Religion: Episcopal Provinces

Most of those little known, little powered, but potentially mighty subdivisions of the Protestant Episcopal Church -the eight Provinces -had elected new presidents by last week. The current quarrel among Episcopalians on whether they are Protestants or Catholics (TIME, Nov. 17) seemed to have little effect on the selections. The Episcopal Provinces and their heads, as of last week:

1) New England: Bishop Thomas Frederick Davies (western Massachusetts).

2) New York & New Jersey (including also the missionary districts of Porto Rico and Haiti): Bishop Ernest Milmore Stires (Long Island).

3) Washington (including Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and District of Columbia diocese): Bishop Robert Carter Jett (southwestern Virginia).

4) Sewanee (including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and Panama Canal Zone dioceses): Bishop Henry Judah Mikell (Atlanta).

5) Midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin dioceses) : Bishop Campbell Gray (northern Indiana).

6) Northwest (Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming dioceses and missionary districts): Bishop Coadjutor Fred Ingley (Colorado).

7) Southwest (Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico dioceses and missionary districts): Bishop William Theodotus Capers (west Texas).

8) Pacific (Idaho, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii, Philippine Islands dioceses and missionary districts): Bishop Louis Childs Sanford (San Joaquin).

For 80 years able Episcopalians have sought to promote more efficient administration of their Church by subdividing it geographically. Not until 1913 were these provinces actually created. The original ideal was to let the provinces take care of educational, missionary and social work according to policies defined by the Church General Convention every three years, and with money appropriated by the General Convention. But this has not happened. The provinces have no real powers. Their presidents do not rank above other P. E. bishops; they merely preside over annual discussions of neighborhood affairs.

A movement exists to reduce the Provinces from eight to five and to give them real authority. The hope is to consolidate the provinces of New England and New York & New Jersey, of Sewanee and Midwest, of Northwest and Southwest.