid protests to the recent Prague Spring . In September, Fort Hare students held

9180-415: The archbishop's Bishopscourt residence; this was illegal as he did not have official permission to reside in what the state allocated as a "white area". He obtained money from the church to oversee renovations of the house, and had a children's playground installed in its grounds, opening this and the Bishopscourt swimming pool to members of his diocese. He invited the English priest Francis Cull to set up

9315-446: The arrest of Geoff Moselane. In October 1985, he backed the National Initiative for Reconciliation's proposal for people to refrain from work for a day of prayer, fasting, and mourning. He also proposed a national strike against apartheid, angering trade unions whom he had not consulted beforehand. Tutu continued promoting his cause abroad. In May 1985 he embarked on a speaking tour of the United States, and in October 1985 addressed

9450-433: The assistant director of the Institute of Race Relations . The SACC was one of the few Christian institutions in South Africa where black people had the majority representation; Tutu was its first black leader. There, he introduced a schedule of daily staff prayers, regular Bible study, monthly Eucharist, and silent retreats. Hegr also developed a new style of leadership, appointing senior staff who were capable of taking

9585-409: The authority of the convention, and with the approval of the Presiding Bishop invests surplus funds. If the office of treasurer becomes vacant, the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies appoints a treasurer until a new election is held. The treasurer of the General Convention and the Executive Council is Kurt Barnes. At each regular meeting of General Convention, the secretary of

9720-476: The ceremony due to Leah's Roman Catholic faith. The newlyweds lived at Tutu's parental home before renting their own six months later. Their first child, Trevor, was born in April 1956; a daughter, Thandeka, appeared 16 months later. The couple worshipped at St Paul's Church, where Tutu volunteered as a Sunday school teacher, assistant choirmaster, church councillor, lay preacher, and sub-deacon; he also volunteered as

9855-447: The college, Tutu studied the Bible, Anglican doctrine, church history, and Christian ethics, earning a Licentiate of Theology degree, and winning the archbishop's annual essay prize. The college's principal, Godfrey Pawson, wrote that Tutu "has exceptional knowledge and intelligence and is very industrious. At the same time, he shows no arrogance, mixes in well, and is popular ... He has obvious gifts of leadership." During his years at

9990-455: The college, there had been an intensification in anti-apartheid activism as well as a crackdown against it, including the Sharpeville massacre of 1960. Tutu and the other trainees did not engage in anti-apartheid campaigns; he later noted that they were "in some ways a very apolitical bunch". In December 1960, Edward Paget ordained Tutu as an Anglican priest at St Mary's Cathedral . Tutu

10125-562: The commission, during which he condemned apartheid as "evil" and "unchristian". When the Eloff report was published, Tutu criticised it, focusing particularly on the absence of any theologians on its board, likening it to "a group of blind men" judging the Chelsea Flower Show . In 1981 Tutu also became the rector of St Augustine's Church in Soweto's Orlando West . The following year he published

10260-420: The council and each commission. These liaison persons are not commission members and cannot vote; though, they do have voice. The Presiding Bishop also appoints a staff member to assist each commission in its work. Either house may refer matters to a commission, but one house cannot instruct a commission to take any action without the consent of the other house. The American Revolution was very disruptive to

10395-485: The country and the South African rand reached a record low. In July 1985, Botha declared a state of emergency in 36 magisterial districts, suspending civil liberties and giving the security services additional powers; he rebuffed Tutu's offer to serve as a go-between for the government and leading black organisations. Tutu continued protesting; in April 1985, he led a small march of clergy through Johannesburg to protest

10530-501: The direction of Eugene Augustus Hoffman , who became dean in 1879, the library was classified and catalogued using modern systems and Hobart Hall was built to house the collection. Hoffman also bought the Walter A. Copinger collection of Latin Bibles and made other significant purchases. The library has a collection of ancient Bibles and English Bibles . The Ancient Bible Collection includes

