Marilyn Nash

MARILYN NASH

Dedicated at a service of worship at
McCormick Theological Seminary

Chicago, Illinois
January 14, 1998

Marilyn Nash made this stole for the occasion of the preaching of her Senior Sermon at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.

With a longstanding commitment to diversity, McCormick is the only historically Euro-centric seminary in the Presbyterian denomination in which Whites are now in the minority.  This commitment to diversity has made McCormick a relatively safe place for LGBT students over the years, but that same diverse student body -- with large numbers of Koreans, African-Americans, native Africans and Hispanics  from a wide range of countries and religious backgrounds -- has kept the conversation lively around LGBT issues.  Some students have used these opportunities to come out and tell their stories; others have found it more difficult to do so in such an intense and intimate environment.

In 1998, Marilyn Nash invited me to bring stoles to McCormick for the service at which she would be preaching her Senior Sermon.  Marilyn, who was "out" and an active leader in the local LGBT movement, had experienced open hostility from a couple of students that year, and she felt it important to have both the public statement and the support of the stoles surrounding her.  She received this, along with overwhelming support of the seminary community itself.  The chapel was packed for her service, with students and faculty from all walks of life sitting on the floor or standing in every available foot of space and spilling out into the entryway. 

A talented artist and worship designer, Marilyn returned to school to pursue a doctorate in Liturgical Arts.

Martha Juillerat

Founder, Shower of Stoles Project

2006