Archbishop Peers delivered the commencement address and used the opportunity to compliment Anglicans in the United States for resisting the war in Iraq and working for peace. "By knowing your church in your country, I know that the stories of your country which I see in the media are not the whole story," said Peers, who was honored for his own stands for justice and equal rights.

Peers urged the 32 graduates to assemble a "survival kit" for work in the church today, including a commitment to "meeting" as Anglicans; the patience to invest time in efforts for social change; and a willingness to truly lead God's people in discernment and action.

Peers was one of four distinguished figures who received the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree at the commencement service. The school also recognized The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire; Ms. Katya Fels, founder and executive director of a non-profit serving women who are homeless and in crisis; and Dr. Charles Willie, a professor emeritus at Harvard and noted leader in the national church.

Robinson was recognized for more than being elected the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion - and for weathering the ensuing storm with faith and grace. In her citation, The Rev. Karen Montagno, Dean of Student and Community Life and of the Chapel, noted Robinson's emphasis on creating healthy congregations, resolving conflict, helping dioceses within Province I to collaborate, supporting clergy wellness, and advocating for housing, health care and justice for marginalized people within and beyond the church.

Fels was recognized for her work with On the Rise, a Cambridge-based nonprofit that responds creatively to the needs of women in crisis are unable to get adequate support from traditional social service providers.

She created the organization based on "the dream of a more humane and relational way to connect abused and chronically homeless and disenfranchised women with one another and their own inner resources," according to Associate Professor William Kondrath, who offered words on Fels' behalf. "You found ways to form relationships, build community, give voice and strength to women, and reward them for advocating for themselves."

The final honorary doctorate went to Willie, a former national church leader and sociologist who taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He was a major consultant for school desegregation cases nationwide and, in 1974, preached at the irregular ordination service for the first eleven women priests in the Episcopal Church.

Professor Carter Heyward, one of the priests ordained in that historic service, offered the citation of her friend and colleague. "Throughout [your career] you have had the amazing capacity to combine advocacy with academia and Christian faithfulness with prophetic ministry on all levels of the church's life," she said. "We honor you today, however, for your particular role as a 'drum major for justice' in the areas of racial equality, women's ordination, public education, and social justice."