The Reverend Donald William Matthews
Rector, Grace Church, Elmira, New York

When did you begin to think about a vocation in the Church?
When I was a teenager. It was a gradual discernment, related to my personal life and growth in faith and prayer, as well as being influenced by a number of significant people around me. At the time the general advice was not to go directly to seminary from college, but first to enter into the secular world. I majored in business administration and international economics at Ashland College in Ashland, Ohio, where I also fell in love with my wife; we married right after graduation and I settled into a career path in sales and administration. We were a young couple who had the ‘world by the tail’ yet we both knew that God had something else in mind for us.

A significant figure in my life, Bishop William Davidson, entered the picture again when I was at college and it was he who provided the gentle nudges which moved me to consider the ordination process in that diocese. I have never looked back or doubted God’s call from there and the joy it has brought to my life.

Why Bexley Hall?
When I set about choosing a seminary to attend, I had a marvelous diocesan bishop who felt it important that my wife and I make the decision of what seminary to attend to fit our needs. Our twin daughters were nearly two years old at the time, so this was a critical factor in our decision. From the moment that we set foot on the campus on our first exploration visit, we felt that it was the right place for us. The rich mixture of many traditions and perspectives, the intimacy and warmth of the community, and the generosity and concern of the dean and faculty, made the place well-suited to our education and formation.

What was Bexley like?
Seminary is an adventure and challenge. I think I expected that seminary would be more practical than academic, which wasn’t entirely the case in my day. However, the changes that have been made in the curriculum and formation process at Bexley in the succeeding years have made for a more rounded experience. The challenge of academic, theological education still continues, yet it's more balanced with an intentionally grounded, genuine spiritual formation within the context of our Anglican tradition. This was something which was beginning in my time at Bexley and, I’m thrilled to say, has blossomed!

The friendships I made with my fellow students, from all backgrounds and denominations, are friendships which continue to this day. This is the greatest gift of Bexley Hall: a diverse community of Christian people united for a short period of time in theological education and remaining united across the world through prayer and friendship. Because of this experience, I am connected to the Church throughout the world.

What would you say to someone considering Bexley, if you only had a minute?
I’m not sure that one can find a more diverse, rich setting for that experience than with the programs that are Bexley Hall. In the spectrum of aspects which make us the Church--from theological reflection to liturgical practice to spiritual formation to ecumenical relationship and responsibility--Bexley establishes and meets a very high standard. It was my joy to be a part of the Bexley community as a seminarian and, now, as an active alumnus. I hope that you will find the same in your experience at Bexley!

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not serving the Church?
My two great passions in life are my family and my work, my best blessings from God. Cooking is a great interest. I am an avid gardener, with a specific love of cultivating roses of all sorts, which I periodically show with the American Rose Society. I love music, particularly music of the Church, classical and opera. And there's walking, a daily time for exercise, and a round of golf here and there. A quiet life is not for me!

Words to live by
My spiritual credo is the Great Command of our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and will all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets’.

My practical credo: ‘What is popular is not always right; what is right is not always popular’. This shapes the administrative aspects of my priesthood and decision-making, much of which is evaluated and learned from experience.

My pastoral credo is one I learned from my father: ‘One can catch many more flies with honey than vinegar’. This shapes the pastoral side of my priesthood and outreach to lives of those around me. It reminds me that, no matter the circumstances of any situation, negativity will win no one to the cause of the Cross.

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