Charter Day History

Charter 1877

"The Academy of the New Church shall be for the purpose of propagating the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem and establishing the New Church signifies in the Apocalypse by the New Jerusalem, promoting education in all its various forms, educating young men for the Ministry, publishing books, pamphlets, and other printed matter, and establishing a library."

Three days are celebrated relating to the founding of the Academy.

Founders day, February 12, marking the date in 1874 when four men met in the Atlantic Garden Restaurant in Pittsburgh and organized a New Church Club to support the Harmony?s propaganda effort which, when published, would be called Words for the New Church.

The Founding proper, because it occurred in 1876 on a date, June 19. This was a meeting of 12 men in the Philadelphia home of Dr. Felix Boericke at which a Declaration of Principles drawn up by Benade was signed?a meeting planned the year before in a New York Hotel room by seven of the twelve: Benade, Stuart, Burnham, Hibbard, Warren, Childs, and Pitcairn.

Charter Day (from November 3rd 1877) replaced Founders Day as the Academy's principle commemorative anniversary in 1917. This Charter was granted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1877. Although for reasons of weather and convenience its anniversary is celebrated in mid-October, the actual event occurred on November 3. The decision to apply for a charter was made on June 19, one year to the day following the organization meeting of 1876. The document was drawn up by the Council under vice-chancellor Stuart. It adds two purposes to those defined in the 1876 Declaration: the promotion of education "in all its various forms," and the establishment of the library. The name adopted at the organization meeting, "Academy of the New Jerusalem," reverted to the original form. Academy of the New Church used at the New York meeting of the Pittsburgh Club and the Harmony in 1875. An amendment clarifying the Academy's right to grant degrees was approved in early 1879.

Charter
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Seal
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