Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1908-05-16
THEY LEAVE THE CHURCH
DR.. McGarvey And Assistants Crit
icise EpiscopaIianism.
CANNOT SUBSCRIBE TO CANON
True Character of Church Revealed,
They Say They Cannot Remain
In Its Ministry.

|
scenes marked the departure Of Rev.
DR.. William McGarvey and his three
assistants from ST. Elizabeths Epis-
copal church, Sixteenth and Mif1in
streets. Sunday morning.
The four clergymen, who decided
they could no longer remain tn the
Episcopal church when the open
pulpit canon was adopted, took no
active part in the services, but were
in church throughout the sermon.
! Long after the impressive service
was over the congregation fingered to
say farewell to the rector and his
three assistants, Rev. Maurice L.
Crowl, Rev. William L. Hayward and
Rev. William H. Mcclellan. who had
made their last appearance as minis
tiers of the Episcopal church.
t was dramatic and solemn
scene, broken only by the audible sobs
| of scores of fashionably gowned
women. Other members stood in lit
tie groups and discussed the rector's
departure.
Then DR.. McGarvey, in his familiar
cassock, appeared at the alt.- ram
and there was rush toward him. and
for nearly an hour the rector stood
shaking hands and whispering words
of comfort to his weeping parishion-
ers. DR.. McGarvey did not preach
sermon, but issued a statement.
which was distributed among the con-
gregation at the close of the sermon.
The statement, in part, says
| 1T is due to you that we should tell
plainly why we are leaving you and
going forth to begin our lives anew.
When we were ordained we were per-
suaded that the Catholic religion in
tits fullness was the faith of the Epis-
copal church. Animated by the per-
suasion, we gave ourselves freely to
her ministry and would gladly have laid
down our lives in her service. Mis-
givings with regard to the legitimacy
of our position were first aroused
when certain of the bishops year
or two ago began to invite non-Epis-
copal ministers into the pulpits. Such
action was not, of course, the action
of the Episcopal church, although its.
proceeding from the bishops gave IL 4
serious import. But when the whole
House of Bishops, without a dissent
ing vote, Endorsed this practice by in }
cooperating into the discipline of the /,
Episcopal church explicit provision
for an open pulpit it was manifesto
that either the non-Episcopal minis
tiers had already the same ministerial
status as ministers of the Word or
dained by bishops of the Episcopal \
church, or that the Episcopal church
had, by her enactment of the open |
pulpit canon, seriously compromised
the doctrine of the holy order which \
we had supposed she. held in it's in
tegrity. Had such "a canon been enact 4
ed prior to our ordination our con- H
sciences would never for a moment n
have allowed us to receive ordination
in the Episcopal church. And now
that the canon was enacted, it was 4
plain that we must, as honest men, re-
consider our whole position. We set
time for prayer and thought that we
might know Gods will and do nothing
hastily.
THAT time has now expired and il u
has been made abundantly clear to us
that the Episcopal church, in mahing2
possible the admission of all sorts on
Protestant ministers as teachers of herd
people, has rightly interpreted heny
own essential spirit. BY the enactmend
of the open-pulpit canon she has givenII
expression to her real mind and ATTN
tude toward Professionalism and it'll
ministers, and has put aside thdS
theories of the minitry which moderf
High Churchmen have supposed to Estv
hers.
Knowing now the true character u
the Episcopal church and still COLI
WINGED of the truth of the Catholic ~
| ligion, there is but one course open
us as honest men-we must relinquisl
the charge of st. Elizabeth's and La
down Altogether the ministry OF tn
Episcopal church. This we h4vI
DONE
That the quartet of ministers
become priests in the Catholic chuIku
is generally believed, although nfny
of them admit it.
The vestry of the church will hold
meeting on Thursday evening mex
when official action win be taken Q
the resignation of the rector and h
assistants.
49, ---------------