Today I received my third dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination.

I thank God that this vaccine and other vaccines for COVID-19 exist and are available in many places.  I also know that parts of the world have no access to any such vaccine.

My civil libertarian ways have their limits.  Those limits stand somewhere before personal choice in whether to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in this pandemic.  Nobody has a moral right to choose to be a contemporary counterpart to Typhoid Mary.  Nobody should have the legal right to do so either.  When my choice endangers you, O reader–or your choice endangers me–the one making the unwise choice also makes an immoral choice.  I embrace mutuality, not individualism and personal choice taken to a dangerous extreme.   When I read about certain European governments fining unvaccinated adults severely for leaving their homes, I think that some governments have good sense during a pandemic.

I have no sympathy for those who refuse to behave responsibly, i.e, wear a mask properly, practice social distancing, and get vaccinated (if eligible and the vaccines are available) during this pandemic.  I have no sympathy for those who spread deadly disinformation that costs lives, prolongs this pandemic, and compound social and economic damage from it.  I support vaccine mandates–the stricter the enforcement, the better.  I also favor keeping those will insist on acting irresponsibly away from the rest of us, for the common good.  If certain people will not behave responsibly, this last step is reasonable and morally defensible.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 23, 2021 COMMON ERA

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Above:  Charles John Vincent, Jr.

Image Source = Hymntime.com

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CHARLES JOHN VINCENT, JR. (SEPTEMBER 19, 1852-FEBRUARY 23, 1934)

Anglican Organist and Composer

Charles John Vincent, Jr., comes to this, A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:  AN ECUMENICAL CALENDAR OF SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS, via The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church.

Our saint, born in Durham, England, on September 19, 1852, was, in the vernacular, a chip off the old block.  His father, Charles John Vincent, Sr., was an organist and a composer.  Our saint, when 11 years old, became a chorister at Durham Cathedral.  Five years later, he began duties as organist at Monkwearmouth Parish Church.

Vincent continued his musical work and studies.  He studied at the conservatory in Leipzig (1876-1878).  Later, our saint served as the organist at Tavistock Parish Church and Kelly College.  He received his Mus.B. (1878) and Mus.D. (1885), both from Oxford University.  Vincent was the organist at Christ Church, Hampstead, London (1883-1891).

Eventually, our saint assumed control of the music business his father had founded.  Vincent build organs and pianos.

Vincent also edited The Organist and Choirmaster magazine for a time.

Our saint’s published books include:

1. A Year’s Study at the Piano:  First Principles of Music;
2. Choral Instructor;
3. Chant Book Companion;
4. Anglican Organist;
5. Anglican Choir;
6. Bach’s Forty-Eight Fugues;
7. The Hymnal Companion to the Book of Common Prayer (Third Edition, 1890);
8. Harmony, Diatonic and Chromatic (1900); and
9. Fifty Shakespere Songs:  For High Voice (1906).

Vincent’s compositions included oratorios, services, anthems, sons, orchestral works, and works for organ, piano, and voice.  He also wrote and arranged hymn tunes, the post popular of which were PAX TECUM and ST. JUDE.  Works for which I have found titles were:

1. Ruth (an oratorio),
2. The Japanese Girl (1912),
3. The American Girl (1908),
4. Twelve Postludes or Concluding Voluntaries for the Organ (1902).

Vincent retired to Hendon.

Our saint, aged 81 years, died on Monte Carlo, Monaco, on February 23, 1934.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 22, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF ROBERT SEAGRAVE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT ANNA KOLESÁROVÁ, SLOVAK ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 1944

THE FEAST OF DITLEF GEORGSON RISTAD, NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, LITURGIST, AND EDUCATOR

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Holy God, whose majesty surpasses all human definitions and capacity to grasp,

thank you for those (especially Charles John Vincent, Jr.)

who have nurtured and encouraged the reverent worship of you.

May their work inspire us to worship you in knowledge, truth, and beauty.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 25:1-8

Psalm 145

Revelation 15:1-4

John 4:19-26

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 27, 2012 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES INTERCISUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR

THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGIAN

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Above:  George Clement Martin

Image Source = Hymntime.com

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SIR GEORGE CLEMENT MARTIN (SEPTEMBER 11, 1844-FEBRUARY 23, 1916)

Anglican Organist and Composer

George Clement Martin comes to this, A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:  AN ECUMENICAL CALENDAR OF SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS, via The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church.

