Evening star., 1943-06-07
Diocesan Convention
WILDE Called 10 Elect
Bishops Successor
Dr.. Freemon's Place
To Be Filled by Vote
Of Church Assembly


Procedure established by the
Protestant Episcopal Church for
electing bishop to succeed the late
Right Rev. James E. Freeman, who
died yesterday, will be put into mo-
ton within a reasonable time, under
authority Of the constitution and
canons OF the diocese Of Washington,
it was learned today.
When bishop dies the standing
committee of the diocese becomes
the ecclesiastical authority This
standing committee of seven men is
required to call a meeting of the
diocese in convention. The conven-
ton, consisting of both clergy and
laity, will select the new bishop by
majority vote.
Members of the convention will
come from all parts of the diocese.
including the District and four
counties in Maryland lying between
the Patuxent and the Potomac Riv-
ers - Montgomery. Prince Georges.
Charles and st. Marys. There are
10 parishes IN tnlS area.
Committee to Call Convention.
The time and place for the con-
vention will be selected by the
Standing Committee. but it was con-
sidered likely in church circles this
morning that the Cathedral itself,
which Bishop Freeman had so large
a part in building, would be the
place
The Standing Committee Of the
diocese consists of its president, the
Rev. Dr. Franklin j. Bohanan, rec
tor emeritus of st. Paul's Church.
Rock Creek Parish; the Rev. Edward
Gabler, rector of Christ Church.
Washington Parish: the Rev. F.
Bland Tucker. rector of st. Johns
Church. Georgetown, who is a
brother of the Right Rev, H. ST.
George Tucker, D. D., Bishop OF
Virginia. and Presiding Bishop OF
the Protestant Episcopal Church:
the Rev. T. O. Wedel. canon of the
Washington Cathedral, who also is
warden of the College of Preachers
in the Cathedral Close: DR.. w. Sin
clair Bowen, physician; c. F. r.
Ogilby. member of the Cathedral
Chapter. and H. K. Boss of Boss
& Phelps. who is a warden of st.
Margaret's Church.
Officers of the diocesan conven-
ton elected at the recent June ses-
sion at ST Marks Church are DR..
Bohanan, president; Ogle r. Single
ton. secretary; H. L. Rust. jr.. treas
urer: Charles F.. Wilson. chancellor,
and the Rev. Clyde Brown, diocesan
missioner.
Selection Method Outlined.
When the convention meets to
select bishop both the clergy and
the laity. representing two separate
orders" hold their sessions in the
same room, but they vote separately.
The procedure for voting is speci-
fed in article of the constitution
of the diocese. 1t reads as follows:
The election of a bishop of the
church in this diocese shall be made
in convention by a concurrent vote
of the clergy and of the laity; the
two orders voting by ballot, Separ-
ately, in open convention; and when
all the votes of both orders shall
have been deposited, the tellers of
the clerical and of the lay vote, re-
spectively, shall proceed to count
the votes. and if among those voted
for one shall be found to have re-
ceived a ma iority of the votes of the
clergy and majority of the votes
of the laity, he shall be declared
duly elected:
provided, that at least tWo-thirds
Of all the clergy entitled to seats.
and at least two-thirds of all the
laymen entitled to seats, be present.
in the conventions otherwise, a ma
Jority of two-thirds of each order
present shall be required" The vote
is to be by secret ballot
DR.. Hart's Case Cited.
A new bishop is not always cho-
sen from the diocese over which he
is to preside. A recent instance of
this was the election of the Right
Rev. Oliver j. Hart, DID, former
rector of st. Johns Church, La
fayette Square here, to be Bishop
Coadjutor of the Diocese of Penn
sylvania. He had gone from WASH
ington to church in Boston. and
then from that city to serve in the
Army as chaplain with troops in
camp somewhere in New jersey.
when chosen for the Pennsylvania
post.
Bishop Freeman had been Sc
lected from his former post as rec
tor of Epiphany Church of this
city, at a convention at Ascension
Church. Twelfth and Massachu-
setts avenue NV, in 1923. His
predecessor, Bishop Alfred Hard
ing, had been chosen from his rec
torate of ST. Paul's Church here
in 1909; but Bishop Henry Yates
Satterlee, the first Bishop of Wash
ington. had been brought here from
Calvary Church, New York City, in
1896
There is no specified requirement
in either the constitution or by
laws of the diocesan constitution
and canons here, as to the time
when a new bishop shall be select
ed following the death of the in
cumbent.
The diocese of Washington was
formerly part of the larger diocese
of Maryland.