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JOURNAL OF THE CONVENTION
had been unanimously elected to that office. The evidence of this election was also presented by Mr. Duncan, and directed to be inserted in the Journals of this Convention.
[EXTRACT.]
"HOUSE OF BISHOPS, New-York{italics}, October 16th, 1841.
On motion of Bishop Brownell, seconded by Bishop Otey,
Resolved{italics}, That the House do now proceed to nominate a Bishop for Louisiana.
The House accordingly proceeded to ballot, when it appeared that the Rt. Rev. Leonidas Polk, D. D., was unanimously elected, to be nominated to the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies.
On the same day, at the evening session, the following Message was received :
The House of Clerical and Lay Deputies inform the House of Bishops that they have concurred in the nomination, made by the House of Bishops, of the Rt. Rev. Leonidas Polk, D. D., to be the Bishop of Louisiana.
Thereupon, Bishop Polk, in person, resigned the office of Missionary Bishop ; and it was, on motion,
Resolved{italics}, That the resignation of Bishop Polk be accepted.
Bishop Polk then declared his acceptance of the office of Bishop of Louisiana.
A true copy.
[ATTEST]
JONA. M. WAINWRIGHT.
Secretary of the House of Bishops.
Bishop Polk then rose and delivered the following
ADDRESS :
BELOVED BRETHREN, I appear before you for the first time, in obedience to an invitation you have felt moved, under God, to extend me, to assume the office of chief pastor among you.
The confidence you have manifested towards me, during the period in which I have been your Provisional Bishop, encourages me to hope, that our future intercourse, in the more intimate relation we now sustain to each other, may be characterized by a like spirit of brotherly kindness.
Knit together as we are, we form one body ; and are, in Christ, to be co-workers with God, for the promotion of His glory, and the salvation of men. How well then does it become us to be of one mind and of one heart, that we may the more effectually "strive together for the faith once delivered to the saints."
Let us therefore, in the threshold of our existence as an organized diocese, lift our hearts in devout prayer to Him, from whom all holy desires and good counsels come, that He would evermore preside in the midst of us ; repress our tendencies to error ; encourage and prompt us to the pursuit and love of "the truth ;" and make us as "an house at unity to itself."
The work we have to perform in the field assigned us, and which is intrusted chiefly to the clergy, has been plainly indicated.
We have had the Bible, as the written word of God, placed in our hands by those from whom we have received our commissions, and
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into the visible fold ; and it is our office, also, to admit them to a participation of its privileges ; having taught them, it is our duty to baptize them, and to seal thereby unto them, the promises of forgiveness of sin, and adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost.
Becoming thus the children of God by faith in Christ, through the operation of the Holy Ghost, they are intrusted to our care to be nourished and brought up for Christ. As pastors of His flock, we are to warn them against the "rudiments of the workd," and feed them with "the sincere milk of the word ;" "daily reading and weighing the Scriptures, that we may wax riper and stronger in our ministry," and "become faithful and wise stewards, able to give them their portions in due season."
By taking heed to ourselves, beloved brethren, and to the ministry which requires us thus to watch for the souls of those committed to our care, dispensing to them diligently the comfortable sacrament of the body and blood of Christ,---that precious pledge of His love, and memorial of his death, we may hope to promote "an agreement in the faith," to fulfil the work we have been commissioned to perform, and to save sourselves and those who hear us.
From this brief view of the work before us, many particulars suggest themselves as necessary to its accomplishment. Besides the preparation of our own minds and hearts, by diligent study, and earnest calling upon God for the enlightening and sanctifying influences, of His Holy Spirit ; parishes are to be organized, and competent men sought for, whose attainments, zeal, and piety, shall fit them for aiding us in the wok of the ministry.
Such men, we may scarecely hope to find willing to come among us from abroad, in sufficient numbers to supply our immediate wants ; we must, therefore, mainly rely on raising them up from among ourselves. God has given us a work to perform ; and doubtless, if we be faithful, He will supply the instruments necessary for its accomplishment.
With regard to enactments for the regulation of our ecclesiactical affairs, it may be unnecessary to observe that, for a diocese so recently organized, our wants of necessity are few and simple. Such as may be required, I doubt not your wisdom and prudence, under the guidance of the great Head of the Church, will adequately supply.
Commending you to His Grace,
I am, faithfully,
Your Brother in Christ.
LEONIDAS POLK.
New Orleans(italics), January 20th, 1842.
Mr. Duncan, the Secretary of the Standing Committee, reported, that the action of that Committee, during the past year, had been limited to the call of the Special Convention.
On motion, The Rev. Mr. Lewis, and the Hon. Thomas Butler, were appointed a nominating committee, to nominate members of the Standing Committee for the following year.---The Committee having retired,
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OF LOUISIANA, 1842
shortly returned, and reported the names of the following gentlemen, who were unanimously elected :
Rev. Dr. Wheaton, Mr. L. Matthews,
Rev. Mr. Goodrich, Mr. C. Harrod,
Rev. Mr. Burke, Mr. L. C. Duncan.
