Godly Counsel

Two letters and some canon law: My dear Dr. Guthrie:

In December last I requested and entreated you . . . and on the 14th of March, 1924, I solemnly counseled and admonished you . . .

On Sunday, the 23d of March, Evening Prayer not being said, you used and permitted to be used in St. Mark's Church in the afternoon and again in the evening a service or a special form of worship not contained in or selected from the Book of Common Prayer nor authorized by this Church or by the Bishops of this Church or the Bishop of this diocese, which you described in your printed announcement as an office and eurythmic ritual in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Feast of the Annunciation and also as a festal service in which service or special order of worship, in disregard of my counsel and admonition, you used and permitted to be used eurythmic or other dancing in the said church.

Now, therefore, in consequence of your unauthorized and unlawful action, and your disregard of my official counsel and admonition I hereby notify you that I decline to visit the parish and congregation of St. Mark's and that my visitation of St. Mark's Church announced for Wednesday, June 11, 1924, is canceled and that the Parish of St. Mark's will remain without Episcopal visitation or ministration so long as you refuse to follow my said admonition and to act in accordance with my said counsel.

Dated at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in the City of New York, on Wednesday, the 26th day of March, in the year of our Lord 1924.

Yours very truly, (Signed) WILLIAM T. MANNING

Bishop of New York. My dear Bishop Manning:

. . . May I be allowed to say to you that I do greatly regret that you . . . May I state also that you are unfortunately in error with regard to there having been no evening prayer at St. Mark's on March 23. In point of fact, evening prayer was said, as announced beforehand, at 3:15 P. M. . . . .

Very respectfully yours, (Signed) WILLIAM NORMAN GUTHRIE. Canon XXI: "The control of the worship and the spiritual jurisdiction of the parish are vested in the rector, subject to the rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer, and canons of the Church and the godly counsel of the Bishop."

The step usually following the refusal of a bishop to visit a certain parish is technically known as "conciliation" by a committee of bishops. Either the conciliation conciliates, or the unconciliated, be he either bishop or rector, is brought to trial.