Edward Trail Helfenstein (April 7, 1865 – December 22, 1947) was the eighth bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Maryland The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland forms part of Province 3 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Having been divided twice, it no longer includes all of Maryland and now consists of the central, northern, and western Maryland c ...

, serving in that capacity from 1929 till 1943.

Early life and education

Helfenstein was born on April 7, 1865, in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, the son of Cyrus Glonigan Helfenstein and Annie Elizabeth Trail. He was baptised in

All Saints Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania *All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Henley Brook, Western Aust ...

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

. He attended the Frederick Academy in

, and then the Episcopal High School of Virginia. He also studied for a time at the

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

and then graduated from

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally called the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, located at 3737 Seminary Road in Alexandria, Virginia is the largest and second oldest accredited Episcopal seminary in the Unit ...

in 1889. He was also awarded a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

1916 by Virginia Theological Seminary.

Ordained ministry

Helfenstein was ordained deacon on March 19, 1889, by Bishop

William Paret William Paret (September 23, 1826 – January 18, 1911) was the 137th bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and was a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. Early life and education William Paret was born in New Y ...

of Maryland and then became deacon-in-charge of Christ Church in Rock Spring, Maryland and Holy Cross Church in The Rocks

Harford County, Maryland Harford County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is al ...

. He was ordained priest on March 9, 1890, in Emmanuel Church,

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, also by Bishop

. Between 1889 and 1890, he served as rector of Saint Mark's parish, covering Frederick and Washington counties. Afterwards he became rector of Saint John's Church in

Ellicott City, Maryland Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its population was 65,834 at the 2010 census, making it the mo ...

, in 1900 and subsequently also rector of Saint Peter's Church in

, retaining both posts till 1920. He was then appointed Archdeacon of Maryland in 1920.

Bishop

Helfenstein was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Maryland during a diocesan convention held in Baltimore in 1926. He was consecrated on December 28, 1926, by Presiding Bishop and Bishop of Maryland

John Gardner Murray John Gardner Murray (August 31, 1857 – October 3, 1929) was the sixteenth presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church. He was the first person elected to the position rather than succeeding to it automatically ...

. He then succeeded Murray as diocesan upon his death on October 3, 1929. He retired on November 1, 1943, and died on December 22, 1947, after a brief illness.

References

1865 births 1947 deaths Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia) alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni Clergy from St. Louis People from Frederick, Maryland Episcopal bishops of Maryland {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub