Adelaide Teague Case was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 10th, 1887, but her family soon moved to New York City. She received her undergraduate education at Bryn Mawr College and her graduate degrees from Columbia University. By the time she had completed her doctorate, a position had been created for her on the faculty of the Teachers’ College at Columbia, where she rose to the status of full professor and head of the department of religious education. She is remembered for advocating a child-centered rather than teacher-centered approach to education.

In 1941, when her professional accomplishments were at their height, the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusettswas able to convince her to leave her distinguished and comfortable position at Columbia, and she was appointed Professor of Christian Education. Although other women had taught occasional courses in the seminaries of the church, Case was the first to take her place as a full-time faculty member at the rank of Professor.

Case identified with the liberal Catholic tradition in Anglicanism. This is reflected in her first book, Liberal Christianity and Religious Education, in which she emphasized teaching children to engagein reasonable inquiry into their faith. Case was also active in the Religious Education Association, the Episcopal Pacifist Fellowship, and the Women’s Auxiliary of the Episcopal Church. From 1946 to 1948, she served on the National Council of the Episcopal Church. Case was a proponent of women’s ordination and a frequent preacher in the chapel at ETS. She continued to teach at ETS until her death on June 19th, 1948 in Boston.

Students and faculty colleagues remember her contagious faith in Christ, her deep sense of humanity, and her seemingly boundless compassion. Although she carried herself with style and grace, Case had struggled with health problems her entire life, but those who knew her testify to the fact that in spite of those challenges she was spirited, energetic, and fully devoted to her work. It was often said of her that she was a true believer in Christ, and that one saw Christ living in and through her.

Case believed that the point of practicing the Christian faith wasto make a difference in the world. As an advocate for peace, she believed that Christianity had a special vocation to call people into transformed, reconciled relationships for the sake of the wholeness of the human family. She is said to have discovered these things not in theology or educational theory, but in a life of common prayer and faithful eucharistic practice.