“With the reading of such words, no sermon was needed, although Epiphany’s rector Rev. Doyt Conn, Jr., delivered a delightful and personal welcome. It turned out that Tutu was graduation speaker at Conn’s seminary graduation. On that same day, Conn found he was to become a father. He and his wife agreed that, if a boy, the child would be named Desmond.
A few weeks later, in the mail, came a book by Tutu, inscribed by the archbishop to the not-yet-born baby. “To this day,” said Conn, “it remains a mystery to me how, who, arranged for this to happen.” A few moments later, a tall young man named Desmond Conn took to the pulpit and read from Tutu’s “God Has a Dream””
Our thanks to Joel Connelly for this moving piece on Sunday’s Tutu Memorial, weaving reflections on our service with the Archbishop’s connection to Seattle.