 |
| The Rev. Cn. Edward Geyer (from Edythe Greene et al., eds., The History of St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, 1709 Arctic Avenue Atlantic City, New Jersey: The First 100 Years [Norfolk, VA: Hill Printing Co., 2001], 103) |
In the wake of racist incidents with Bishop Joe Doss, and further condescending and racist treatment by his staff, in early 1996 the Rev. Cn. Edward Geyer,[1] the Convener of the Black Clergy Caucus of the Diocese of New Jersey, penned an open letter on behalf of the organization to “Chris,” a member of Doss’ staff. The letter responds specifically to a letter from Chris from January 14, 1996 which had apparently made a series of accusations against the Black Clergy Caucus for behaving in a way that Bishop Doss did not like. Geyer disputes the legitimacy of many of these accusations in his open letter, suggests that these accusations themselves indicate racist attitudes, and insists that the Caucus was simply bringing concerns to the Bishop, and had a right to expect a timely response to their very serious concerns. Among these concerns was the fact that there was inadequate Black representation on the diocesan staff and in diocesan governance. The letter provides evidence of the pedantic way Doss and his staff treated Black leaders in the diocese, and shows a fracturing relationship in advance of the 1996 Diocesan Convention, when the Black Clergy Caucus made many of their concerns highly public by publishing their “Vision Statement.”[2] The, increasingly acrimonious, disputes stemming from Doss’ episcopate would gain national press attention.[3] Ultimately Doss would be ousted years later after a wide variety of inappropriate behaviors came to light, including racist incidents. The entire open letter of February 9, 1996 from Cn. Edward Geyer is presented here, courtesy of Rev. Cn. Dr. Leroy Lyons.[4]
Jolyon G. R. Pruszinski, Ph.D.
Reparations Commission Research Historian
Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey
[1] Of Lawnside, New Jersey. Rev. Cn. Geyer had a national reputation, having served in various dioceses, as the executive assistant to Presiding Bishop Allin (See Harold T. Lewis, “Racial Concerns in the Episcopal Church Since 1973,” Anglican and Episcopal History 67.4 [1998]: 472 n. 16) and as the executive for “National Mission in Church and Society” at the Episcopal Church Center in the 1980s (See “Urban Caucus to Hold 5th National Assembly,” ENS [August 23, 1984]: https://digitalarchives.episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/ENS/ENSpress_release.pl?pr_number=84169). The Diocese of New Jersey invited Geyer to the diocese in 1988 to serve as the “urban missioner in Atlantic City” (See Robert K. Stuhlmann, “No Obvious Villain,” The Living Church [March 11, 1990]: 5-6: https://d7u3dh9x9blzp.cloudfront.net/1990/3.11.1990.pdf; See also Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, Journal of the 227th Diocesan Convention, [March 5, 2011], 143: https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dioceseofnj/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/227thConvJournal.pdf).
[2] “Vision Statement Presented by the Black Clergy and Delegates, Diocesan Convention-March 1996,” MSS held in the private archive of Rev. Cn. Dr. Leroy Lyons, Plainfield, New Jersey. See also Jolyon G. R. Pruszinski, “Black Clergy and Delegates Vision Statement: 1996 Diocesan Convention,” DNJRJR (November 4, 2025): https://dionj-racialjusticereview.blogspot.com/2025/11/black-clergy-and-delegates-vision.html.
[3] A long series of articles appeared in the Episcopal News Service (ENS), and multiple articles appeared in other publications, including the New York Times. See, for example, David M. Herszenhorn, “An Embattled Episcopal Bishop; His Ouster Is Sought by Leaders of the New Jersey Diocese,” New York Times (December 7, 1997): Section 1, page 45. See also “Bishop Doss of New Jersey Deflects Calls for His Resignation,” ENS (November 13, 1997): https://digitalarchives.episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/ENS/ENSpress_release.pl?pr_number=97-1997; “Bishop of New Jersey Confronts Polarization of Diocese in Reconciliation Meeting,” ENS (December 4, 1997): https://digitalarchives.episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/ENS/ENSpress_release.pl?pr_number=97-2033; “Study Finds Destructive Patterns and No Grounds for Removal of Bishop in New Jersey,” ENS (June 23, 1998): https://digitalarchives.episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/ENS/ENSpress_release.pl?pr_number=98-2186.
[4] MSS held in the private archives of Rev. Cn. Dr. Leroy Lyons, Plainfield, New Jersey.