Martin, born in Lambourn, Berkshire, England, on September 11, 1844, devoted his life to glorifying God in music.  Our saint earned his Mus.B. degree (Oxford, 1868).  He served as the choirmaster (1874-1916) and organist (1888-1916) of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.  He, made a Fellow of the College of Organists in 1875, received two honorary doctorates in music.  Archbishop of Canterbury Edward White Benson (1829-1896) conferred the first one in 1883.  Oxford University conferred the second doctorate in 1912.

Martin composed mostly for the church.  He wrote anthems, services, and a setting of the Benedicite.  Our saint composed a setting of the Te Deum (1897) for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.  Martin became Sir George Clement Martin that year, too.  He also wrote a hymn tune, ALL HALLOWS.

Furthermore, Martin published.  He prepared The Art of Training Choir Boys (1896), a volume of musical exercises.  He also served as the Music Editor of The Book of Common Praise (1908), of The Church of England in Canada.

Martin, aged 71 years, died in London on February 23, 1916.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 21, 2021 COMMON ERA

PROPER 29:  THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY), YEAR B

THE FEAST OF THOMAS TALLIS AND HIS STUDENT AND COLLEAGUE, WILLIAM BYRD, ENGLISH COMPOSER AND ORGANISTS; AND JOHN MERBECKE, ENGLISH COMPOSER, ORGANIST, AND THEOLOGIAN

THE FEAST OF GUY IGNATIUS CHABRAT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP COADJUTOR OF BARDSTOWN THEN OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY; AND HIS COUSIN, PETER JOSEPH LAVIALLE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

THE FEAST OF HENRY PURCELL AND HIS BROTHER, DANIEL PURCELL, ENGLISH COMPOSERS

THE FEAST OF MARIA FRANCISZKA SIEDLISKA, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF NAZARETH

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Eternal God, light of the world and Creator of all that is good and lovely:

We bless your name for inspiring George Clement Martin and all those

who with music have filled us with desire and love for you;

through Jesus Christ our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit

lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 29:14b-19

Psalm 90:14-17

2 Corinthians 3:1-3

John 21:15-17, 24-25

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 728

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His literary attainments, his knowledge of the history of music, his acquaintance with acoustical laws, his marvelous memory, his philosophical turn of mind, as well as his practical experience, rendered him one of the most remarkable professors of the age.

Above:  The Flag of England

Image in the Public Domain

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HENRY JOHN GAUNTLETT (JULY 9, 1805-FEBRUARY 21, 1876)

Anglican Organist and Composer

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–Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847), on Henry John Gauntlett; quoted in Armin Haeussler, The Story of Our Hymns:  The Handbook to the Hymnal of the Evangelical and Reformed Church (1952), 667

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Henry John Gauntlett comes to this, A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:  AN ECUMENICAL CALENDAR OF SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS, via The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church.

You, O reader, may not recognize the name of this saint.  Yet, if you listen to the Festival of Lessons and Carols from England each Christmas Eve, you know one of his compositions–the tune to “Once in Royal David’s City.”

Our saint, born in Wellington, Shropshire, England, on July 9, 1805, came from a musical family.  His father, Henry Gauntlett, was the Vicar of Olney, Buckinghamshire.  At times, the elder Gauntlett doubled and tripled as the organist and choirmaster, too.  The father became the son’s first teacher of music.  At age nine, the younger Gauntlett began to serve as the organist in his father’s church.  Our saint also served as the choirmaster (1819-1825).  He continued to play the organ while studying and practicing law (1826-1842).

Gauntlett left the practice of law to devote his life to music.  He was the organist and choirmaster of:

1. St. Olave’s Church, Southwark
2. Christ Church, Newgate Street;
3. Union Chapel, Islington;
4. All Saints, Kensington Park; and
5. Church of St. Bartholomew the Less, Smithfield.

Gauntlett participated in the production of hymnals, psalters, and related works, including:

1. Hymnal for Matins and Evensong (1844);
2. Cantus Melodici (1845);
3. The Comprehensive Tune-Book (1846-1847);
4. The Hallelujah:  or, Devotional Psalmody (1848-1866)
5. The Church Hymnal and Tune-Book (1852, 1855), with William John Blew (1808-1894);
6. The Choral Use of the Book of Common Prayer (1854);
7. Carlyle’s Manual of Psalmody (1861);
8. The Congregational Psalmist:  A Companion to All the New Hymn-Books, Providing Tunes, Chants, and Chorales, for the Metrical Hymns and Passages of Scripture Contained in Those Books (1861);
9. One Hundred and Fifty-Six Questions on the Art of Music-Making and the Science of Music (1864);
10. Tunes, Old and New (1868); and
11. Pohlmann’s National Psalmody, or New Supplement to Houldworth’s Cheetham’s Psalmody, for Home and Congregational Use (1879, posthumously).

