Smyrna times., 1888-10-24
Delaware's Bishop.
CONSIDERATION SERVICES OF BISHOP
COLEMAN AT ST. JOHNS CHURCH,
WILMINGTON.

Episcopal Bishop of Delaware. Forty
seven years ago this month the Gener-
al Convention of the Church in the t
United States confirmed the election of i
the late Right Rev. Alfred Lee, d. D., =
first Bishop of the Diocese. Bishop
Lee died April 12, 1887. In June, 1888,
nine months after the death of Bishop
Lee, the convention was reconvened in
Christ Church, Dover, Delaware, and
on June z elected Rev. Leighton Cole
man, of Sayre, Pa, Bishop of the
Diocese of Delaware. Bishop Coleman
was the choice of the laity from the
start and the delay in his selection
was occasiOned by opposition among
the clergy.
THE CONSIDERATION SERVICES.
The conservation service took place
Thursday in St. Johns Church, Will
mington. Churches in that city and
county began the day with the celebra-
ton of the Holy Communion. The
hour for the conservation service was
1915 A. NJ, but long before that hour
St. Johns Church was filed to over
| flowing. Prominent in the church
pews were the Governor of the State,
the Chief Justice and the Associate
Judges of the Superior Court, Secre-
tary Bayard and the Mayor of the
city.
The crowd was so great that the |
ceremony was necessarily delayed for |
nearly half an hour after the appointed |
time. At lilo o'clock the voices of |
the choir singing the professional |
hyman foated from the parish building
to the body of the church and was
taken up by the organ. A few min
utes later the choir boys appeared in
the centre aisle of the church, followed
by the Right Rev. Mark Anthony de
Wolfe Howe, D. D., Ill. D., Bishop of
Central Pennsylvania the Right Rev.
Cortland Whitehead, d. D., the Bishop
of Pittsburg; the Right Rev. John
Scarborough, D. D., Bishop of New
Jersey; Right Rev. Nelson B. Rulison,
D. D., Assistant Bishop of Central
Pennsylvania, and the Right Rev.
, William F. Adams, D. D., Bishop of
Easton, Md; the Bishop-elect, the
Rev. Leighton Coleman, D. D., LII. D.;
the visiting clergy and the clergy of
the diocese, numbering about one
hundred and fifty persons, all wearing
the robes of their holy Offices.
THE SERVICE OPENED.
At the end of the professional hymn
and amid profound silence Presiding
! Bishop Howe recited the Lords Pray
er. The regular service for the day
: was conducted by the Rev. T. Gardi-
ner Littell, rector of St. Johns Church.
The Right Rev. Bishop Whitehead,
Assistant Bishop of Pennsylvania,
preached the conservation sermon. The
! sermon was an eloquent discourse
: upon the authority of the apostolic sue
8 cession and the Office of Bishop. In
;. closing the preacher addressed a most
eloquent eXhortatiOn to the Bishop
3 elect and to the people of the diocese
= to preserve the unity of the spirit of
= Christ, working for the Church which
y y is the body of Christ on earth. During
. this address the Bishop-elect stood
facing the pulpit and preacher.
The order of the Presiding Bishop
to the consecrating Bishop to proceed
to the conservation of Bishop Coleman
le was then read by the Rev. G. w. Nell
le son, of New York. The certificate of
II election by the Diocese of Delaware
E, was read by the Rev. d. D. Smith, of
70 Christ's Church. The testimony of the
% clergy of the diocese was read by the
II Rev, Lewis w. Gibson, of Christ
II Church, Dover. The certificate of a
il majority of the standing committees Of
$ the United States was read by the Rev
10 J. w. Brown, of New York, and the
" certificate of the consent of the Bishops
+ was read by the secretary of the House
d d of Bishops. The Bishop of Pennsyl-
rs vania prOpounded the liturgical ques
v tions, and DR.. Coleman uttered them
e. and his oath of allegiance to the
~ church in loud and distinct tones.
ho THE vEsTMENTs NECEIvED.
en- DIR. Coleman advanced to the ALTA
uc rail and divested himself of his priest
,e- robes and was clothed in the vestment
~ of the episcopate and kneeled to re
ceive the laying on of hands, whicl
was performed by all the Bishops
les Bishop Howe prOnOuncing the bene
diction: Receive We the Holy Ghost.
Following the OfertOry, the Hol,
IN, Communion was celebrated, wit
er- Bishop Howe as celebrant, the clerg
lin all participating. The recessiona
It's then closed the ceremony. Bisho
It's, Coleman, in the vestments of his Office
tn, received a number of his friends an
es, clergy in the parlor of the parish build
lis ing.
10y SKETCH OF THE BISHOPS LIFE.
var Bishop Coleman is the son of Rev
er- John Coleman, d. D., rector of Trinit
YER Church, Southwark, Philadelphia. Th
his new Bishop was born in Philadelphi
,ad and educated in New York. He hs
rip been at different times rector of S
Ill Luke's Church, Bustleton st. john
md Wilmington; St. Marks, MauC
md Chunk; at Toledo, Ohio, and until r.
re- Gently at Sayre, Pa. In 1875 he ws
1873, elected Bishop of Fond du Lac, Wis
but declined the Office. He spent SCI
eral years in England, preaching an
in temperance work. He married Mi
Fanny Dupont, daughter of Alexis
rrie Dupont,
80 DELAWARE CLERGY.
10 The following Delaware Clergyme