Evening star., 1960-06-25
THE HUMAN SIDE OF RELIGION
Dr.. WedeI Plans
Active Retirement
BY CASPAR NAMES
Star stan Writer

One Of the towering figures
on the Washington religious
scene retires the end of this
month.
DR.. Theodore o. Wedel. a
canon Of Washington Cathe-
dral and warden Of the College
Of Preachers, officially con-
cludes his active ministry
Thursday. He leaves with the
title Honorary Canon" and
Warden Emeritus" bestowed
on him by the Cathedral Chap
ter for a job superbly done.
But the term retirement" is
a misnomer for the distin-'
guished looking clergyman. DR..
and Mrs. Wedel leave July
for Europe. He will take a
leading role in a meeting on
evangelism to be held at the
Ecumenical Institute, Geneva,
Switzerland, July 5-ll. From
July IS to August IL he will
lecture there at an institute
for theological students. Dur
ing August both Wedels will
participate on working COM
mittees of the World Council
Of Churches. They conclude
their assignments August "a
and after a short tour of the
continent will head for home
on the Rotterdam.
Has FelIOwships
DR.. Wedel also will be kept
busy the coming three aca-
demic years. He has a research
fellowship. Danforth Founda-
ton grant, at the Ecumenical
Institute, Evanston, Ill, 1861;
will be visiting professor at the
Episcopal Theological Semi
nary, Cambridge, Mass, 1872,
and visiting professor at Union
Theological Seminary, New
York, 1923.
But during this entire period
DR.. and Mrs. Wedel will retain
their permanent residence in
Washington, at 2540 MasSa-
chuSettS avenue NV.
DR.. Wedel came to the Dis
trict of Columbia in 1889 from
New York. where he has served
flve years as secretary for
college work of the National
Council, Episcopal Church. He
was named director Of studies
at the College of Preachers,
being made warden of this
unusual institution in 1943.
The college is for Episcopal
clergymen who gather during
the year to study ways of i'm
proving their preaching techni-
Ques. During the year ap-I
proximately 400 clergymen at
tend the sessions, and in the
more than 20 years that DR..
Wedel has been associated with
the college he has guided over
5000 Episcopal priests in this
field.
For the first time in many
years DR.. Wedel will not be
delegate to the triennial con-
vention of the Episcopal
Church in September, 1861, at
Detroit. The noted church
leader also will step down from
his position as president of the
House of Deputies to which he
was elected in 1852 at Boston.
Aide to Bishop
Among his numerous posts
DR.. Wedel has served as presi-
dent of the standing committee
of the Washington Diocese
since 1943. The committee as
sists the bishop, the Right Rev.
Angus Dun, in administering
the diocese and In his absence
serves as the ecclesiastical
authority for the diocese.
AS warden of the College Of
Preachers, DR.. Wedel welcomed
numerous world church fioures,
Episcopal and those of other
denominations, to Washington.
A native of Halstead, Kans.,
DR.. Wedel is q graduate Of
Oberlin College, 1914. He has
an AM. degree from Harvard,
1915, and q Ph.D. degree from
Yale. He is the author of nu-
merous books and holds hon.
orary degrees from Seabury-
Western Seminary, Brown Uni
versity and Oberlin College.