124 CORPORATIONS. [ART. 23

ficate of such acknowledgment, and in all cases where through
inadvertence or mistake, such plan, agreement, or regulation has
been heretofore acknowledged before one justice of the peace
instead of two, such acknowledgment shall be and is hereby
made, to all intents and purposes, good and sufficient for the
incorporation of the church, society or congregation named
therein.

1892, ch 702.

217. Nothing in this article shall prevent the Protestant
Episcopal Church from incorporating the vestries in the several
parishes according to the usages of the said church, under the
said act of seventeen hundred and ninety-eight, chapter twenty-
four, entitled "An act for the establishment of vestries for each
parish in this State, " as amended prior to the adoption of the
Code of eighteen hundred and sixty; and the said act as so
amended is hereby confirmed and declared, as the law of this
State, to be binding and available as if the same and every pro-
vision thereof was herein formally and specially recited and
re-enacted; provided, that all parishes heretofore constituted
under the thirty-third section of said act may, and all parishes
hereafter constituted under that said section of said act shall,
execute, acknowledge and record a certificate of their articles
of association, as such execution, acknowledgment and record is
now required under article twenty-three of the Code of Public
General Laws, entitled "Corporations" sub title "Religious Cor-
porations. " And all parishes heretofore constituted in pursu-
ance of the provisions of said act, and all proceedings therein
held in pursuance of or by virtue of the powers and authority
contained in said act. shall be and the same are fully confirmed
and declared to be good and available both in law and in equity.
Bortlett v. Hipkins, 76 Md. 35.

1892, ch. 614.

217 A. In every congregation of the denomination of Chris-
tians known as the " Roman Catholic Church, " the ordinary of
the diocese and the pastor of the said congregation for the time
being, according to the practice and discipline of the said church,
the other persons to be annually designated by said ordinary, and
two other persons to be annually elected by the male pewholders