Gauntlett’s compositions included organ music, songs, and thousands of hymn tunes.

In 1853, Archbishop of Canterbury William Howley conferred an honorary doctorate of music upon our saint.  No Archbishop of Canterbury had conferred such a degree in nearly 200 years.

Gauntlett, aged 70 years, died in Kensington, London, on February 21, 1876.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 20, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF F. BLAND TUCKER, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND HYMNODIST; “THE DEAN OF AMERICAN HYMN WRITERS”

THE FEAST OF HENRY FRANCIS LYTE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF PRISCILLA LYDIA SELLON, A RESTORER OF RELIGIOUS LIFE IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

THE FEAST OF RICHARD WATSON GILDER, U.S. POST, JOURNALIST, AND SOCIAL REFORMER

THE FEAST OF THEODORE CLAUDIUS PEASE, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

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Holy God, whose majesty surpasses all human definitions and capacity to grasp,

thank you for those (especially Henry John Gauntlett)

who have nurtured and encouraged the reverent worship of you.

May their work inspire us to worship you in knowledge, truth, and beauty.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 25:1-8

Psalm 145

Revelation 15:1-4

John 4:19-26

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 27, 2012 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES INTERCISUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR

THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGIAN

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A scholar with a musical background a thousand years deep. One of the chief sources of his inspiration is Gregorian music….He is obviously well acquainted with the English school, and…the method and traditional music of the Eastern Church.

Above:  The Flag of Canada, 1965-Present

Image in the Public Domain

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JAMES HEALEY WILLAN (OCTOBER 12, 1880-FEBRUARY 16, 1968)

Canadian Anglican Organist and Composer

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–Quoted in Armin Haeussler, The Story of Our Hymns:  The Handbook to the Hymnal of the Evangelical and Reformed Church (1952), 183

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(James) Healey Willan comes to this, A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:  AN ECUMENICAL CALENDAR OF SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS, via The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church.

Willan was a son of James Burton Willan and Eleanor Healey Willan.  Our saint, born in London, England, on October 12, 1880, started his musical education when four years old.  He, a choirboy at St. Saviour’s Choir School when eight years old, went on to serve as organist and choirmaster of St. Saviour’s Church, St. Albans, from 1897 to 1900.  Our saint, steeped in Anglo-Catholic liturgical and musical traditions, served as the organist and choirmaster at Christ Church, Wanstead (1900-1903); then at St. John the Baptist Church, Kensington (1903-1913).  He married Gladys Ellen Hallin in 1905.  The couple had three sons and one daughter.

The Willan family moved to Canada in 1913.  He became the head of the theory department at the Toronto Conservatory of Music (1913-1920); the Vice President of that conservatory (1920-1936); the organist and choirmaster at the Anglican Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Toronto (1921-death).  Our saint received his doctorate in music from the University of Toronto in 1921.  He, the Director of Music at Hart House, the University of Toronto (1919-1925), served on the music faculty at that university (1937-1950).  Furthermore, Willan served as the President of the Authors and Composers Association of Canada (1933f).  He also became a Companion of the Order of Canada (1967).

YouTube offers some interesting and informative videos regarding Willan.  There is an interview (parts 1 and 2).  I also refer you, O reader, to a recording of our saint playing the organ at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene.  Furthermore, I recommend that you listen to recordings of some of his compositions:

1. Piano Concerto in C Minor (1944);
2. The Three Kings;
3. Missa Brevis #2 in F Minor;
4. Missa Brevis #5 in F Sharp Minor;
5. Lo, in the Time Appointed;
6. Rise Up, My Love;
7. Hodie, Christus Natus Est; and
8. Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue for Organ (1916).

Willan composed in a traditional style informed by his Anglo-Catholic roots, Tudor-era music, and German Romanticism.  His oeuvre encompassed about 800 compositions.  These included masses, motets, organ works, cantatas, symphonies, chamber music, and settings of poems.

