ELECTION OF A BISHOP.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1059, 23 February 1911, Page 6

ELECTION OF A BISHOP.

'♦— ■ : BY AUCKLAND ANGLICAN SYNOD. ARCHDEACON CROSSLY SELECTED. NO OFFICIAL STATEMENT, (By Telegraph—l'rcss Association.) Auckland, February 22. The Anglican Synod of tho Dioceso of Auckland continued its sitting to-day, ami again considered the appointment of a Bishop in succession to Dr. Ncliga'n. No official statement has been issued, but it is understood that Archdeacon Crossley, of Clcelong (Victoria), has been selected. It is also understood that a cablegram has been sent to him, but that no-reply has yet been received. * ( ARCHDEACON CROSSLEY'S CAREER; A BROAD-MINDED lIIGII CHURCHMAN. ' Tho selection of Archdeacon Crossley as tho new Anglican Bishop of Auckland should provo an excellent appointment in cycry way. He has won lor himself a high and honoured place among . tho clergy of tho Diocese of Melbourne, and is also well known throughout Australia as one of tho leaders of thought and action ill tho'Anglican Church. He is about 50 years of age, which is considered a very suitablo time of life for a man to commence episcopal work, for a Bishop should bo old enough to havo acquired a wido experience, of men nnd things, nnd yet not too old to travel lip. nnd down the country at all times of the year for tho purpose of holding confirmations, becoming personally acquainted with his clergy and people, and performing tho many other duties attached to the episcopal office. After his university education .at Trinity College, Dublin, Archdeacon Crossley has had special opportunities or gaining - an pxtensivo acquaintance with practical parish and educational work, and has an excellent reputation as a preacher, a worker, and an organiser. He is also the possessor of a warm-hearted and attractivo person-, ality. He is enthusiastic in all Church matters himself, and has the power of communicating his enthusiasm to others. He is described as a High Churchman, but by no means an extremist, and is said to be one of those nien who can sympathise with and do justice to men of other schools of thought. Ho. lias the great advantage of the varied experience which' work in such different spheres of activity as Ireland, England; nnd Australia must give, and his six years of colonial'life in the.Dioceso of Victoria should prove of the greatest value to himas. Bishop of Auckland. " ■ Work in Ireland and England. The Ven. Owen Thomas Lloyd Crossley, Archdeacon of Gcelong, Victoria, received his university education at Trinity College, Dublin, whero tho lato Bishop of Auckland, Dr. Neligan, was also educated. Ho took his B.A. degree in the year 1883, nnd received' his M;A. degree live v yeaw later. He took a second-class in Divinity, and won ' the Downes Divinity. Premium (l'irst) Beading. In 1834 Mr. Crossley. was ordained deacon in tho diocese of Down, Connor, and Dromorc, nnd in the following year was admitted to the priesthood. His first appointment was to tho curacy of Scapatrick, a town with a population of somo 8000 people, being a suburb of Banbridge, ill County Down. This was in tho year 1884,' and ho remained in this position till ISBB, in which year ho crossed over to' England, having been appointed curate of St. John's, .Birkenhead, an l iinEortant market town and seaport near iverpool. After four, .years at Birkenhead, Mr. Crossley, in tho year 1892, was appointed vicar of Egrcmont, n position which he held till 1900, when ho was appointed Lecturer ,in Pastoral Theology, at St. Aidan's College, Birkenhead, which has accommodation for some 50 students in college. From tho year 1901 till 1905 II r. Crossley was vicar of Almondbury, in Yorkshire, and from 1903 to 1904 he was lecturer in Lichfield Theological College for graduates 'and hen-graduates, which accommodates 29 students in college and 12 in a hostel. Both St. Aidan's nnd Lichfield Colleges aro well known institutions for: the training ■ of Anglican clergy. In Australia. Mr. Crossley left England for Australia ill 1905, going to tho diocese of Melbourne, being appointed to All Saints', St. Kiida, which position ho has held ever since. He at oiieo threw himself whole-heartedly into the work of tho Church in the Commonwealth as a wholo and Victoria in particular, and his 'special abilities as nil organiser and leader were soon recognised ,by the ArchbiSh'op of Melbourne, who made him Archdeacon of Geelong. Archdeacon Crossley was one of tho speakers at tho Australian Church Congress, held at Perth in 1909, and ono of his addresses in the Cathedral at Melbourne on "Patriotism" has recently been published in book form, together with addresses delivered by other well-known Victorian Churchmen, tho title of the book being "Christian Citizenship."

