Degrees and honors were conferred during a stately service, recited in Latin according to a form unchanged from the late 19th century. Majestic brass music resounded and bells tolled as 49 women and men received degrees, diplomas, or certificates from the Seminary's dean, the Rev. Ward B. Ewing. Of these, 35 were awarded the Master of Divinity degree. The seminary also awarded its honorary doctorate to four persons distinguished by faithful service and ministry: the Rev. Dr. Sarah Coakley, the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, the Rev. Dr. Urs von Arx, and Samuel A. Waterston. In addition, the Clement Clarke Moore Medal was awarded to Joseph A. Davenport, III.

Coakley, a theologian and philosopher of religion, taught at Lancaster and Oxford universities before going to Harvard Divinity School in 1993. In October 2007, she became the Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity at Cambridge University. Her recent books include "Powers and Submissions: Spirituality, Philosophy and Gender and Rethinking Gregory of Nyssa."

Edgar, president of Common Cause, a non-partisan government watchdog organization, is the former general secretary of the National Council of the Churches, the leading U.S. organization in the movement for Christian unity. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming College and a Master of Divinity degree from the Theological School of Drew University.

Arx, after studies in law and theology at the Universities of Berne, Paris and Oxford, served as a vicar in the Swiss Old Catholic Church while completing his doctoral work at the University of Berne. He has served on numerous international ecumenical commissions, and as a member of both the International Old Catholic-Roman Catholic Commission and the International Orthodox-Old Catholic Commission. Arx has guided generations of Anglican and Orthodox students through postgraduate studies. For his tutelage of 43 Serbian students that studied in Berne, he was given the Order of St. Nikolaj by the Serbian Orthodox Church in 2006.

Waterston, a three-time Emmy nominee for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, is a lifelong Episcopalian who has served as president of the Episcopal Actors Union. He is widely regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation. He joined the cast of Wolf Films/Universal Network Television's "Law & Order" in 1994 as Jack McCoy, assistant district attorney. Waterston is also known for his many philanthropic activities and his principled stands on a range of issues, including his recent work as spokesman for Unity '08, a non-partisan organization which seeks to return moderation to public discourse.  His relationship with GTS began in 2003 when he agreed to serve as honorary chair of the Seminary's Leaders for the Church campaign.

Davenport, the recipient of the Clement Clarke Moore Medal, is chairman and chief executive officer of the Mer Rouge State Bank in Louisiana. He served as a seminary trustee from 1992-2003 and as chair of the Development Committee until his retirement. He has contributed to the life of GTS in a variety of ways, providing leadership through the transition of three deans, and insightful planning for the Leaders for the Church capital campaign. He always challenged the seminary to be more ambitious in its fundraising goals, leading the way with one of the first major gifts of the campaign, an endowed fund for the Joseph A. Davenport Scholarship for postulants from the dioceses of Western Louisiana or Mississippi. Davenport also created the Gwendolyn Simmons Arts Fund. Named in honor of Davenport's friend and fellow trustee, the fund enables students to attend events at some of the finest performing arts venues in New York City.

GTS, the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church, was founded in 1817 and has been a New York City landmark since 1826. A leading center for theological education in the Anglican Communion, the seminary's primary mission is to educate and form leaders for the Church in a changing world.