Willan, aged 87 years, died in Toronto on February 16, 1968.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 19, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS OF HUNGARY, AND HUMANITARIAN

THE FEAST OF ALICE NEVIN, U.S. GERMAN REFORMED LITURGIST AND COMPOSER OF HYMN TEXTS

THE FEAST OF ARTHUR HENRY MANN, ANGLICAN ORGANIST, CHOIR DIRECTOR, HYMNODIST, AND HYMN TUNE COMPOSER

THE FEAST OF JOHANN CHRISTIAN TILL, U.S. MORAVIAN ORGANIST, COMPOSER, AND PIANO BUILDER; AND HIS SON, JACOB CHRISTIAN TILL, U.S. MORAVIAN PIANO BUILDER

THE FEAST OF JOHANN HERMANN SCHEIN, GERMAN LUTHERAN COMPOSER

THE FEAST OF SAMUEL JOHN STONE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

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Eternal God, light of the world and Creator of all that is good and lovely:

We bless your name for inspiring Healey Willan and all those

who with music have filled us with desire and love for you;

through Jesus Christ our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit

lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 29:14b-19

Psalm 90:14-17

2 Corinthians 3:1-3

John 21:15-17, 24-25

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 728

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Above:  Joseph Parry

Image in the Public Domain

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JOSEPH PARRY (MAY 21, 1841-FEBRUARY 17, 1903)

Welsh Congregationalist Organist and Composer

Joseph Parry comes to this, A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:  AN ECUMENICAL CALENDAR OF SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS, via The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church, as well as his connection to David Evans (1874-1948).

Parry’s destiny, aided by others, was musical.  He, born in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales, on May 21, 1841, was one of eight children of Daniel Parry and Elizabeth Richards Parry.  The family was Congregationalist.  Daniel worked in the iron industry.  Young Joseph joined his father in a puddling furnace while a child.  Daniel emigrated and settled in Danville, Pennsylvania, in 1853.  (Danville was home to a Welsh immigrant community.)  The following year, the rest of the family arrived.  They became involved in a local Congregationalist church.  Joseph went to work in a local puddling furnace.

However, Elizabeth nurtured her son’s musical interests.  With help from the family and community, our saint studied music during the 1860s.  Joseph also served as the organist and choirmaster at Mahoning Presbyterian Church, Danville.  In 1863, he entered a hymn tune into the Eisteddfod at Swansea, Wales.  For this tune he won a musical education fund.

While living in Danville, Parry married Jane Thomas (1844-1918), of Welsh extraction.  The couple had three sons and two daughters.  Two of the sons died in Wales, before their father did.

Parry, who had visited Wales while residing in Danville, returned to the British Isles, to live, in 1868.  He graduated from Cambridge with his Mus.B. degree three years later.  He, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, was Professor of Music at University College, Aberystwyth (1874-1881).  In 1878, he received his Mus.D. degree from Cambridge.  Parry left for Swansea in 1881.  There he founded a school of music.  Seven years later, our saint left Swansea to join the faculty of University College of South Wales, Cardiff.  He remained there until 1903.  While Parry lived in Wales, he visited the United States on musical business from time to time.

Parry was also an important composer.  He wrote three oratorios (including Saul of Tarsus, 1892), eight operas (including Blodwen, 1878, the first Welsh opera), eleven cantatas (including The Prodigal Son and Nebuchadnezzar), orchestral works, piano pieces, anthems, choruses, hundreds of songs, and hymn tunes.

Parry’s most famous hymn tune may be ABERYSTWYTH, for “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.”

Parry, aged 61 years, died in Cardiff, Penarth, Wales, on February 17, 1903.  David Evans (1874-1948) took our saint’s place on the faculty of University College, Wales.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT HILDA OF WHITBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBESS

THE FEAST OF ARTHUR TOZER RUSSELL, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF ISABEL ALICE HARTLEY CRAWFORD, BAPTIST MISSIONARY TO THE KIOWA NATION

THE FEAST OF JANE ELIZA(BETH) LEESON, ENGLISH HYMN WRITER

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Eternal God, light of the world and Creator of all that is good and lovely:

We bless your name for inspiring Joseph Parry and all those

who with music have filled us with desire and love for you;

through Jesus Christ our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit

lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 29:14b-19

Psalm 90:14-17

2 Corinthians 3:1-3

John 21:15-17, 24-25

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 728

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Above:  Edward Shippen Barnes

Image Source = hymntime.com

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EDWARD SHIPPEN BARNES (SEPTEMBER 14, 1887-FEBRUARY 14, 1958)

U.S. Presbyterian Organist, Composer, and Writer

Edward Shippen Barnes comes to this, A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:  AN ECUMENICAL CALENDAR OF SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS, via The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church.