10665-512: The duo returned to Roodepoort West, where Tutu resumed his studies at SBS. Aged 12, he underwent confirmation at St Mary's Church, Roodepoort. Tutu entered the Johannesburg Bantu High School ( Madibane High School ) in 1945, where he excelled academically. Joining a school rugby team, he developed a lifelong love of the sport. Outside of school, he earned money selling oranges and as a caddie for white golfers . To avoid

10800-407: The early 1970s, and he wrote accounts of his experiences. In Zaire , he for instance lamented the widespread corruption and poverty and complained that Mobutu Sese Seko 's "military regime... is extremely galling to a black from South Africa." In Nigeria, he expressed concern at Igbo resentment following the crushing of their Republic of Biafra . In 1972 he travelled around East Africa, where he

10935-596: The education of young men designed for holy orders in the Protestant Episcopal Church. The newly established diocesan school in New York expected to be the beneficiary and Bishop Hobart published his thanks for the gift in the April 4 New York Evening Post , since the General Seminary had already begun its 1820 term in Connecticut. A special convocation of the bishops was hastily arranged, however, and it

11070-479: The eight faculty alleged that Dunkle had repeatedly made racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks; made unprofessional comments about faculty members: compromised the confidentiality of student records; and responded to staff who complained of his behavior by threatening their jobs. The protesting faculty warned that unless the Board agreed to meet to discuss the allegations, the eight would be obliged to absent themselves from teaching, meetings, and worship. In response,

11205-401: The election are reported to the House of Deputies, which then votes to confirm or not to confirm the election. The presiding officers of the House of Deputies are the president and vice president. A treasurer is elected by the two houses at every regular meeting of General Convention. The treasurer formulates the budget of the Episcopal Church, receives and disburses all money collected under

11340-401: The episcopate is exercised. General Convention comprises two houses: the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops . It meets regularly once every three years; however, the House of Bishops meets regularly in between sessions of General Convention. The Bishops have the right to call special meetings of General Convention. All diocesan , coadjutor , suffragan , and assistant bishops of

11475-511: The estate "Chelsea", which included most of what would become the Manhattan neighborhood by that name. Also a member of Trinity Church, he donated 66 tracts of land—which was his apple orchard—to become the site of the new seminary. It was not, however, until 1827 that the seminary occupied that land. Other figures influential in the founding of the seminary include Theodore Dehon , William White , and John Henry Hobart . Bishop Hobart served as

11610-426: The execution of the programs and policies adopted by General Convention. Each standing commission consists of five bishops, five priests or deacons, and ten laypersons. Priests, deacons, and lay persons are not required to be deputies. Bishops are appointed by the Presiding Bishop while the other clergy and laypersons are appointed by the president of the House of Deputies. Members are appointed to rotating terms so that

11745-557: The expense of a daily train commute to school, he briefly lived with family nearer to Johannesburg, before moving back in with his parents when they relocated to Munsieville . He then returned to Johannesburg, moving into an Anglican hostel near the Church of Christ the King in Sophiatown . He became a server at the church and came under the influence of its priest, Trevor Huddleston ; later biographer Shirley du Boulay suggested that Huddleston

11880-442: The first Bishop of Pennsylvania and the first Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 1931 – 26 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian , known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist . He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being

12015-419: The first Black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from Black theology with African theology . Tutu was born of mixed Xhosa and Motswana heritage to a poor family in Klerksdorp , South Africa . Entering adulthood, he trained as a teacher and married Nomalizo Leah Tutu , with whom he had several children. In 1960, he was ordained as an Anglican priest and in 1962 moved to

12150-470: The first time that he had ministered to a white congregation. It was in the flat that a daughter, Mpho Andrea Tutu , was born in 1963. Tutu was academically successful and his tutors suggested that he convert to an honours degree , which entailed his also studying Hebrew . He received his degree from Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in a ceremony held at the Royal Albert Hall . Tutu then secured

12285-558: The following year, he transferred to the Krugersdorp High School, where he taught English and history. He began courting Nomalizo Leah Shenxane, a friend of his sister Gloria who was studying to become a primary school teacher. They were legally married at Krugersdorp Native Commissioner's Court in June 1955, before undergoing a Roman Catholic wedding ceremony at the Church of Mary Queen of Apostles; although an Anglican, Tutu agreed to

