Joseph Summerville Minnis (January 3, 1904 - September 6, 1977) was the sixth bishop of Colorado in The Episcopal Church, serving from 1954 until his removal from office in 1969 after a closed-door church trial.
The Right Reverend Joseph Summerville Minnis D.D. | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Colorado | |
| Church | Episcopal Church |
| Diocese | Colorado |
| Elected | May 19, 1954 |
| In office | 1955–1969 |
| Predecessor | Harold L. Bowen |
| Successor | Edwin B. Thayer |
| Previous post(s) | Coadjutor Bishop of Colorado (1954-1955) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 1929 by Benjamin F. P. Ivins |
| Consecration | September 29, 1954 by Stephen F. Bayne Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 3, 1904 |
| Died | September 6, 1977 (aged 73) San Francisco, California, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Parents | Joseph William Minnis & Sarah Summerville |
| Spouse |
Mary Katherine Abell
(m. 1933) |
| Children | 4 |
Early life and education
editMinnis was born on January 3, 1904, in Terre Haute, Indiana, the son of Joseph William Minnis and Sarah Summerville. He was educated at the Bloom High School, and then at Nashotah House from where he graduated in 1929 with a Bachelor of Divinity, and awarded a Doctor of Divinity in 1947.[1]
Ordained ministry
editMinnis was ordained deacon in Dec 1928, and priest in June 1929, by Bishop Benjamin F. P. Ivins of Milwaukee. He married Mary Katherine Abell on June 5, 1933, and together had four children.[2] He served on the Staff City Mission in Chicago between 1927 and 1928. After ordination, he served in St Mark's Church in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, while a short time later, in 1929, he became assistant priest at the Church of the Atonement in Chicago. In 1931 he was appointed a Long-term fellow at the College of Preachers of the Washington National Cathedral, while in 1932, he became chaplain of the State Penitentiary, and rector of Christ Church in Joliet, Illinois. In 1943, he was appointed vicar of the Church of the Intercession in New York City, where he remained till 1954.[3]
Bishop
editOn May 19, 1954, Minnis was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Colorado on the first ballot, during a diocesan convention.[4] He was consecrated on September 29, 1954, by Bishop Stephen F. Bayne Jr. of Olympia. He then succeeded as diocesan on February 1, 1955.
Removal from Office
editMinnis was charged and deposed for breaking his ordination vows in 1968, in front of a board made up of nine members, and chaired by Bishop John Seville Higgins of Rhode Island. The specific details of the accusations were not made public. He was forced to resign, becoming effective on January 3, 1969, and was banished from the diocese.[5][6][7]
References
edit- ^ "MINNIS, Joseph Summerville". Who's who in America. Vol. 15–16. 1954. p. 1512.
- ^ "Minnis, Joseph Summerville". Stowe's Clerical Directory of the American Episcopal Church. 1953. p. 253.
- ^ "INTERCESSION GETS CHAPLAIN OF PRISON; Joseph S. Minnis, New Vicar of Chapel Here, Will Come From Joliet, III. DEAN IN CHICAGO DIOCESE Trinity Rector Tells of Selecting Successor to Dr. Steele From 31 Candidates". The New York Times. June 21, 1943. p. 11. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
- ^ "Unanimous Vite". The Living Church. Vol. 128, no. 22. 30 May 1954. p. 8.
- ^ "Begin Efforts to Halt Church Trial of Bishop". The Norwalk Hour. September 23, 1968. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
- ^ "Doors Closed at Episcopal Bishop's Trial". Chicago Tribune. September 24, 1968. p. 12. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
- ^ "Episcopal Bishop Ordered to Quit Colorado Diocese". The Tuscaloosa News. September 25, 1968. p. 15. Retrieved 2015-04-06.