Evening star., 1925-04-11
PARISH MEETINGS
DUE NEXT MONDAY
Episcopal Congregations OF
| Diocese to Elect New
veStries for Year.

The Monday following Easter is
from the administrative point ot
view, the most important day of the
year in the Episcopal churches in the
Diocese of Washington. 1t is the
day set apart by law for the cleo
ton of the officers and the governing
bodies of the parishes.
The Church of England was "es-
Sablished" in the colony of Maryland
in 1882. At that time the colonial
assembly enacted laws for the gov
ernment of the 81 parishes into which
the colony was divided. In 1898 the
state of Maryland repeated, with
some changes, the original "vestrJ
act" and in 1902 the Congress of the
United States adopted the laws OF
Maryland. including the "vestry act
as the law of the District of Co
1umbia-
Both the act of the State of Mary
1and and the act of Congress have
been amended from time to time, the
most recent amendment being that
which permits women TO vote and &c
hold Office in those parishes which
petition for this right but in the
main the law remains as IL was orig
2nally adopted in 1892.
Procedure Is Outlined.
Under the act the registered voters
of every parish are required to as
senble in their respective parishes
at their parish church, or, if there
shall be two or more Protestant
Episcopal churches in any parish, az
the church first built therein, on
Easter Monday, and proceed by ma
jortty of votes to elect by ballot
eight vestrymen, who, with the rec
tor of the parish for the time being
shall be deemed and considered the
Nestry of the said parish for the en-
Suing year"
Under tho act the vestry becomes a
corporate body with the right to buy,
sell and hold property and to transact
business in the name of the parish.
The congregation is also required to
choose two sober, discreet and pious
persons to be church wardens for the
sn8uing year. Every church warden
Gfall have power to keep the peace
and preserve order and decency in
his respective church and chapel; and
II shall be lawful for any church
warden to apprehend any person
guilty OF disorderly conduct or OF
making noise in any church OIL
churchyard ard turn such person out
Of the church."
The newly elected vestries will
meet Immediately after the congre-
gational meeting and elect from their
the secretary of the parish, and one
or more treaSurers. In many parish es
one treasurer receives and disburseS
the funds for parish support and an
other treasurer cares for moneys con-
tributed for missions and benevo-
lences. In several churches the con-
sregational meeting hears the reports
of the parish officers and societies ano
makes plans for the coming year. II
is becoming general to submit at this
time a budget showing probable ex-
penditures for all purposes and to re-
ceive the pledges of the congregation
to raise the necessary funds.
In about one-fourth of the Episco,
pal churches in the diocese the priYi-
lego of voting and of holding office
has been extended to the woman
members of the congregation. and in
one parish, namely. Grace Church,
Georgetown, women have been elected
to the vestry. 1t is the general opin-
ion of church people that where the
women are allowed to vote there is q
greater interest shown by the whole
congregation in the temporal affairs
of the church.
The diocese in which the elections
will be held next Monday includes not
only the District, but the four ada
cent counties of Maryland, namely
Montgomery, Prince Georges, Charles
and st. Marys counties. There are Sa
parishes and separate congregations