To the Vestry of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Gentlemen:
It is my understanding that at your next meeting you will consider the important question of the new Cathedral status for St. Paul’s. In order that all of you may know my thinking, I am writing of the plan to be presented to you, and the reasons why I believe it should be accepted.
It is my hope that we will raise up for the Diocese and the City a great Cathedral center. I have come to see that it would be good for the Diocese to have a great central Church, both revealing and creating unity. If lesser cities of Europe have the same, so should we. We should plan wisely and well for the centuries, not only because we are responsible to Christ and his Church but also because we have a responsibility to the City and the Cultural Center. I envision a time when St. Paul’s, with a tower, a new Parish House, and Diocesan Offices, and a Convention hall, will be a famous Detroit landmark. This future with the good for the Diocese and the Cathedral, will come, as a result of vision and fine planning, and it will not come, in my opinion, if St. Paul’s rejects the Cathedral idea. Together we can accomplish much.
Let me list some of the general points of the proposal to be presented, with some comments.
1. There will be on unit of Cathedral government. The advantage of this is obvious.
2. This unit of government will be composed of thirty lay members, with the Bishop as Chairman. (There was some talk of the Bishop’s having the right to case a deciding vote in case of a tie. I do not care about that one way or the other, for I hope that no Bishop would push through a proposal that would cause that much division).
(a) Ten of these members will be elected by the Cathedral congregation, as is your present Vestry.
(b) Ten will be appointed by the Bishop. The advantages of this to the Diocese and Cathedral are obvious. It would enable the Bishop to choose leaders from the whole Diocese.
(c) The remaining ten would be elected by the Convention of the Diocese from a slate prepared by and submitted jointly by (a) and (b).
The advantages of this are obvious, both for the Cathedral and Diocese, for it would add many fine and consecrated people to the governing board from the whole extent of the Diocese. The whole process, in fact, is designed to give dignity and attention to the Cathedral Chapter.
3. Since the Chapter as a whole, representing the entire Diocese, would not meet except perhaps quarterly, the day by day affairs of the Cathedral would be administered by (a), under the broad supervision of the Chapter, just as the Executive Council is empowered to carry out the directions of Convention. Let me point out that it is no small thing to add twenty leaders to a Cathedral Chapter, bringing their talents to the service of St. Paul’s from every corner of our growing area.
Since the Cathedral would represent the Diocese, the Cathedral Chapter would represent the Diocese. I state this explicitly because someone was quoted to me as saying that a minority group of some kind would end by dominating the Cathedral. This statement I believe is absurd. The surest way to block the whole Cathedral idea as outlined in this plan would be to have any minority—religious, class, or racial—dominate the Diocesan Cathedral. The way to make sure that it represents the Diocese is to make it Diocesan. I repeat that I would plan to place leaders on the Chapter from every corner of the Diocese.
4. It is my understanding that some are concerned about the Cathedral endowments. I see no reason for concern. They could be placed in the Trustees of the Diocese in an irrevocable [sic] trust, or in an irrevocable [sic] trust in some bank. Since thirty responsible lay people would serve on the Chapter, we can assume that they would be concerned about the endowments.
5. Some people in the Diocese have urged me to obtain a Diocesan House in some other part of the City. They reason that for the amount of money we now have in Diocesan funds,—about one hundred thousand dollars—some mansion could be obtained and renovated. They are right financially, but in no other way, in my opinion. It is important for the Diocese that our offices always be connected with a Church (I have private Confirmations and other Services, as Bishop, constantly in the Cathedral). It is important for the Diocese that our offices be in what will be the center of the cultural life of Detroit. I would, therefore, with the profoundest regret and disappointment move back to any other area. I pray that together we will do something that will catch the imagination of the City and the Diocese.
6. In the discussion about the representation on the Chapter, three viewpoints were expressed:
(a) Only one person wanted fifteen Vestrymen from St. Paul’s and six elected by the convention. This was rejected by the Committee because it was, in fact, the Vestry of St. Paul’s with a “frosting.” I mentioned this suggestion to the Council, and they obviously rejected it too.
(b) The Committee recommended to the Executive Council that fifteen members be elected from St. Paul’s congregation, and fifteen come from the Diocesan side. One member of the Cathedral Vestry pointed out that this arrangement was wrong because it gave the impression of organizing for conflict, as if equal sides were drawn up.
(c) In the meeting of the Council therefore, with two members of the Committee present—Mr. Bortz and Mr. William Walker—the above arrangement (10 – 10 – 10) was presented. It strikes me as excellent, and designed to enhance the prestige of the Chapter. Membership on the Cathedral Chapter would be on of the highest honors of the Diocese. The Bishop, since it is his Church, would appoint leaders from across the Diocese The rank and file of the Diocese, in Convention, would, by electing members of the Chapter, feel that it was “their” Cathedral, and yet they would elect, in all probability, from a slate prepared by those who knew the Cathedral and its needs.
7. The alternatives then, as I see it, are for the Vestry to forward in the development of the Cathedral idea, with all the benefits involved for the Cathedral and the Diocese, or to inform the Diocese that it wishes to remain on a parish basis like St. John’s, Christ Church, or St. Joseph’s. I believe that great things will happen in the Cathedral project, and am proud for you and me that we have the privilege for history of making this decision. If at any time a group from the Vestry or the entire Vestry, would like to question me and discuss the matter with me, I will be happy to meet you whenever my schedule permits.
Detroit, MI