Duncan Convers (August 2, 1851 - April 22, 1929) was a prominent American Anglo-Catholic priest, author, and social commentator. He was born in
Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capita ...
, made deacon on June 11, 1876, and ordained priest on December 20, 1876, following studies at
Nashotah House Theological Seminary
Nashotah House is an Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically conservative seminaries in ...
. Convers served initially in the
Missionary Diocese of Colorado. In 1886 he was professed as a mission priest of the
Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE, Cowley Fathers) and began missionary service in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. He was elected rector of
S. Clement's Church, Philadelphia in succession to
Basil Maturin SSJE in 1889 and served in that position until 1891. He subsequently served at the SSJE's mission Church of Saint John the Evangelist, Bowdoin Street, in
Beacon Hill, Boston
Beacon Hill is a historic neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, and the hill upon which the Massachusetts State House resides. The term "Beacon Hill" is used locally as a metonym to refer to the state government or the legislature itself, mu ...
.
Convers next left the Cowley Fathers to serve as rector at St. Paul's,
Gas City, Indiana
Gas City is a city in Grant County, Indiana, along the Mississinewa River. The population was 5,965 at the 2010 census.
History
Gas City was first known as Harrisburg when settled on May 25, 1867, by Noah Harris. It became something of a boom tow ...
(1902 only), the Church of Our Saviour in
Montoursville, Pennsylvania
Montoursville is a borough in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. The 2020 census reported its population as 4,745. It forms part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Williamsport Regional Airport is in Montoursville.
...
(1903-1905) and at St. John's Church, Toledo, Ohio. Convers then renounced his American citizenship to become a subject of
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
, and lived in
Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of Ki ...
as rector of the Church of St. John the Baptist there from 1908 to 1913. He returned to
and SSJE vows in 1913 and submitted a petition for re-naturalization in Boston on January 12, 1916. He was restored to
American citizenship
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
on April 14, 1919. He died unmarried and without issue in Boston in his own residence rather than the Cambridge SSJE monastery and was buried in
Foxborough, Massachusetts
Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, about southwest of Boston, northeast of Providence, Rhode Island and about northwest of Cape Cod. Foxborough is part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 18,618 at ...
in the Cowley Fathers Cemetery, adjacent to the cemetery for the sisters of the Arlington-based
Order of St. Anne. He was a popular retreat conductor, guest preacher, confessor, and spiritual director.
Bibliography
*''Once Married, Married Till Death: A Sermon Preached (in Substance) in St. Clement's Church, Philadelphia, at the Night Service on the Second Sunday After Easter, April 27th, 1884'' (Philadelphia, 1884)
*
Marriage and Divorce in the United States: As They are and as They Ought to be' (J.B. Lippincott, 1889)
*''Our Three States: In the Image of God, Fallen Nature, Renewed Nature'' (London: A.R. Mowbray, 1899)
A Forgotten Memorial(1921, journal article and stand-alone pamphlet)
References
*"Funeral Tomorrow of Rev Fr Convers: Sick Long Time—Ordained Over 50 Years Ago," ''The Boston Globe'', April 23, 1929, p. 8.
*Obituary, ''The Boston Globe'', April 24, 1929, p. 28.
*Charles Allen Converse, ''Some of the Ancestors and Descendants of Samuel Converse'' (E. Putnam, 1905)
*
An Embattled Priest: The Life of Father Oliver Sherman Prescott', by Jervis Zimmerman (2012)
*Steven Haws, ''The Cowley Fathers in Philadelphia'' (AuthorHouse, 2019)
*Serenhedd James, ''The Cowley Fathers: A History of the English Congregation of the Society of St. John the Evangelist'' (London: Canterbury Press, 2019)
External links
Graveat Gethsemane Cemetery in
Foxborough, Massachusetts
Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, about southwest of Boston, northeast of Providence, Rhode Island and about northwest of Cape Cod. Foxborough is part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 18,618 at ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Convers, Duncan
1851 births
1929 deaths
19th-century American Episcopal priests
American Anglo-Catholics
People from Ohio
20th-century American Episcopal priests
Anglo-Catholic clergy
Anglo-Catholic writers
19th-century American clergy
20th-century American clergy