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C. K. Robertson to Speak at 128th Commencement

2023 CDSP honorary doctorate recipients: The Rev. Canon C. K. Robertson, PhD; Dr. Esther Mombo; the Rev. Mary Morrison ’00.

The Rev. Canon C. K. Robertson, PhD, canon for ministry beyond The Episcopal Church to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, will speak at the 128th commencement of Church Divinity School of the Pacific on Saturday, May 20, at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time in the St. Margaret’s Courtyard at CDSP.

The event is open to the public and will be broadcast live online at cdsp.edu/livestream. A full schedule of events is available at cdsp.edu/commencement

Robertson has served as canon to two presiding bishops of The Episcopal Church and to a diocesan bishop, visiting professor at various seminaries and universities, general editor of the book series Studies in Episcopal and Anglican Theology, and senior review leader for the recently released 30th anniversary update of the NRSV Bible.

A life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Robertson has also served on various national and international boards and worked with the U.S. State Department, the White House, and the United Nations. Author or editor of more than a dozen books, he is also a producer of the upcoming documentary A Case for Love. Robertson holds a PhD from Durham University, for which he wrote on conflict management and the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians. 

At the ceremony, CDSP will award degrees and certificates to graduating students, including degrees jointly conferred with the Graduate Theological Union. Soon after the festivities, many of this year’s graduates will be beginning new ministry positions in their dioceses significantly funded by a new CDSP-Trinity initiative in connection with the seminary’s recently announced hybrid shift.

CDSP will also grant honorary degrees to Robertson, Dr. Esther Mombo, and the Rev. Mary Morrison ‘00.

Dr. Esther Mombo is a professor at St. Paul’s University in Limuru, Kenya, where she has served as deputy vice chancellor of academic affairs and director of international partnerships and alumni relations. A graduate of St. Paul’s University, University of Dublin, and University of Edinburgh, in 2007 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Virginia Theological Seminary for her work in bringing to the fore issues of gender disparity and gender justice in Church and society. 

Mombo is a founding member of the Tamar Campaign in Kenya, which seeks to acknowledge the existence of gender-based violence in society and empower churches to address this concern. She has been at the forefront of inclusivity in theological education, serving as co-chair of the Commission on Education and Ecumenical Formation of the World Council of Churches, advisor of education for the All Africa Conference of Churches, and coordinator of the East African Region for the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians. She has co-authored several books, the latest being Christianity and COVID-19: Pathways for Faith.

The Rev. Mary Morrison ‘00 is a native Californian. Before seminary, she taught elementary school and was a church organist for many years. Morrison worked at CDSP for two years as program director for the Center for Anglican Learning and Leadership (CALL), served St. Luke’s in Los Gatos, CA, as pastoral associate for six years, and was elected rector of St. James’ in Paso Robles, CA, in 2008. She retired in 2013, moving to Sacramento in 2018.

In El Camino Real, Morrison served on Diocesan Council and Standing Committee, as well as chair of the Transition Committee for the bishop search in 2008. Shortly after her ordination, she was asked to become the liturgical officer for the diocese, a position she continued until her retirement. She is married to the Rev. Deacon Claudia Jo Weber. Together with Weber she is a mother of four, grandmother of six, and great-grandmother of one.