Barnes, born in Seabright, New Jersey, on September 14, 1887, was a son of Charles Wheeler Barnes and Elizabeth Shippen.  Our saint studied music at a young age.  He studied music from a young age.  He started organ studies at The Lawrenceville School, Lawrence Township, New Jersey.  At Yale University, Barnes studied organ and composition.  Horatio William Parker (1863-1919) taught him composition.  After graduating from Yale, our saint continued his studies at the Schola Cantorum, Paris, France.

Barnes, a member of the old Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., served as organist and choirmaster in Episcopal and Presbyterian congregations:

1. Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, New York, New York (1911-1912);
2. Rutgers Presbyterian Church, New York, New York (1913-1924), during which time he also served in the Naval Reserve (1918-1919);
3. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1924-1938); and
4. First Presbyterian Church, Santa Monica, California (1938-1954).

Barnes retired to Idyllwild, California, in 1954.  He donated a small organ to a local congregation and played that instrument in worship.

Barnes, married with four children, had a great interest in the musical education of children.  Therefore, he compiled and edited Bach for Beginners in Organ-Playing (1919).  Our saint also edited The Children’s Anthem Book:  Thirty-Six Anthems for Unison Voices with Piano or Organ Accompaniment (1922).

Barnes wrote and edited other texts, too.  He edited American Organ Monthly for years.  Our saint also wrote A Method of Organ Playing (1921).  Furthermore, he contributed texts to Handbook for the Hymnal (1935), the companion volume to his denomination’s The Hymnal (1933).

Barnes composed both sacred and secular music:

1. Two organ symphonies,
2. Twp organ suites,
3. Fantasia for Organ and Choir,
4. Two cantatas (The Comforter and Remember Now Thy Creator),
5. Piano pieces,
6. Vocal works,
7. Anthems,
8. Episcopal services, and
9. Hymn tunes.

Barnes composed at least four hymn tunes:

1. GLORIA,
2. MERIEL,
3. QUI TENET, and
4. SAN VICENTE (for “Healer Divine, Who Walkest Still”).

Our saint also composed descants, arranged hymn tunes, and wrote the text of at least one hymn (“Keep Thou My Hands E’er Swift”).

Barnes, aged 70 years, died in Idyllwild, California, on February 14, 1958.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 17, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT HENRIETTE DELILLE, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY

THE FEAST OF SAINT HUGH OF LINCOLN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP AND ABBOT

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Holy God, whose majesty surpasses all human definitions and capacity to grasp,

thank you for those (especially Edward Shippen Barnes)

who have nurtured and encouraged the reverent worship of you.

May their work inspire us to worship you in knowledge, truth, and beauty.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 25:1-8

Psalm 145

Revelation 15:1-4

John 4:19-26

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 27, 2012 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES INTERCISUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR

THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGIAN

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Above:  The Flag of Saxe-Weimer-Eisenach

Image in the Public Domain

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JOHANNES DANIEL FALK (OCTOBER 28, 1768-FEBRUARY 14, 1826)

German Poet, Hymn Writer, and Social Worker

Also known as Johann Daniel Falk

Johannes Daniel Falk comes to this, A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:  AN ECUMENICAL CALENDAR OF SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS, via The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church.

Falk, born in Danzig, Kingdom of Poland, on October 28, 1768, came from an impoverished family in which education was not a priority.  His father, a wig-maker, wanted our saint to make wigs, not to attend school.  Therefore, young Johannes’s early education was inconsistent.  He, pulled out of school as a boy, wanted to study at night.  The father refused to permit this. Therefore, young Johannes stood under a street light at night–even in cold weather–and read books.  The more the father interfered with our saint’s education, the more young Johannes valued education.  Our saint, desperate, even ran away from home.

Finally, the father relented.  Falk, able to attend school consistently, starting at age sixteen, attended one school for six years.  Then he studied literature and theology at the University of Halle for three more years, through 1793.

Falk made his life in Weimar, starting in 1793.  Thirteen years later, he became the counselor to the legation at the ducal court in the capital of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.  These were the times of the Napoleonic Wars.  Orphaned, homeless children and youth lived on the streets in the city.  And, in 1813, four of Falk’s six children died of a typhoid fever during an epidemic.

