The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-05-20

81. Matthews Church in Jersey City, once
so strong in influence and numbers, now
weak and decaying in the midst of
population alien in sympathy yet not hos
tile or unfyiendly. Such as survive of
the old attendants at her services are still
cared for and viii be for a time longer
inside the old familiar walls. But the
time must soon come, fear, when we
shall have to accept the inevitable and
seave the few, comparatively, who remain
residents in the immediate neighbornood
to the faithful care of the not distant
parish churches and clergy of the town.
Other matters of parochiai interest
must be briefly attended to- Such are the
contribution Of $500 to remove the indebt-
edness upon the property of Grace Church
in Jersey City; the growing endowment
fund Of another parish in the same place,
st. Marks, which has already done so
large work in its own portion Of Jersey
City and done it so successfully
ssour hospitals, home and the new or
phanage at Summit maintain themselves
successfully as in the past. and are one
and all commended to the interest and
care of all Christian people, especially of
our own household of faith, who are di-
rectly responsible for their conduct and
maintenance Such works of Christian
love and duty are not the outcome Of
mere sentiment They are opportunities
afforded through Gods persuasive grace
that His people may by practice learn
this needed lesson that if faith be the
germ of spiritual life works are its fruit
age; and that if we are to be Justified
at last 1t must be through conjoning
these and not by faith only, which alone
and without fruit is a sentiment and
nothing more
1t remains for me to make grateful ac-
acknowledgement to my honored friend the
Bishop of Delaware, for the painstaking
and seif-denying work done by him for me
when | was recovering from an attack of
Illness. His loving ways Of doing this
kindness added the charm of gracefulness
to the obligations conferred
The Bishop also read the following sum
mary of his official acts.-Clergy received
from Other diocese. s. ordinations, priest
l; deasons. 8. total, T. Transferred 10
other dioceses. priests, s; deacons. 2; to-
tai, 10. DER, priests, 3. Clergy connected
with the diocese, bishop L. priests, 11U;
deacons, 4; total. 115 Present number Of
postulants g. Candidates for holy orders.
for the order of priests, 6. for the order of
deasons. 1, total, T. Clergy licensed tenn
porarly, 2; lay readers license, SO; new
churches opened. a; orphanage opened, /;
eorneTstones laid, 5; churches conseerated,
2; new missions opened, 4; congregations
received, 1; parish houses built, 2; church
destroyed by fire i; blessings of altar,
memorial windows, etc. 8; notices of dis
cipiine in all the other dioesses received
II; sermon and addresses, s.; meetings at
tended, 35; combinations, public, 1853;
private, 8; total, 1512."
At the close of the address the conven-
tion was called 10 order. the roll read and
thesa officers elected President, the
Bishop; Secretary, Rev. John Keller; As
s.stant Secretary, Rev. Appleton Grannis;
Treasurer, Henry Hayes, and Registrar
f. E. Hodge. The prelminariea out of
the way the convention plunged into
business of reports and an adjournment
was taken at noon.