12420-543: The government to end apartheid. Although some clergy saw this dialogue as pointless, Tutu disagreed, commenting: " Moses went to Pharaoh repeatedly to secure the release of the Israelites." In January 1981, the government returned Tutu's passport. In March, he embarked on a five-week tour of Europe and North America, meeting politicians including the UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim , and addressing

12555-453: The initiative, delegating much of the SACC's detailed work to them, and keeping in touch with them through meetings and memorandums. Many of his staff referred to him as "Baba" (father). He was determined that the SACC become one of South Africa's most visible human rights advocacy organisations. His efforts gained him international recognition; the closing years of the 1970s saw him elected a fellow of KCL and receive honorary doctorates from

12690-467: The latter's death in February 1971. Black theology seeks to make sense of the life experience of the black man, which is largely black suffering at the hands of rampant white racism, and to understand this in the light of what God has said about himself, about man, and about the world in his very definite Word... Black theology has to do with whether it is possible to be black and continue to be Christian; it

12825-504: The lawyer—and future president of South Africa— Nelson Mandela ; they would not encounter each other again until 1990. At the college, Tutu attained his Transvaal Bantu Teachers Diploma, having gained advice about taking exams from the activist Robert Sobukwe . He had also taken five correspondence courses provided by the University of South Africa (UNISA), graduating in the same class as future Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe . In 1954, Tutu began teaching English at Madibane High School;

12960-733: The need for more black Africans in positions of ecclesiastical authority; to assist in this, Aelfred Stubbs proposed that Tutu train as a theology teacher at King's College London (KCL). Funding was secured from the International Missionary Council 's Theological Education Fund (TEF), and the government agreed to give the Tutus permission to move to Britain. They duly did so in September 1962. At KCL, Tutu studied under theologians like Dennis Nineham , Christopher Evans , Sydney Evans , Geoffrey Parrinder , and Eric Mascall . In London,

13095-657: The nominees for his successor. John Thorne was ultimately elected to the position, although stepped down after three months, with Tutu's agreeing to take over at the urging of the synod of bishops. His decision angered many Anglicans in Lesotho, who felt that Tutu was abandoning them. Tutu took charge of the SACC in March 1978. Back in Johannesburg—where the SACC's headquarters were based at Khotso House —the Tutus returned to their former Orlando West home, now bought for them by an anonymous foreign donor. Leah gained employment as

13230-515: The offices of president and vice president become vacant during the triennium, the secretary performs the duties of president until the next meeting of General Convention. The Secretary is also the corporate secretary of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, the corporate body of the Episcopal Church, and one of the four senior officers of the church. The Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe is the Secretary of

13365-518: The pair led negotiations to end apartheid and introduce multi-racial democracy, Tutu assisted as a mediator between rival black factions. After the 1994 general election resulted in a coalition government headed by Mandela, the latter selected Tutu to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses committed by both pro and anti-apartheid groups. Following apartheid's fall, Tutu campaigned for gay rights and spoke out on

13500-839: The political committee of the United Nations General Assembly , urging the international community to impose sanctions on South Africa if apartheid was not dismantled within six months. Proceeding to the United Kingdom, he met with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher . He also formed a Bishop Tutu Scholarship Fund to financially assist South African students living in exile. He returned to the US in May 1986, and in August 1986 visited Japan, China, and Jamaica to promote sanctions. Given that most senior anti-apartheid activists were imprisoned, Mandela referred to Tutu as "public enemy number one for

13635-458: The position to apartheid. He appointed gay priests to senior positions and privately criticised the church's insistence that gay priests remain celibate. Along with Boesak and Stephen Naidoo , Tutu mediated conflicts between black protesters and the security forces; they for instance worked to avoid clashes at the 1987 funeral of ANC guerrilla Ashley Kriel . In February 1988, the government banned 17 black or multi-racial organisations, including

