Charles Stewart (bishop)

Charles James Stewart
Bishop of Quebec
Church	Anglican Church of Canada
Predecessor	Jacob Mountain
Successor	George Jehoshaphat Mountain
Personal details
Born	13 or 16 April 1775 London, England
Died	13 July 1837 London, England

Charles James Stewart (13 or 16 April 1775 – 13 July 1837) was a Church of England bishop, and politician. He was the second Bishop of Quebec from 1826 to 1837, and in connection with this was appointed to the Legislative Council of Lower Canada.

Stewart at one point was on the Legislative Councils of both Upper and Lower Canada and on both the Executive Councils (the jurisdiction above Legislative) of Upper and Lower Canada, however the appointments were more likely due to Stewart's position as second Anglican bishop over any sort of political want or desire (evident by Stewart never going to any legislative meetings in Upper Canada, and "limited meetings" in Lower Canada, and never really participating within the clergy reserve's Anglican issue regarding equal shares of the clergy land profit the Church of Scotland or education secularization).^{[citation needed]}

Stewart was instrumental in the introduction of a scheme involving Anglican laypeople within a diocesan synod system, necessitated by the arguments within the government regarding the clergy reserves and the potential elimination of clerical salaries and stipends coming on behalf of government money from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. This influence within the scheme on Stewart's part came to because he involved the laity with the clergy. Stewart "supplemented the labours of the clergy by appointing catechists to act as lay readers". The SPG was initially sceptical but nonetheless funded the scheme, which became a success and "one of Stewart's most effective creations." Ten lay-readers were subsequently ordained in the Anglican priesthood.^[1]

Stewart founded the first Anglican church in the Eastern Townships in 1808, now called "Bishop Stewart Memorial Church of the Holy Trinity", in Frelighsburg in Saint-Armand. Saint-Armand is supposedly home to the first establishment of the Eastern Townships in Quebec, and was a site of skirmish during the Rebellions of 1837–1838 which reflects the original name of Saint-Armand, Moore's Corner.^[2] Stewart would establish some 23 churches in the Eastern Townships before becoming the second Anglican Bishop of Quebec and some 40 churches and 25 missions in total.^[3][4] Stewart was also critical in protesting the elimination of clerical stipends in Canada period, as it was only due to the protestation of Stewart and the SPG that stipends stayed - but were ultimately reduced by some 15%.^[5]

He "was said to have been somewhat ungainly and at times lacking in political and business sense" but he was "deep in his religious faith, asceticism, generosity of spirit and purse, and his genuine care for the spiritual interests of pioneer immigrants and native Indians (Indigenous)". Stewart is historically remembered as "earning the affection of his clergy and people" and as having "a secure place among the builders of the (various) church(es) of Canada". Stewart is accredited with "raising the level of education from Sunday school and elementary school to university."^[6]