212

LAWS OF MARYLAND

Ch. 97

subsection, either (i) upon the request of any parish or
separate congregation whose certificate may be offered
for record, or (ii) upon the request of the convention of
the diocese for and on behalf of any parish or separate
congregation which may neglect or decline for any reason
to offer its own certificate for record, in which latter
event the certificate may be made and signed by the
bishop, or the president of the standing committee, and
the secretary of the convention in the place and stead of
the vestrymen of any such parish or separate
congregation.

310. Nonfunctioning parish.

If the vestry of a parish, now or hereafter subject
to the provisions of this subheading, or the members
thereof, for any reason shall cease to have the services
of public worship, and ministry of the Word and
Sacraments carried on, or shall otherwise abandon the
minimum functions of a parish, the bishop, whenever and
however such facts shall have come to his knowledge,
shall forthwith make, or cause to be made, a full and
complete investigation and careful study of the matter,
and if he shall find, in his opinion, that such parish
is, in fact, nonfunctioning as herein defined, he shall
report the facts in detail to the secretary of the
convention not less than 60 days before the next annual
meeting of the convention, and send copies of such report
to the members of such vestry then in office, or if there
be none, then to one or more of the adult members of the
parish with the request that such member or members show
said report to other members of the parish; but if no
members of the vestry then in office or adult members of
the parish are known to the bishop, or are not otherwise
ascertainable, then the bishop shall state that fact in
his report to the secretary of the convention, who shall
forthwith cause a notice of the filing of said report to
be published once a week for at least two weeks in a
daily or weekly newspaper printed or published in said
parish, or if there be none, then in a newspaper printed
or published in each of the parishes contiguous to the
parish so investigated in the manner aforesaid.

At its next annual meeting, the convention shall
consider the report of the bishop, and hear such members
of the vestry and members of such parish, or any other
person or persons on behalf of such parish, as shall
appear and request to be heard, if any, and the
convention shall thereafter make a finding as to whether
such parish is in fact nonfunctioning as herein defined.

If the convention shall find that said parish is in
fact nonfunctioning as aforesaid, then, but not until
then, the bishop shall temporarily take over and
administer the affairs of such parish upon obtaining for
its use and benefit sufficient missionary financial
support to continue its functions, if he shall deem it to
be feasible to do so, and, in any event, the bishop shall