The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-05-17
BISHOPS JUBILEE
Ri, Rev. 7. A. Starkey Has
Been Fifty Years a Priest
Of the P. E. Church.
CELEBRATION NEXT SATURDAY
Services Will Be Held in Christ
Church. East Orange
Sketch of the Prelate.

In Christ Church, East Orange, next
Saturday morning. the clergy and laity
of the diocese OF Newark will observe the
! fftieth anniversary of Bishop Starkey $
ordination as priest. The service will be-
gin at 1890 o'clock and consist of a cele-
bration of the Holy Communion, ongra
tulatory addresses by the representatives
of the standing committee, the clergy and
the laity of the diocese, missionary agen-
cies and charitable Institutions, n a re-
ply by the Bishop. There will be no ser
mon. In order that the service may not
be unduly prolonged and burdensome. it
has been requested that only the ofIiciat-
ing clergy should communicate. There
will be a celebration at nine O'Clock to
afford an opportunity to all who may de-
sire to receive on this day.
The music will be under the direction
of George r. Brewer, Mus. Bac., the or
ganist and choirmaster OF Christ Church.
Warwick Jordan's communion service in
E and the offertory anthem. The Lord
is King written for the occasion by Mr..
Brewer, will be sung.
An organ recital will follow the service.
and at the same time the Bishop viii hold
an informal reception in the Sunday
school rooms of the church for the clergy
and the congregation.
The committee appointed to arrange for
the Observance of the day consists of the
w. r. Jenvey, Alexander Mann, George
8. Bennitt, w. w. Davis and John Keller,
secretary. and Mr.. Henry Hayes, treas
urer.
To prevent ov~ercrowding In the church
and make possible a representative at
tendance, admission may be gained only
by the presentation of a ticket. Nine hun
dred will be distributed among the clergy
for members of their respective parishes.
The annual convention of the diocese is
to he held in the same church on Tuesday
and Wednesday. May "a and %. and in
further celebration of the Bishops jubilee
a musical service will be held on Tuesday
evening. especially for laymen who can
not attend the service mex Saturday.
Bishop Starkey has his residence in
The house belongs to the diocese, but
there has been a mortgage of S, 600 ON it,
and some time ago it was decided to
mark he jubilee of paying off this debt.
Although many of the clergy felt that a
gift to the bishop would be more suitable,
yet all, with one exception, it is said gave
their suppor to the project and asked
their people to contribute to the fund.
The result will become known when the
offering is presented next Saturday.
The Ri Rev. Thomas A. Starksy
was born in Philadelphia, and in view of
his activity it will greatly surprise many
people to learn that he was 81 years old
on March Is last. Notwithstanding his age
he still goes up and down the diocese Wis
It'll lltSSluliS anu DdTlSH clult1tS, anu
last year attended the Pan-Anglican
Council in London In early life he was
a surveyor and civil engineer and as such
did work in the lumber regions of Penn
Sylvania. Then he returned to Philadel-
phia and studied for the ministry being
ordained by Bishop Alonzo Potter. His
first church was in Pottsyille. Pa. and
in Troy, Albany, Cleveland and Wash
ingten. D. c. He was, rector Of the large,
Church Of the Epiphany at the National
and al 1.-The great men Of that historic
time. From the beginning of the trouble
with the South he was a pronounced
Union man.
Washington, he resigned his rectorshfp
there, and sometime afterwaFd Travelled
in the interests of the Genera Missionary
Society of the church. Next he became
rector of.St. Paul's Church, Paterson. and
it was while he was engaged in his work
there that the convention of the diocese
of Newark, in the fall of 1873, chose him
to succeed the lamented William Henry
Odenheimer as bishop. Under his admin
istration the diocese has prospered. Dur
ing the convention year ending in May,
1897. the percentage of increase in the
number of commandments was greater
here than in any other diocese or mission
airy jurisdiction of the Episcopal Church
in the United States.
Bishop Starkey is today an earnest and
impressive speaker, and in former years
many of his addresses were impassioned
and eloquent. He is always reverent and
dignihed. and though not in good health
shows a sweetness of manner that be-
tokens a gentle and kindly nature. Al the
same time he is capable of strong feeling,
and also has deep convictions and moral
courage. A gentleman who attended his
church in Cleveland tells a story which IL
illustrates this latter trait. A lady of DIR.
Starkey's church was tried in the Grimm
al Court for poisoning a relative. The cir
cumstantial evidence against her was
strong, and popular sentiment was also
opposed to her. But DR.. Starkey believed
she was innocent. and during the trial sat
beside her in court. She was convicted
and sentenced to Imprisonment for life.
He still remained her friend, and twenty
years afterwesd he saw her leave prison
e~xonerated fb,t the confession of the per-
son who really did the poisoning.