13770-628: The powers that be". After Philip Russell announced his retirement as the Archbishop of Cape Town , in February 1986 the Black Solidarity Group formed a plan to get Tutu appointed as his replacement. At the time of the meeting, Tutu was in Atlanta , Georgia, receiving the Martin Luther King, Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize . Tutu secured a two-thirds majority from both the clergy and laity and

13905-457: The role, he took over the country's largest diocese, comprising 102 parishes and 300,000 parishioners, approximately 80% of whom were black. In his inaugural sermon, Tutu called on the international community to introduce economic sanctions against South Africa unless apartheid was not being dismantled within 18 to 24 months. He sought to reassure white South Africans that he was not the "horrid ogre" some feared; as bishop he spent much time wooing

14040-653: The salary he earned at Fedsem. He and his wife moved to the UBLS campus; most of his fellow staff members were white expatriates from the US or Britain. As well as his teaching position, he also became the college's Anglican chaplain and the warden of two student residences. In Lesotho, he joined the executive board of the Lesotho Ecumenical Association and served as an external examiner for both Fedsem and Rhodes University . He returned to South Africa on several occasions, including to visit his father shortly before

14175-418: The sales are expected to eliminate the seminary's debt, rebuild its depleted endowment, and restore it to financial solvency. In September 2014, eight of the seminary's ten full-time faculty announced their intention to unionize and their intention to absent themselves from teaching and worship, alleging harassment and bullying behavior from Dean Kurt Dunkle. In a letter to the Board of Trustees on September 17,

14310-467: The same time an online petition was established supporting the faculty, with hundreds of co-signers including theologians from all over the country who pledged not to speak at GTS until the terminated faculty were reinstated. During the COVID-19 pandemic, like most other institutions of higher learning, GTS pivoted to virtual learning for the first time in its history. In 2021, the Board of Trustees authorized

14445-508: The second South African to receive the award, after Albert Luthuli in 1960. South Africa's government and mainstream media either downplayed or criticised the award, while the Organisation of African Unity hailed it as evidence of apartheid's impending demise. After Timothy Bavin retired as Bishop of Johannesburg, Tutu was among five replacement candidates. An elective assembly met at St Barnabas' College in October 1984 and although Tutu

14580-563: The seminary engaged in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, along with general operating costs, by converting many of its buildings to geothermal heating and cooling . Also in 2007, the seminary, in need of funds, sold Sherrill Hall, a 1960s building along 9th Ave to the Brodsky Organization for the construction of a residential condominium building. The Chelsea Enclave was completed in 2010 and contains 53 residential units as well as retail space, an underground parking garage, and

14715-527: The seminary to launch a fully hybrid MDiv program, which welcomed its first cohort of students in 2022, and in 2023 replaced the residential program entirely. At the same time, under the leadership of Acting Dean and President Michael W. DeLashmutt, the Seminary Board entered into a formal process, aimed at assessing the Seminary's long-term financial and operational model. In 2022, a formal affiliation agreement

14850-535: The seminary's first dean, after which the Bishop of New York served in this capacity until the 1850s. In 1878, Eugene Augustus Hoffman – said to be the richest clergyman in the world due to his extensive real estate holdings – was appointed dean. Under his tenure, the seminary saw tremendous growth, both in student body and facilities. Dean Hoffman's "grand design" was for the seminary's Chelsea campus to be built on an Oxford model, with neo-Gothic buildings facing onto

14985-458: The seminary's new Keller Library. The seminary's main entrance is now located on 21st Street between 9th and 10th Avenues. Still facing financial difficulties, General Theological Seminary is currently engaged in its Plan to Choose Life , a strategic initiative which necessitates the sale of several properties: 422 West 20th Street, the Chelsea 2,3,4 building, and the West Building. Assets from

15120-498: The support of white Anglicans in his diocese, and resigned as patron of the UDF. I have no hope of real change from this government unless they are forced. We face a catastrophe in this land and only the action of the international community by applying pressure can save us. Our children are dying. Our land is bleeding and burning and so I call the international community to apply punitive sanctions against this government to help us establish

