This week in Christian history: Salem Witch Trials begin, Ethelbert Talbot dies, pope issues decree on clergy taxes

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, February 25, 2024

Ethelbert Talbot dies – Feb. 27, 1928

Ethelbert Talbot (1848-1928), a former presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Ethelbert Talbot, a former presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church known for his mission work in the American Northwest, died.

A native of Fayette, Missouri, Talbot was made the first Missionary Bishop of Wyoming and Idaho in 1886, and helped to start nearly 40 churches in the region and built a cathedral in Laramie, Wyoming.

In 1924, Talbot became presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church due to his status as being the most senior bishop in the denomination, and served until 1926, when he retired.

Talbot is credited with possibly inspiring Pierre de Coubertin, one of the founders of the modern Olympic games, to say the famous quote, “The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part, for the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”