Frederick F. Reese
Encyclopedia
Frederick Focke Reese was the Fourth Bishop of Georgia
. Reese was the 238th
bishop
of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA).
In February 1908 the Diocese of Georgia met in convention in Augusta to elect the Rev. Frederick Focke Reese as the fourth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
and the first after the diocese was split into the Dioceses of Georgia and Atlanta
in 1907. He was consecrated in Christ Church, Savannah on May 20, 1908.
That spring of 1908, poor health caused the newly elected bishop to take an extended leave of absence, resuming ecclesiastical duties April 1, 1909. During his tenure as Bishop, the missionary work of the Diocese concerned the creation of new missions for blacks. By 1913, there were two predominantly black parishes in the Diocese, St. Athanasius Church, Brunswick
and St. Stephen's, Savannah, as well as thirteen predominantly black missions.
On the twentieth anniversary of his consecration, at the convention in 1928 Bishop Reese asked about disappearing communicants noting the 5,290 person he had confirmed in 20 years. He said,
The Episcopal camp on Saint Simons Island was named in his honor. After that was sold and the camp and conference center was moved to its current location on Honey Creek in Camden County, the dining hall at that new facility was named the Reese Dining Hall for the Rt. Rev. F.F. Reese.
He was succeeded by Middleton S. Barnwell
as Bishop of Georgia.
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Reese was the 238th
Succession of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States
This list consists of the bishops in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, an independent province of the Anglican Communion. This shows the historic succession of the episcopate within this denomination.-Key to chart:...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA).
Life
Frederick Focke Reese was born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 23, 1854. He was graduated from the University of Maryland and Berkeley Theological Seminary before his ordination to the priesthood in 1877. He served as an Episcopal priest in Baltimore, Virginia and for Christ Church in Macon, Georgia before becoming the Rector of Christ Church, Nashville.In February 1908 the Diocese of Georgia met in convention in Augusta to elect the Rev. Frederick Focke Reese as the fourth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, USA is one of 20 dioceses that comprise Province IV of the US Episcopal Church, and is a diocese within the worldwide Anglican Communion. The current bishop is the Rt. Rev. Scott Anson Benhase who succeeded the Rt. Rev. Henry I. Louttit, Jr...
and the first after the diocese was split into the Dioceses of Georgia and Atlanta
Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, with jurisdiction over middle and north Georgia. It is in Province IV of the Episcopal Church and its cathedral, the Cathedral of St...
in 1907. He was consecrated in Christ Church, Savannah on May 20, 1908.
That spring of 1908, poor health caused the newly elected bishop to take an extended leave of absence, resuming ecclesiastical duties April 1, 1909. During his tenure as Bishop, the missionary work of the Diocese concerned the creation of new missions for blacks. By 1913, there were two predominantly black parishes in the Diocese, St. Athanasius Church, Brunswick
Brunswick, Georgia
Brunswick is the major urban and economic center in southeastern Georgia in the United States. The municipality is located on a harbor near the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 30 miles north of Florida and 70 miles south of South Carolina. Brunswick is bordered on the east by the Atlantic...
and St. Stephen's, Savannah, as well as thirteen predominantly black missions.
On the twentieth anniversary of his consecration, at the convention in 1928 Bishop Reese asked about disappearing communicants noting the 5,290 person he had confirmed in 20 years. He said,
Are we so unconcerned or so powerless that we can do nothing?...We must be aggressively, though wisely, on the offensive.He went on to encourage lay persons to a "lay ministry of personal evangelism." In the year of his retirement, 1934, the Diocese had its highest number of confirmations to date at 319. He died in Savannah on December 22, 1936.
The Episcopal camp on Saint Simons Island was named in his honor. After that was sold and the camp and conference center was moved to its current location on Honey Creek in Camden County, the dining hall at that new facility was named the Reese Dining Hall for the Rt. Rev. F.F. Reese.
He was succeeded by Middleton S. Barnwell
Middleton S. Barnwell
Middleton Stuart Barnwell was the seventh Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho and the fifth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. Barnwell was the 349th bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. He was also the first president of what is now Boise State...
as Bishop of Georgia.
Sources
- The Episcopal Church in Georgia 1733-1957, by Henry Thompson Malone published by The Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Atlanta, 1960
External links
- Honey Creek, the Camp and Conference Center of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia has the Reese Dining Hall named in honor of the Rt. Rev. F.F. Reese.