Date: October 15, 2026
ALEXANDRIA, Va., October 15, 2026 – Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) has conferred an honorary doctoral degree on the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, Dean of Washington National Cathedral. The Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa was awarded to Dean Hollerith in recognition of his selfless, life-giving ministry and radical hospitality.
The degree was conferred at Evensong with Sermon and Academic Convocation in VTS’ Immanuel Chapel on October 13, 2026.
Dean Hollerith has served as the eleventh Dean of the Washington National Cathedral since 2016. During his time there, he has rapidly expanded the Cathedral’s community and reach. He led an ambitious $185 million capital campaign, spearheaded the full restoration of structures damaged by the 2011 earthquake as well as the Cathedral’s historic organ, oversaw the creation of the Virginia Mae Center for public programming, and established a “digital cathedral” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A strong advocate for social justice, Dean Hollerith has taken several steps to make the Cathedral more diverse and inclusive, including removing Confederate monuments and introducing new styles of worship. He has also expanded the Cathedral’s civic engagement, by creating spaces for respectful dialogue about public life.
Prior to his time at the Cathedral, he served parishes in Georgia and Virginia, including 16 years as Rector of St. James’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, during which time he doubled the parish budget, expanded the church’s outreach ministries, and developed the largest mission program in the Diocese of Virginia.
The citation said: “You have been a fierce advocate for diversity, inclusion, and racial reconciliation. You removed Confederate monuments from the Cathedral, broadened its worship style to celebrate a rich array of voices, and have consistently advocated for social justice and repair in your sermons. Throughout all this, you have remained deeply engaged with your parish, showing unconditional love and understanding to all who enter the Cathedral’s doors. Because of you, it has truly become a ‘house of prayer for all people.’”
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D., Dean and President of VTS, said: “It was a privilege for the Seminary to give Randy Hollerith appropriate recognition for his extraordinary tenure of the Washington National Cathedral. The Washington National Cathedral is a key witness to the values of the gospel in our turbulent age, and his leadership in this season has been extraordinary.”
Notes to editors:
For media inquiries, For media inquiries, please contact Nicky Burridge, Senior Vice President for Communications and Institutional Advancement at Virginia Theological Seminary and The General Theological Seminary.
Tel: (703) 461-1782
Mobile: (703) 300-2876
Email: [email protected]
Photo caption: The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith (center), with (from L to R): Kirsten Prettyman Adams, Chair of the VTS Board of Trustees; the Rev. Melody Knowles, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at VTS; and the Very Rev. Ian Markham, Dean and President of VTS.
About Virginia Theological Seminary:
Virginia Theological Seminary was founded in 1823 and has a long tradition of shaping faithful women and men, lay and ordained, for leadership in The Episcopal Church and beyond. It is the strongest seminary in the Anglican Communion and provides more than 25 percent of the clergy of The Episcopal Church.