I have never met Bishop George M. Murray, first Bishop of the Central Gulf Coast, and I'm sorry I haven't. He retired in 1981 and has not sunk into oblivion as some bishops do in their retirement years. And he obviously hasn't lost his sense of humor.

Central Gulf Coast is preparing for an episcopal election, with the diocesan, the Rt. Rev. Charles F. Duvall, having announced he will retire. In the diocesan newspaper, The Coastline, Bishop Murray writes what Central Gulf Coast's search committee should look for in the next bishop. Some of those characteristics are worth sharing:

Hair style - "As a very young new bishop I had a crew haircut. I arrived at one small church for confirmation and a lady made her way into the sacristy where I was vesting. She said, 'You have undermined me. My 12-year-old son is to be confirmed and I told him the least he could do to show that he was old enough to be confirmed was to let his hair grow to proper length. And now the bishop shows up with a crew cut just like his!' There was nothing I could do about it at the moment."

Faithfulness in small things - "As a new bishop I arrived for a service at Christ Church, Tuscaloosa. As I parked, an older lady whom I had known for a long time parked next to me. We got out of our cars, and she walked over to me, turned her back and said, 'George, I live alone now. This dress buttons up the back, and I can't reach all the buttons. Please button me up.' I did."

The gift of discernment - "I tried to get all the clergy to put nametags on the candidates for confirmation, or at least announce their names before I confirmed them. I thought all understood this, but one priest did neither, and I found myself praying for 'him or her.' The priest presented several acolytes for confirmation, and I came to one in a long cassock with a beautiful face and golden hair down to the shoulders. I guessed and said 'she' - only to hear some immediate snickers nearby. I later sent the young man a football with my apologies. I don't know whether he ever returned to church."

Bishop Murray also stresses that a bishop must have a sense of humor. It's obvious that he has it.

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My column about the Ship of Fools website and the mystery worshipers [TLC, Feb. 13] has attracted considerable attention. Many persons have contacted me to report they are unable to reach the website as printed. Others have been able to go to it without complications. Not being a computer geek, I have been unable to provide much help for those who have struggled with this until one reader figured out a possibility. He simply capitalized the word "mystery" in the address and was able to access the site. His suggestion is to use the following: http://www.ship-of-fools.com/Mystery/index.html.

If that doesn't work, try it again eliminating everything after ".com" and you should be able to reach it. You'll probably find it's worth the effort.

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In this space I mentioned the consecration of women as bishops was among the significant stories of the Episcopal Church during the 20th century [TLC, Jan. 2]. I noted there are six female bishops in this church at present. In front of me as I wrote was a list with the names of seven, proving what some have long suspected: I can't count.

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Note to Marjorie (whose city of residence was not legible on the postmark): Yes, newly consecrated Bishop Chuck Murphy's father is a priest. As a matter of fact, so is his brother.

David Kalvelage, executive editor