Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Winter 2014 Issue | Page 28

Civil War
and the Life of the Diocese

Reunion, Council and African Americans
John B. Chilton
The Diocese of Virginia once included the territories
of the dioceses of West Virginia, Southern Virginia and
Southwestern Virginia. Each inherited the terminology
“Annual Council” from the Diocese of Virginia. In 1956, West
Virginia made changes to its Constitution and Canons. Annual
Council was renamed Annual Convention, and the condition
“of the Anglo-Saxon race” was struck from the conditions
for election to Annual Convention.

Throughout the history of the Episcopal Church,
its Constitution and Canons have referred to the annual
meeting of a diocese as a convention. The Diocese of Virginia
used that terminology until 1862, when it acceded to the
constitution of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the
Confederate States America and adopted its terminology,
Annual Councils.

In 1866, Virginia became the last diocese to renew its
ecclesial relations with the Protestant Episcopal Church in the
United States of America. In part as conciliation to opponents
of reunion, the nomenclature “Annual Council” was retained.
Virginia thus became the first diocese of the Protestant
Episcopal Church in the United States to use the terminology.
Hope was expressed that Virginia would have the honor of
leading the Church to dispose of a term that many argued
equated church councils with political conventions.

Regarding the status of African Americans, the 1866
Council adopted the following:
Resolved That whenever the colored members of the Church in
any parish desire to form a new and separate congregation, such
action shall have the sanction of this Diocese. They may elect their
own Vestry, Wardens, and Ministers. They shall be considered as
under the care of this Council, and their interests as represented in
it by the Standing Committee on Colored Congregations.

At the General Convention of 1868, Nebraska applied
for admission as a diocese. Like Virginia, and by this time
Minnesota, Nebraska used the term council. A debate
spanning days ensued over whether that word was
constitutional. In the debate, Virginia was given as a positive
example. Ultimately, the constitutional question died when
the House of Bishops voted to admit Nebraska.

At the next triennial General Convention, the Committee
on Canons reported “no action is expedient” regarding
“such changes into the Constitution and Canons of this
Church as may provide for the representation of minorities.”
It also reported it “would be inexpedient” to change “the
name of this body from Convention to that of Council.” t

The Story of Council and Convention
Julia Randle
The annual meeting of the Diocese
of Virginia was an aspect of diocesan
life clearly affected by the Civil War.
During the war years, these meetings
noticeably differed from those that
came before them, giving them a cast
similar to our present-day gatherings.

The diocesan meetings were traveling reunions of the clergy and laity ق