Falk’s faith, influenced by his mother’s Moravian Church influence, renewed.  He decided upon a strategy to help street children in Weimar.  Falk convinced his friends to take street children into their homes.  The former street children gathered at Falk’s home for Sunday school each week.  He also helped the boys and girls become productive members of society, according to social conventions.  Some boys learned a trade; others attended a university.  Girls became domestic servants.  Our saint’s program developed into the Falk’sche Institute and became a model for similar work in other German cities.

Falk also wrote.  He composed satires, novels, and poems.  One of his more noteworthy works was Prometheus, a dramatic poem.  Das Vater Unser (1822) was a collection of his Sunday school talks.  Falk wrote hymns, too.  His most popular hymn was Allerdreifeier, translated into English as “O Thou Joyful, O Thou Wonderful,” a Christmas text.

Falk, aged fity-seven years, died in Weimar on February 14, 1826.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 16, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARGARET OF SCOTLAND, QUEEN, HUMANITARIAN, AND ECCLESIASTICAL REFORMER

THE FEAST OF SAINT GIUSEPPE MOSCATI, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PHYSICIAN

THE FEAST OF IGNACIO ELLACURIA AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS IN EL SALVADOR, NOVEMBER 15, 1989

THE FEAST OF THE JESUIT MARTYRS OF PARAGUAY, 1628

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Lord God, your Son came among us to serve and not to be served,

and to give his life for the world.

Lead us by his love to serve all those

to whom the world offers no comfort and little help.

Through us give hope to the hopeless,

love to the unloved,

peace to the troubled,

and rest to the weary;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Psalm 46

1 Corinthians 3:11-23

Mark 10:35-45

—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 37

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If in doubt, side with the poor.

äAbove:  The Flag of Brazil

Image in the Public Domain

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PERE CASALDÀLIGA I PLA (FEBRUARY 16, 1928-AUGUST 8, 2020)

Roman Catholic Bishop of São Félix, Brazil

“Bishop to then Poor”

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–One of Bishop Casaldàliga’s favorite sayings

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Bishop Pedro Casaldàliga comes to this, A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:  AN ECUMENICAL CALENDAR OF SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS, via Father João Bosco Burnier (1917-1976), one of his priests, and a martyr.

Our saint was a Catalan.  He, born in Balsareny, Catalonia, Spain, on February 16, 1928, grew up on the family’s cattle ranch.  He, ordained a priest in Barcelona on May 31, 1952, was also a Claretian.

The order sent Casaldàliga to Brazil in 1968.  There he remained, except for travels out of the country.  Our saint, appointed the Apostolic Administrator of the Territorial Prefecture of São Félix on April 27, 1970, became its bishop on August 27, 1971.  He served in this capacity until retiring on February 2, 2005.  Casaldàliga made powerful enemies.

1. He opposed the Brazilian military dictatorship, which committed violations of human rights of civilians.  That government censored him.
2. He confronted large agricultural corporations for cooperating with the military dictatorship and operating a modern form of the slaver trade.
3. He advocated for the rights of the poor and indigenous people.  This advocacy incurred the wrath of logging corporations, mining corporations, agricultural corporations, and land-grabbers.  Casaldàliga received death threats and the attention of more than one hitman, even after he retired.
4. In 1972, he founded the Conselho Indigenista Missionário within the Brazilian Roman Catholic Church, to support the rights of indigenous peoples.
5. He favored liberation theology.  This position placed Casaldàliga on the bad side of Pope John Paul II and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI).  The bishop defied Rome when he refused to sign a prepared statement acknowledging his alleged errors.
6. He criticized the Roman Catholic Church from within for, among other errors, marginalizing women, opposing liberation theology, and being overly centralized.
7. He made other churchmen look bad by voluntarily living in poverty, in community.

Casaldàliga, in retirement, served as a priest.  He also had a favorable relationship with Pope Francis.  The bishop, who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, died in Batatais, São Paolo, on August 8, 2020.  He was 92 years old.

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Lord Christ, who pronounced the poor to be blessed heirs of the Kingdom of God,

thank you for the faithful life and legacy of your servant, Bishop Pedro Casaldàliga,

who lived the Gospel in his advocacy on behalf of the poor and indigenous peoples.