15255-502: The term for half of the members expires at the conclusion of each regular meeting of the General Convention. The standing commissions are: The Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies are ex officio members of all commissions and can appoint personal representatives to attend commission meetings without the right to vote. They jointly appoint Executive Council members as liaison persons to provide communication between

15390-482: The time has passed when we will wait for the white man to give us permission to do our thing. Whether or not he accepts the intellectual respectability of our activity is largely irrelevant. We will proceed regardless." Seeking to fuse the African-American derived black theology with African theology , Tutu's approach contrasted with that of those African theologians, like John Mbiti , who regarded black theology as

15525-530: The west side of Manhattan in New York City , the General Theological Seminary sits in the heart of Chelsea , a largely residential area with a large gay population that is known as a center of the New York art world , with over 200 galleries in the neighborhood. Chelsea Square, the block between 9th and 10th Avenues and 20th and 21st Streets on which the seminary sits, is at the center of

15660-488: The words of his friend John Pintard and directed that his entire fortune of around $ 60,000 should be paid when: ... there shall be established within the state of New-York, under the direction or by the authority of the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, or of the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of New-York, a College, Academy, School, or Seminary, for

15795-485: The work mandated by the convention". He supervises the secretary, treasurer, and manager of the General Convention and heads the executive office of the General Convention which coordinates the work of the committees, commissions, boards, and agencies (CCAB's). Interim bodies, meeting in between sessions of General Convention, include the Executive Council, various standing commissions, and task forces constituted by

15930-490: Was "the greatest single influence" in Tutu's life. In 1947, Tutu contracted tuberculosis and was hospitalised in Rietfontein for 18 months, during which he was regularly visited by Huddleston. In the hospital, he underwent circumcision to mark his transition to manhood. He returned to school in 1949 and took his national exams in late 1950, gaining a second-class pass. Although Tutu secured admission to study medicine at

16065-526: Was agreed to return the school to New York City in order to claim Sherred's grant, although the Virginia deputies continued to bemoan that the seminary should be "placed under more favorable auspices for the promotion of what we [believe] to be sound views of the Gospel and the Church than it would be in New York". Duncan Cameron mollified them and convinced one to note that "the evil of the undue influence of New York in

16200-487: Was born after him. Tutu was sickly from birth; polio atrophied his right hand, and on one occasion he was hospitalised with serious burns. Tutu had a close relationship with his father, although was angered at the latter's heavy drinking and violence toward his wife. The family were initially Methodists and Tutu was baptised into the Methodist Church in June 1932. They subsequently changed denominations, first to

16335-610: Was born to a Motswana family in Boksburg . His father, Zachariah Zelilo Tutu, was from the amaFengu branch of Xhosa and grew up in Gcuwa , Eastern Cape. At home, the couple spoke the Xhosa language . Having married in Boksburg, they moved to Klerksdorp in the late 1950s, living in the city's "native location", or black residential area, since renamed Makoeteng. Zachariah worked as the principal of

16470-409: Was elected dean of the province. In church meetings, Tutu drew upon traditional African custom by adopting a consensus-building model of leadership, seeking to ensure that competing groups in the church reached a compromise and thus all votes would be unanimous rather than divided. He secured approval for the ordination of female priests in the Anglican church, having likened the exclusion of women from

16605-517: Was employed teaching doctrine, the Old Testament , and Greek; Leah became its library assistant. Tutu was the college's first black staff-member, and the campus allowed a level of racial-mixing which was rare in South Africa. The Tutus sent their children to a private boarding school in Swaziland, thereby keeping them from South Africa's Bantu Education syllabus. Tutu joined a pan-Protestant group,

16740-539: Was general-secretary of the South African Council of Churches . He emerged as one of the most prominent opponents of South Africa's apartheid system of racial segregation and white minority rule . Although warning the National Party government that anger at apartheid would lead to racial violence, as an activist he stressed non-violent protest and foreign economic pressure to bring about universal suffrage . In 1985, Tutu became Bishop of Johannesburg and in 1986

