Evening star., 1946-09-08
Bishop 10 Head
D.C.DeIegation
.0fEpiscopa|ians
General Convention
Will Open Tuesday
At Philadelphia
BY Cospor konnes


The question OF union with the
Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A.
will be one Of the major issues fac
ing delegates as they convene for the
opening of the 55th triennial general
opening of the 55th Triennial Gen.
eral Convention of the Episcopal
Church in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
The Right Rev. Angus Dun, Bishop
Of Washington, will head a large
delegation of District Episcopalians
to what is expected by many to be
one OF the historic meetings of the
Episcopal Church. The convention
will continue through September 20.
. Local clergymen who will occupy
places in the House of Clerical and
Lay Deputies are the Rev. DR.. Char
les w. Sheerin, rector of the Church
of the Epiphany; the Rev. DR.. Tneo-
dore o. Wedel, warden of the Col
lege of Preachers at the Washington
Cathedral; the Rev DR.. Clyde
Brown, diocesan missioner. and the
Rev. c. Leslie Glenn, rector of st.
Johns Church, Lafayette Square.
Lay Deputies Listed.
Lay deputies to the House of Cler-
ical and Lay Deputies are Ernest w.
Greene, ST. Margarets Church:
Ogle R. Singleton, Church of the
Epiphany and secretary of the
Washington Diocesan Convention:
Thomas E. Robertson, All Saints
Church, Chevy Chase, Md, and
Charles F. Wilson, Church of the
Epiphany and chancellor of the
diocese
Bishop Dun is a member of the
House of Bishops. There will be
approximately $50 bishops in the
House of Bishops and approximately
$50 members of the House of Cler-
ical and Lay Deputies. The two
houses work in similar fashion to
Congress. with either chamber being
able to initiate legislation but with
passage by both houses necessary
to enactment. The House of Bishops
is composed of the bishops of the
church while the House of Clerical
clergymen and four lay delegates
from each diocese. The latter also
has as delegates one clergyman and
one layman from each missionary
district.
Questions confronting the con-
vention, in addition to the proposed
merger with the Presbyterian
problems of remarrying divorced
persons, of providing a See for the
| presiding bishop and of the COM
pulsory retirement of bishops at the
Eage of To- ~
/ Bishop to Be Elected.
The gathering will also have to
! elect new presiding bishop. The
present presiding bishop, the Right
Rev. H. st. George Tucker, has been
in Office since 1888 and is now two
years past the retirement age of
4 10 for that Office.
Washington residents will be par
ticularly interested in the question
whether the presiding bishop will
have See. as the District has been
favored as its site in case the pro-
posal Is passed. The presiding
bishop now has Seat at the WASH
| ington Cathedral for his use. This
is courtesy extended by the Ca
thedral and has no canonical signi-
hcance.
The See is the territory under the
jurisdiction of bishop. The pre-
siding bishop originally retained his
diocese. but the 1887 general con-
vention provided that the bishop
succeeding the then presiding bishop
shall tender to the House of Bishops
his resignation of his previous juris-
dlction to take effect upon the date
of his assuming the Office of pre-
siding bishop or not less than six
months thereafter"
The first general convention of
the Episcopal Church was held in
Christ Church in Philadelphia in
September, 1785 This meeting was
confronted with the problem of or
ganizlng church now independent
from the mother church in England.
The American church, however, was
desirous of continuing its ecclesi-
astical relationship to the Church Of
England through the conservation
OF American bishops Parliament
later passed an act authorizing the
consecratio of bishops for America.
thereby establishing an independent
church in America with bishops con-
Secrated by the mother church.
Opening Regular Sessions.
The opening regular sessions OF
both houses will take place at 2 pm.
Tuesday at the University of PENN
sylvania Meetings will be held
daily, except Sunday, at hours to be
set by each house.
The House of Clerical and Lay
Deputies will elect a president after
it has been called to order by its
secretary, the Rev DR.. Franklin j.
Clark. He will then preside over
the sessions of the House and will
continue as its president until the
first meeting of the next convention
in 1949. The Presiding Bishop off,
clates as head of the House Of
Bishops
feature of the program next
Thursday will be an address to a
joint meeting OF the two houses by
Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffry
Fisher. The archbishop, who came
to Canada about two weeks ago will
be given seat in the House of
Bishops as visitor to the conven-
ton.
The Women's Auxiliary of the
church will hold its triennial meet
ing at the same time as the general
convention. Washington delegates
will be Mrs Waldo Burnside, local
diocesan president; Mrs. A. Guy
Reber, Mrs. Theodore O. Wedel, Mrs.
Arthur Fawcett and Mrs. Elvin r.
Heiberg and Mrs. C. W. Lowry and
Mrs. W. G.. Dunlop as alternates.