University of the South - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Sewanee, TN)

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For his service, dedication, and contribu- tions to the University of the South and its Heavenly Vision, the editors and staff wish to dedicate the 1982 Cap and Gown to the former Dean of the School of Theology, The Very Reverend Urban Tigner Holmes, III. On the Feast of the Transfiguration, 1981, following an extended period of study and writing at Kanuga and in England, the Very Reverend Urban T. Holmes, III, ninth Dean of the School of Theology, died suddenly in Atlanta, Georgia. In every way he was larger than life and he had become the intellectual leader of the Episcopal Church. He had served in his ministry for ten years as Episcopal Chaplain to Louisiana State University, and for seven years he was Professor of Pastoral Theology at Nashotah House. As Dean of the School of Theology here at the University, Terry Holmes built an international reputa- tion as a prolific writer and scholar in the fields of history, spiritual theology, pastoral theology, and theological re- flection. Of Dr. Holmes, his fellow dean the Very Reverend Dr. O.C. Edwards of Seabury-Western Seminary has written: he had a capacity for friendship that was extraordinary, both for its intimacy with a few and for its availability to incredibly large numbers of people . . . He did more in fifty years than most people could have done in a hundred. We shall not look upon his like again this side of the apocalyptic event. To his students at the School of Theology Dean Holmes wrote: I am sure that you will find the School of Theol- ogy sometimes challenging, sometimes disappointing, and sometimes very exciting. I suspect this is the way the Church is these days. Those who knew Dean Holmes personally or through the creative genius of his writings were continually struck by his vision of the Church and of Christian ministry. His vision was prophetic in that it confronted, challenged, and pushed to the very limits one ' s capacity to imagine. In its prophetic sense this vision was often painful, and through it he called everyone in the Body of Christ to turn from mindlessness, sentimentality, and shallow answers to the depth and perplexity of the vision of the Kingdom. His was a call not to success in ministry but to faithfulness to the Christian vision and witness. This edition of the Cap and Gown contains as its theme The Heavenly Vision, and it is dedicated to the loving memory of the Very Reverend Urban Tigner Holmes, III. In keeping with this theme and with the life, ministry, and Christian witness of Terry Holmes we can think of no better summary of his life and work than the words of one of his favorite spiritual authors, Dame Julian of Norwich, who wrote that in the lovingkindness of God. All shall be well, And all manner of things shall be well. Robert Dedmon and James Burns The Very Reverend Urban T. Holmes, III 1930-1981 Terry Holmes ' warmth spoke to all he met. 4 DEDICATION

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Terry Holmes, shown here at a Maundy Thursday footwashing service, was actively involved in all facets of life at Sewanee. Dean Holmes with other members of the School of Theology. The Very Reverend Urban T. Holmes, III, affectionate- ly known to us as Terry, served as Dean of the School of Theology for eight years. During his time with us he made important contributions to the development and refine- ment of the curriculum of the School of Theology. Under his leadership Sewanee developed the very successful Education for Ministry program. Dean Holmes was a man of unquenchable thirst for knowledge. He had a compelling desire to share his under- standing of God and man through his writings, preaching, and lecturing. His contributions to theological education and contemporary Christian thought extended far beyond his own denomination. This distinguished man will be greatly missed at this University, but Sewanee is a better place because of his life spent among us. From the Convocation Address giv- en by Robert M. Ayres, Jr., Vice- Chancellor, September 8, 1981. lolmes helped to form strong ties with the Anglican Church in Africa. The Very Reverend Holmes in St. Luke ' s Chapel. DEDICATION 5