16875-493: Was impressed by Jomo Kenyatta 's Kenyan government and witnessed Idi Amin 's expulsion of Ugandan Asians . During the early 1970s, Tutu's theology changed due to his experiences in Africa and his discovery of liberation theology . He was also attracted to black theology , attending a 1973 conference on the subject at New York City's Union Theological Seminary . There, he presented a paper in which he stated that "black theology

17010-422: Was invited to speak at many of the funerals of those youths killed. At a Duduza funeral, he intervened to stop the crowd from killing a black man accused of being a government informant. Tutu angered some black South Africans by speaking against the torture and killing of suspected collaborators. For these militants, Tutu's calls for non-violence were perceived as an obstacle to revolution. When Tutu accompanied

17145-478: Was made between General Theological Seminary and Virginia Theological Seminary. While remaining separate institutions, the two seminaries now share a common leadership structure and support services. Although the affiliation was not characterized as a merger, 32 out of 40 members of the joint GTS/VTS board were from VTS, and the VTS president became the GTS president. On September 6, 2024, Vanderbilt University entered into

17280-466: Was nominated to become the Bishop of Lesotho . Although Tutu did not want the position, he was elected to it in March 1976 and reluctantly accepted. This decision upset some of his congregation, who felt that he had used their parish as a stepping stone to advance his career. In July, Bill Burnett consecrated Tutu as a bishop at St Mary's Cathedral. In August, Tutu was enthroned as the Bishop of Lesotho in

17415-483: Was officially installed as dean in August 1975. The cathedral was packed for the event. Moving to the city, Tutu lived not in the official dean's residence in the white suburb of Houghton but rather in a house on a middle-class street in the Orlando West township of Soweto , a largely impoverished black area. Although majority white, the cathedral's congregation was racially mixed, something that gave Tutu hope that

17550-479: Was one of the two most popular candidates, the white laity voting bloc consistently voted against his candidature. To break deadlock, a bishops' synod met and decided to appoint Tutu. Black Anglicans celebrated, although many white Anglicans were angry; some withdrew their diocesan quota in protest. Tutu was enthroned as the sixth Bishop of Johannesburg in St Mary's Cathedral in February 1985. The first black man to hold

17685-456: Was strained. In September 1977 he returned to South Africa to speak at the Eastern Cape funeral of Black Consciousness activist Steve Biko , who had been killed by police. At the funeral, Tutu stated that Black Consciousness was "a movement by which God, through Steve, sought to awaken in the black person a sense of his intrinsic value and worth as a child of God". We in the SACC believe in

17820-515: Was then appointed assistant curate in St Alban's Parish, Benoni , where he was reunited with his wife and children, and earned two-thirds of what his white counterparts were given. In 1962, Tutu was transferred to St Philip's Church in Thokoza , where he was placed in charge of the congregation and developed a passion for pastoral ministry. Many in South Africa's white-dominated Anglican establishment felt

17955-698: Was then ratified in a unanimous vote by the synod of bishops. He was the first black man to hold the post. Some white Anglicans left the church in protest. Over 1,300 people attended his enthronement ceremony at the Cathedral of St George the Martyr on 7 September 1986. After the ceremony, Tutu held an open-air Eucharist for 10,000 people at the Cape Showgrounds in Goodwood , where he invited Albertina Sisulu and Allan Boesak to give political speeches. Tutu moved into

18090-451: Was troubled that Reagan had a warmer relationship with South Africa's government than his predecessor Jimmy Carter , describing Reagan's government as "an unmitigated disaster for us blacks". Tutu later called Reagan "a racist pure and simple". In New York City, Tutu was informed that he had won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize ; he had previously been nominated in 1981, 1982, and 1983. The Nobel Prize selection committee had wanted to recognise

18225-776: Was turned down due to his debts; these were then paid off by the wealthy industrialist Harry Oppenheimer . Tutu was admitted to St Peter's Theological College in Rosettenville , Johannesburg, which was run by the Anglican Community of the Resurrection . The college was residential, and Tutu lived there while his wife trained as a nurse in Sekhukhuneland ; their children lived with Tutu's parents in Munsieville . In August 1960, his wife gave birth to another daughter, Naomi. At

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