DeKoven Day 2025

Celebrate James DeKoven at the DeKoven Center
All are invited to attend this year’s DeKoven Day celebration on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, honoring the life and legacy of the Rev. James DeKoven—one of the most respected leaders of the Anglo-Catholic Movement and influential in shaping the modern Episcopal Church. This year’s event will feature a special focus on the newly released biography by John E. Magerus, James DeKoven: Biography of a Famous Yet Forgotten Man.
John Magerus, former university professor and administrator, has, since retirement, actively pursued his passion for history. He has spent eight years immersed in the archives of the DeKoven Center, serving as head archivist. That work became the foundation for the first full-length biography of James DeKoven in over 125 years. The resulting book offers a compelling look at the life and legacy of this influential 19th-century Episcopal priest and educator in Wisconsin.
Perched on the bluffs of Lake Michigan and framed by nationally recognized architecture, the DeKoven Center stands on the historic campus of Racine College. When the Rev. Dr. James DeKoven arrived in 1859 from St. John’s Hall in Delafield to serve as Warden, he brought with him a bold vision. Inspired by the design of English colleges, he reimagined the campus as a residential quadrangle where students and faculty would live, learn, and worship together—a close-knit academic community rooted in shared purpose.
Under his leadership, Racine College flourished into a respected institution of higher learning, drawing distinguished educators and students from across the country. DeKoven himself became a national figure — a gifted preacher, writer, and educator, and a leading voice in the Anglo-Catholic movement. Today, he is commemorated with a feast day in the Episcopal Church on March 22.
The legacy of education that James DeKoven began has continued across generations. This campus has since been home to the Racine Military Academy; the Cove School, the nation’s first residential special education program; Racine Montessori School; and Spectrum School of the Arts. Today, the tradition of formation lives on through a growing teaching kitchen that provides hands-on job training in a working commercial kitchen. The historic quadrangle continues to host retreats, workshops, joyful weddings, and events. Through it all, the DeKoven Center remains a place that welcomes all who seek rest, reflection, and reconnection.
DeKoven Day begins on Tuesday, September 23rd at 1:00 p.m. a Eucharistic service in St. John’s Chapel, followed by a reception and book signing in Taylor Hall featuring John E. Magerus. Admission is free, and copies of the book will be available for purchase.