The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-19

St, Stephens Protestant Episcopal
church, Wilkes Barre, wherein were
held the sessions of the Central Penn
sylvania convention, just closed, was
dedicated yesterday morning with
elaborate ceremonies conducted by
Right Rev. Henry c. Potter, ID. D.,
bishop of the diocese of New York. as
sisted by Bishop Talbot, of this do
cese, and Rev. DR.. Jones, pastor of
the church and many other prominent
clergymen who were in attendance at
the convention.
The services began at 10 o'clock and
were solemn and impressive A pro-
cession in which were the vestrymen
and vested choir of the church, the
visiting clergy, the officiating clergy
and Bishops Potter and Talbot, fled
out of the parish building and into the
church and took their respective
places, Bishop Talbot chanting the
twenty-fourth Psalm as the procession
moved UP the aisle.
Then followed the ritualistic cere-
monies prescribed for the occasion and
at their conclusion Bishop Potter
preached the dedication sermon. His
address to the members of the parish
was as follows:
BISHOP POTTER'S ADDRESS.
My brethren of this ancient and hon
ored parish, | corgra atulate you with all
my heart upon the record of that past
which lies behind you today. 1 rejoice
with you In the long bede-roll of saints
and servants of God who whether in
the ministry or out of 1t have wrought
here and worshipped here. rejoice with
hot nI,,, ,,F,, Ia, Il
and substantially unchanged, upon its
ancient and stable spiritual foundations. /.
that the prayers of our fathers are still
uplfted here; and that His Word, writ
ten and preached, will continue to be
heard and His holy sacraments to be ad-
ministered with the sacred walls.
But what, now, of your future? With
what convictions must we turn our faces
toward that. and in what temper must
we deal with 1t? To those questions there
is three-fold answer. A church exists,
first Of all, for worship. and in recogniz-
ing that fact, we are bound to recognize
that If its faith is Catholic its worship
should be marked by the notes of that
Catholicity. The Reformation sentiment
stripped our mother Church of England
of much that was a part of its most
ancient inheritance. The revolt was nat
ural and inevitable; but in many direc-
tlbllS anu WIFI lIuBlC utSlI
as i'm the case of the Puritan iconoclasms
and the absolute foundations of the So
ciety of Friends. it went too far. and it
destroyed too much.
Forty years ago Bishop Potter's
father preached the sermon at the con-
secration of the old Stephens church
BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURE.
The new church is a most beautiful
| stone structure and cost upwards o.
100000. 1t is the successor of the pic
turesque old St Stephens which was
destroyed by fire, Christmas morning
1896 The new church was immediate.
| ly begun and on May 4, 1897, the cor
ner-stone was laid with elaborate cere.
monies.
One year exactly from the date o
| the fire, the doors of the new church
| were thrown open, and now, in q .ittlt
more than year and half, it is dedi
| Gated. When it is known that unde
| the CanOns of the Episcopal church tn,
| building could not be dedicated while
| there was as much as a cent of deb
| on it, the cause for pride of the st
| Stephens congregation is evident.