Last year Archdeacon Crossley paid a visit to England and Ireland, and whilo in the latter country arranged for a visit to Australia by tho Bishop of Ossor.v (Dr. D'Arcy), ono of tho most brilliant of present-day Anglican scholars, and who has niado a special study of modern science and philosophy in relation to religion. The idea is that Mr. D'Arcy should give addresses in various contres in Australia, and now that Archdeacon Crossley is coming to New Zealand ho will probably endeavour to induce Dr. D'Arcv to extend his visit so aS to include a tour of this Dominion. Attitude to Modern Thought. No definite information seems to bo at present availablo regarding Archdeacon Crossloy's views on the great problems of religious thought which Jinve been raised by modern discoveries and ideas in the spheres of science and philosophy; but the fact that ho looks to such a distinguished exponent of tho new learning as Dr. D'Arcy as a reliable guide may fairly bo taken as an indication of his own point of view. Such being the case, ho may safoly be regarded as a modern man who accents the of modem scholarship. This does not, of course,. mean that ho would adopt nil tho extremo conclusions of tho' extreme men, but it docs mean that lie would accept tho modern methods ' of dealing with problems of Biblical criticism and religious philosophy. On a recent occasion ho referred to tho evolutionary study of tho New Testament as a great step .in advance, which indicates that he docs not fear the Higher Criticism, nnd he would probably endorse the remarks of Dr. D'Arcy rit the last Church Congress in England, that the effect of the best pholisophieal thought of the day "will surely be a presentation of tho idea of Transcendence, which, when elevnted from the human to tho Divine, will throw light on niany of the most perplexing problems. As we Watch the Scale of reality rising from level to level until it reaches n human society iu which is stirring the great ideal of the Kingdom of God. the Kingdom of Love—a society in which tho Christ of the Gospels' is manifested ns the perfect man—wo need not fear for the future of religion, nor hesitate to heliovo that God is even now preparing for us n grander revclntion of Himself, through tho'medium of' Nature and. of thought, than Ho gave to our fathers."

"Divine Agnosticisms." In an address on "Man's Dostiny after Death," Archdeacon Crossley shows lhat ho is not inclined to dogmatise about these great unsolved problems of religion, but is content to maintain an open mind. He adopts tho words of tho Into Primato of Ireland (Dr. Alexander): "Thank God for the divine agnosticism of tho Niceno Faith." That faith, says the Archdeacon, docs not toll the how nf creation, tho liow of inspiration, or tho how of eternal destiny. After summing up in an impartial and interesting way various views which have been held on tho subject of life aflcr death, he snys: "So men have wrested'with these problems, longing for the light of God, but baffled. But n. vista of hope has been opened up to which the human heart will still cling. Clirisl is a Christ of eternal hope." Religious Teaching of the Young. In view of the fact that religious teaching is excluded from tho State schools of Now Zealand it is interesting to know that Archdeacon Crossley takes

a very keen interest in limiting the instruction in Christian faith and morals given by. tho Church itself to the young peoplo as efiieicnt as possible. Speaking at the Church Congress at l'erth -ill l'JO!), ho gnvo an interesting description of I lie system ho had instituted of catechising the chilren of his parish every Sunday. Ho said tho children saon bccanio very interested in these services, and took a pride in answering tho questions put to them week by week. In this matter- he will carry on tho good work dono in Auckland by Bishop Neligan, who was remarkably successful in his methods of giving religions instruction to young people.