The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-09-09
BUSY CLERICAL WORKERS.
SYSTEM AND DUTIES INVOLVED IN
A BIG EPTsCOPALIAN PARISH.

All Angels, sud -. Bnrthoiomsw's
~ can't take luncheon with you at the clut
to-day Mt 2 O'Clock" said "a young clergyman In
answer TO n verbal invitation, because l have
q funeral at that hour "We1l make II hall
past i2 II that will give you time TO get to your
funeral replied the intending host, and with
that amendment the young clergyman accepted.
That he lunched comfortably, drank his share
OF a bottle Of light wine. and talked easily of
various things half an hour before going through
the funeral ceremony in full clerical attire, is
proof, among other things, that the duties OF q
clergyman in this town constitute a business
that demands n careful economy Of time. II is
in full recognition Of this fact that the great
Episcopal parishes OF New York are admins
tered. Somebody discovered many years ago
that the Trinity corporation Is q great business
concern, and the phrase appealing to the popu-
lar imagination. has been effectively used
for all sorts of purposes ever since. The
public has less clearly realized that
the strictly ecclesiastical side OF Trinity
parish and of every other large parish In
New York is organized in thorough business
like fashion. and administered with a high de-
gree Of executive ability. Every parish that Is
important enough to have more than one clergy
man employed in its work has its system OF rec
tors and assistants. its chapels, clubs, guilds,
schools. and what not else. The administration
OF q great parish HuCn as trinity ana n rev
others demands Of the rector marked executive
power, and requires the aid OF many assistants
carefully chosen with n view to their fitness for
such work as the parish has to do. There must
be a careful apportionment OF the work and q
nice adjustment of hours and duties. The rector
Of Trinity parish has more than twenty-five as
~sistants, some of whom are priests in charge of
one or another chapel. with assistants of
their own. officially designated Junior assist
ants. The rector of the Church OF the Holy
Communion has four assistants. The rector of
the Church OF the Ascension has three
assiatants, including the priests in charge
Of the chapels. The rector Of Calvary has four
assistants. OF whom three are stationed Mt CAL
vary Free Chapel. The rector Of st. Bartholo-
news has FIVE assistants, the rector OF st.
Georges four, the rector Of st. 1gnatius three,
and the rectors of half o dozen smaller pa
rishes from one to two.
The Junior assistants. as they are called In
Trinity parish. constitute a body OF jealous
young men deeply interested in the work to be
done in their own parishes and observant of
what is done in others. There is a vast deal Of
quiet competition In such work, and experiments
in any parish are watched from all the Others
with critical care. Active young assistants in
the more staid parishes are eager for an oppor-
tunity to find places in those where the work
seems more. important, and it. sometimes hap
pens that the place OF an assistant absent on
vacation is gladly filled by an assistant from
some other parish, who foregoes his own vaca-
tion that he may have a taste OF the work in his
Although Trinity parish is by no means the
most active city parish. its methods are perhaps
typical OF the businesslike organization neces-
sary for effective work. The rector Of Trinity
S Sody h OF e eeeIesiassic sInS Worker. a hrlESe e rector si5r' hs.'
besides his own immediate assistants, a private
secretary and a stenographer. some of the
many as three assistants and u private secretary
or stenographcr. Trinity is so rich that parish
toner's are not called upon to contribute TO the
support of the clergy, salaries are good, and
work Is not exacting.. There Is a long vacation
for everybody, and retirement with a pension at
Junior assistant In Trinity parish. though as
systematic in routine as that OF any other bust.
In charge of a chapel does much as he will in
the matter OF arranging the work and in decid-
holds toward him an advisory attitude. Priests
in charge, however,, are chosen from among
the rector usually knows pretty well what may
be expected OF a newly appointed priest in
in years, and Few of them are very young. No
man is appointed TO any priestly office in Trinity
tained, so that tic newly graduated theological
student seldom appears in the work OF that
parish unless he be employed On salary in tie
Sunday school.
The junior assistants working day ordinarily
begins at : O'Clock in the afternoon; On sun
days and on many days during Lent he is occu- |
pied morning. noon, and night. Two days in the
week he Is OF duty. On his days OF duty he is
expected TO busy himself in whatever work may
come up. as well as in the regular schedule work
OF the parish. Al funerals in the sub-parishes
the church are assigned to the priest in charge |
and the assistants in turn. When a junior as
sistant is or duty he is liable 10 be. called upon
comfort to the dying. and TO do
such part OF any other assistants work as the
latter Is unable to attend to. Every family in |
the parish is visited four times a year, and |
many OF the evenings are occupied in this par
which he makes report To the priest in charge |
concerning his visits, what he sees, and what
or the people. II there be a parish house. some
one must be at hand to lead In the work OF one
kind 4 or another constantly going on there; for
Sometimes il is the duty of an assistant to
take the inmates of an orphanGge TO TO the SEA-
ing or enviable work OF the young assistant, as
he must lead the children In all things, ride on
the merry-go-round If need be, and take part
In all the games. sometimes the assistant must
for hours in the parish TO receive appli-
cants for charity. One day he breaches a Ser
mon, another he reads the service, and so
through all the varieties OF clerical duty and
parish work. |
1t is not pretended that the routine of parish
work tends To develop great preachers or great
II is taken for granted in Trinity par
however, that some, at least, OF a clergy
leisure mornings are devoted TO study,
and there is time enough for a vast deal of deep
II IA mar be not too much preoccupied with
his routine. The young priest. however, must
cuOOet DtIWtcn tHt hcliNt III OI tn lIllulo l
traitor and that of a scholar or a pulpit orator.
Many OF the junior assistants occupy their
with work OF their Own-editing eccle-
or parish newspapers, organizing this
Or that little scheme of Church work that has
not yet received parochial sanction, or doing
work in other and buster parishes.
What Is true OF the work In Trinity parish Is
true in greater or less degree OF other parishes;
Trinity is known as a conservative parish, and
R RSss Tic ii" Than nf those stS u IT, . Gesors S9s1 Tor example, inpSs
The rector and his assistants In that parish are
hard worked the year round save in vacation
lime, ana then some young man with no other
luty for the moment comes in TO fill the gap.
All Angels parish Is another OF the busy ones.
Here are To be administered a parish guild, an
society, a Kindergarten, an indus
rial school, a penny provident fund, a minister
children's league, a manual training
school, and a vacation inn. With all the
ay help enlisted in this work the clergy
II the parish are busy men. St. BarthOtO-
news contributes great sums TO charity, and
he %rector's scheme of an east side parish house
5 reputed to have had interesting results by
,eason of It's bringing rich and poor together.
some parishes maintain hospitals, where SER
1ices OF one sort or another have u be regularly