‘An indefatigable and zealous prelate’

From New York-

September also began on a Wednesday in 1830. In fact, that was the day that Dr. John Henry Hobart, the (Episcopal) bishop of New York, arrived at the old rectory of St. Peter’s Church on Genesee Street in Auburn. Some reading this will remember that house which stood in the open lot between today’s church and the Auburn Family Restaurant. It was finally torn down in the 1960s.

Hobart, small in stature, was a giant of a man. He founded two institutions that still endure, Geneva (now Hobart) College and the General Theological Seminary in New York City, where professor Clement Moore penned “A Visit from St. Nicholas” in 1822. More than that, Hobart traveled to every corner of the state during his 19 years as bishop, more than doubling the number of churches and tripling the number of clergy. He confirmed around 15,000 persons. A beautifully wrought memorial bust brought to Auburn in 1833 aims, as it reads, “not so much to portray the character or commemorate the worth of the exemplary and gifted man, the learned divine, the faithful pastor, the indefatigable and zealous prelate and the sincere and pious Christian as to record the affectionate veneration in which his memory is held by the numerous individuals to whom he was known in life, and by the still greater number who lamented him in death.”

Affection for Hobart was sincere. In an age when most men, especially men of station, were very reserved and preachers were dignified and contained, Hobart was bubbly, excitable and outgoing. He travelled west of Albany by horseback, stagecoach, canal boat (maybe) and on foot. Yet, he even made forays as far as Michigan in devotion to Christ. For a time, he was not only bishop of the whole state of New York, but also the visiting bishop in two states that had none: Connecticut and New Jersey. At the same time, he served as rector of Trinity Church, Wall Street, the richest and most influential church in America.

More here-

http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/article_f27d3b02-bd2c-11df-8096-001cc4c03286.html