The President then called upon the Rectors of the several Churches for their parochial reports ;---whereupon the following reports were presented, read, and ordered to be placed{italics} on{italics} the{italics} Journal{italics} :
PAROCHIAL REPORTS.
From Christ Church, New Orleans :---The Rector of Christ Church, New Orleans, reports as follows:
Baptisms, (adults 2, infants 44,) 46 ;---Marriages, 21 ;---Funerals, 75 ;---Communicants, about 150 ;---Sunday Scholars, about 70.
In regard to the number of Communicants, the Rector is still unable to present any other than a vague report ; and repeated endeavours to make out an accurate list have satisfied him of the inutility of the attempt, in a population so fluctuating and uncertain. The above is given simply as an approximation towards the truth.
The increase in number of interments over those of the preceding year---an increase of from 15 to 75---would alone be sufficient to mark the past season as one of visitation by the pestilence.
The benefits of the Sunday School are still confined principally to the children of the parish ; the zealous endeavors of the teachers to bring within their sphere the children most needing religious instruction having met with little success.
Large contributions have been required of our citizens to alleviate the distress occasioned by the epidemic. Of this burthen, the members of the parish, it is believed, have taken their full share, as well as in the contributions for other benevolent purposes.
N. S. WHEATON, Rector.
From St. Paul's Church, New-Orleans.
The Rector of the parish of St. Paul's has to report to the Convention the continued and increasing prosperity of the church and congregation committed to his spiritual oversight.
The following ecclesiastical services have been rendered since the last meeting of the Convention, viz. :
Baptisms, (adults 1, infants 21,) 22 ;--Funerals, 3 ;---Marriages, 4 ;---Present number of Communicants, 46 ;---(removed 9, died 4, added 14 ;)---Number of Scholars connected with the Sunday School, 124 ;---Teachers, 19.
The following contributions have been made by the congregation during the past year :
To Bible, Tract, and Missionary Societies, . . . $365 00
To other Benevolent objects, . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 00
Towards the payment of the Church Debt, . . . . 400 00 --------------Total, . . . $994 00
A Female Benevolent Society for the Relief of the Destitute Poor of the City, was organized in the spring of the year, and has been ever since in a course of successful operation.
The Rector would not fail to notice at this time the liberality of the Consistory of the French Evangelical Church of New Orleans, who, at the instance of L. C. Duncan, Esq., have nobly released the parish from a debt of $500, contracted two or three years ago, by the purchase of the organ, formerly used in the worship of the French Church.
C. GOODRICH, Rector of St. Paul's.
From Grace Church, St. Francisville.
Baptisms, (infants 24, adults 3,) 27 ;---Marriages, 5 ;---Interments, 8 ;---Communicants (added 5, removed 1,) 30 ;---Sunday Scholars, about 50 ;---Teachers 9 ;--Collections for Missionary Society, and other objects, $175.
In reviewing the period of his connexion with this parish, the Rector feels that he has much to encourage him, and much to be thankful for. The attendance upon public worship has steadily increased ; and the forms and doctrines of the Church are evidently becoming better understood and appreciated. Through the
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APPENDIX.
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IN compliance with a resolution of the Convention of 1842, the Secretary has collected and embodied in the following brief narratvie the most important facts, connected with the early history of the Church in{italices} Louisiana{italics} :
By treaty with France, in April, 1803, Louisiana was ceded to the United States, and possession was given in the following December. Among the American residents at that period were a number of Protestants, who early associated themselves for the purpose of establishing a church in the city of New Orleans. The earliest record of their proceedings, is found in the Minutes of Christ Chruch, New Orleans ; from which it appears that, on the 2nd day of June, 1805, a number of gentlemen assembled for the purpose "of obtaining as speedily as possible a Protestant Clergyman to come and reside in New Orleans to preach the Gospel." A second meeting was held on the 9th of June in the same year ; when it was resolved to hold a general meeting on the 15th of the same month, "to determine the Religious Denominaton of the Clergyman to be invited ;" and at that general meeeting, it was found that, out of the 53 votes given, 45 were in favour of an Episcopal clergyman, 7 of a Presbyterian, and 1 of a Methodist. It was at the same meeting resolved, that the new church be known by the name of CHRIST CHURCH.
A Committee of Correspondence was immediately appointed to confer with the Bishops of the Church in the Northern States, which resulted in the appointment of the Rev. Philander Chase, then a Presbyter in the Diocese of New York, who entered upon his duties in November in the same year ; and continued to hold the office of Rector of the parish till March, 1811, when he removed to Connecticut.
On the 3d of July, 1805, the first Protestant Church in Louisiana was incorporated by the Territorial Government, under the title of "The Church Wardens and Vestrymen of Christ Church, in the County of Orleans." On the 2nd of May in the following year, the title was changed to that of "The Rector, Church Wardens, and Vestrymen of Christ Church, in the County of Orleans, in communion with the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America :"---which charter still continues in force.
From the period of the departure of Mr. Chase till 1814, the Church was without a Rector. During that year, the Rev. James F. Hull was invited to that office, which he continued to fill till his death, which occurrred in the spring of 1833.
In the autumn of 1834, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Brownell, of the Diocese of Connecticut, visited New Orleans on the invitation of the Wardens and Vestry of Christ Church, and remained through the winter discharging the duties of Rector of the parish. In the month of March,
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APPENDIX.
1835, a Convention of the Dioceses of Mississippi and Alabama, and of the Churches of Louisiana, was held in New Orleans, under the authority of a Canon of the General Convention, allowing said Dioceses and Churches to unite in the election of a Bishop. This Convention adopted a Constitution, and assumed the title of "The South Western Diocese ;" and proceeded to the election of the Rev. Francis L. Hawkes as their Bishop ; who declined the appointment.
During parts of the years 1835, and 1836, the Church was favoured with only occasional ministrations ; and in the autumn of 1836, Bishop Brownell again acceded to the invitation of the Vestry to pay them a visit ; and continued with the Parish through the winter.
In the spring of 1837 he consecrated the new church edifice, Christ Church, Canal Street. The following appropriate hymn formed a part of that interesting ceremony :
HYMN,
FOR THE CONSECRATION OF CHRIST CHURCH.
------
By Mrs. Sigourney.
------
I.
BEHOLD the Temple ! God of grace ! From each unhallowed purpose free, Which, trusting in our Saviour's name, We gladly consecrate to Thee.
II.
Here bid our prayers accepted rise ; Bend to our praise Thy listening ear, And smile upon the vows that break From fervent lips and hearts sincere.
III.
The pure baptismal waters bless, Which here our infant race shall seal, And with Thy presence cheer the flock That daily round this altar kneel.
IV.
Lift up your heads, ye holy gates, And hail the Gospel's peaceful sway, Yes, lift your heads exulting high, And give the King of glory way.
V.
So may the gates of Heaven unfold, With music's everlasting strain, To many a soul who 'neath this dome Salvation's priceless pearl shall gain.
On the 15th of February, 1837, the Wardens and Vestry unanimously elected the Rev. N. S. Wheaton, D. D., then President of Washington College in Connecticut, as their Rector ; who entered on the duties of his office in November, and was instituted early in the following year.
On the 28th of April, 1838, a Convention of the Clergy and Churches of Louisiana was held in Christ Church, for the purpose of organiz-
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APPENDIX.
ing said churches into an independent Diocese. A Constitution was adopted, and delegates were appointed to attend the General Convention, to be held in Philadelphia, in September of the same year ; at which time, Louisiana was admitted as a Diocese in connexion with the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
The first Annual Convention was held on the 16th of January, 1839 ; when, by a unanimous vote, the Diocese was placed under the full Episcopal charge and authority of the Rt. Rev. Leonidas Polk, D. D., then Missionary Bishop of Arkansas. The change was accepted, and Bishop Polk continued to officiate as Bishop of the Diocese till the General Convention of 1841.
To that Convention, a memorial was presented, from a Special Convention of the Diocese, held in May of the same year, soliciting the election of a Bishop of Louisiana ; which resulted in the appointment, by a unanimous vote of both houses, of the Rt. Rev. Bishop Polk to the office.
As the history of Christ Church is, in fact, the history of the Church in Louisiana, during the early period of its existence, the narrative has not been interrupted by a reference to ecclesiastical proceedings in other parts of the State.
On the 16th of March, 1820, a church was incorporated under the title of " The Episcopal Congregation of Baton Rouge." The members of this congregation have been few in numbers, and are held together by the voluntary ministrations of the President of the College. The Church has never been regularly organized.
On the 7th of February, 1829, Grace Church, St. Fancisville, was incorporated, a congregation having been previously gathered by the labours of the Rev. Mr. Bowman, who came to St. Francisville as a Missionary in 1826, and remained there till his death, which happened in August, 1835. The Church was supplied, with occasional interruptions, by the Rev. Messrs. Monroe and Ranney, till 1839 ; when the present Rector, the Rev. D. S. Lewis, was called to the charge of the Parish.
St. Paul's Church, in the City of New Orleans, was incorporated on the 14th of February, 1840, under the pastoral care of the present Rector, the Rev. Charles Goodrich, who commenced his labours in the autumn of the year 1838. The church was consecrated in March, 1840, and is a very neat and convenient edifice.
FINIS.