The Institute of Sacred Music at Yale has announced the July 28 death of Anne Rowthorn, wife of former ISM faculty member Jeffrey Rowthorn and longtime member of the ISM and Berkeley community:

“Anne Rowthorn, Ph.D. and her husband Bishop Jeffrey Rowthorn moved to New Haven in 1973 from New York City when Jeffrey was appointed to the first faculty of the Institute of Sacred Music along with three other colleagues from the Union School of Sacred Music. Since then, Anne has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Institute, attending many of our events with Jeffrey in the years following retirement which brought them back to their homestead in Connecticut after years living in Europe.  Anne’s doctoral dissertation was on the development of recreational therapy in the United States, but she spent a good deal of her life as an active environmentalist and author who published twelve books and numerous articles, editorials, and book reviews on topics related to ecology and spirituality among other subjects. Her most recent book was “God’s Good Earth: Praise and Prayer for Creation” (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2018) co-compiled and edited with her husband Jeffrey. She was a frequent speaker and clinician on this topic, working with parishes, schools, and other organizations alike. You can access an interview with Anne on the website of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut.”

Anne and Jeffrey Rowthorn have had a very long and rich association with Berkeley Divinity School. Both during Jeffrey’s tenure at Yale based in the ISM from 1973 and then after his election as a suffragan bishop for Connecticut in 1985, Anne was a close friend of the School who became a mentor and model to many who were inspired by her environmental activism and her wide-ranging scholarship grounded in her lay vocation. The Rowthorns ministered in Europe for some years before returning to the USA in 2001, after which they renewed ties with Berkeley, the ISM, and Yale, and were regular participants in worship and community life.

Berkeley’s faculty, trustees, staff and students offer their condolences to the Rowthorns and give thanks for Anne’s vision and service.