May the spirit of courageous defense of the marginalized and oppressed ever be strong within your Church.

In the Name of God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Deuteronomy 24:10-15

Psalm 10

Revelation 18:9-24

Luke 6:20-26

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 15, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF JOHN AMOS COMENIUS, FATHER OF MODERN EDUCATION

THE FEAST OF GUSTAF AULEN AND HIS PROTÉGÉ AND COLLEAGUE, ANDERS NYGREN, SWEDISH LUTHERAN BISHOPS AND THEOLOGIANS

THE FEAST OF JANE MONTGOMERY CAMPBELL, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND MUSIC EDUCATOR

THE FEAST OF JOHANN GOTTLOB KLEMM, INSTRUMENT MAKER; DAVID TANNENBERG, SR., GERMAN-AMERICAN MORAVIAN ORGAN BUILDER; JOHANN PHILIP BACHMANN, GERMAN-AMERICAN MORAVIAN INSTRUMENT MAKER; JOSEPH FERDINAND BULITSCHEK, BOHEMIAN-AMERICAN ORGAN BUILDER; AND TOBIAS FRIEDRICH, GERMAN MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN

THE FEAST OF JOHANNES KEPLER, GERMAN LUTHERAN ASTRONOMER AND MATHEMATICIAN

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH PIGNATELLI, RESTORER OF THE JESUITS

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Above:  Julius H. Horstmann

Image Cropped from the 1955 Year Book of the Evangelical and Reformed Church (1954), 57

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JULIUS HENRY HORSTMANN (MARCH 16, 1869-FEBRUARY 13, 1954)

U.S. Prussian Evangelical Minister and Hymn Translator

Also known as Julius Hermann Edward Horstmann

The Reverend Julius Henry Horstmann comes to this, A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:  AN ECUMENICAL CALENDAR OF SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS, via The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church.

In 1817, King Frederick William III of Prussia (reigned 1797-1840) merged the Lutheran and Reformed denominations in his realm.  Thus, in Prussian terms, “Evangelical” simply meant Protestant.  The Evangelical Synod of North America (1872-1934), with its organizational roots in the New World dating to 1840, was the North American counterpart to the Prussian union church.  The ESNA merged with the (German) Reformed Church in the United States to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1934.

The legacy of the Evangelical and Reformed Church continues as the liturgical wing of the United Church of Christ.

Horstmann, born in Napierville, Illinois, on March 16, 1869, spent most of his life in the Evangelical Synod of North America.  His father, Henry Horstmann, was the treasurer of the ESNA’s North Illinois District from 1874 to 1888.  After studying at Northwestern College (now North Central College), Napierville, our saint studied at Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University), Elmhurst, Illinois.  Studies at Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, followed.

The Reverend Julius H. Horstmann, ordained on December 13, 1891, ministered in congregations in Indiana and Texas before becoming a denominational journalist.  He edited The Evangelical Herald (1906-1935) then served as Associate Editor of The Messenger (1936-1939).

Horstmann also wrote at least two books:

1. The Will of God (1925), and
2. Through Four Centuries:  The Story of the Beginnings of the Evangelical and Reformed Church (1938), with Herbert Werbecke.

Horstmann also translated hymns:

1. “God of Might, We Praise Thy Name” (1908), a setting of the German Te Deum by Ignaz Franz (1719-1790);
2. “The Work is Thine, O Christ Our Lord;” and
3. “Wait on God, and Trust Him.”

Horstmann, who retired in 1939, died in Mount Vernon, Illinois, on February 13, 1954.  He was 84 years old.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 14, 2021 COMMON ERA

PROPER 28:  THE TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B

THE FEAST OF SAMUEL SEABURY, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF CONNECTICUT, AND PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA LUIZA MERKERT, CO-FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF SAINT ELIZABETH

THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS TAVELIC AND HIS COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1391

THE FEAST OF PETER WOLLE, U.S. MORAVIAN BISHOP, ORGANIST, AND COMPOSER; THEODORE FRANCES WOLLE, U.S. MORAVIAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER; AND JOHN FREDERICK “J. FRED.” WOLLE, U.S. MORAVIAN ORGANIST, COMPOSER, AND CHOIR DIRECTOR

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Dear God of beauty,

you have granted literary ability and spiritual sensitivity to

Julius H. Horstmann and others, who have translated hymn texts.

May we, as you guide us,

find worthy hymn texts to be icons,

through which we see you.

In the Name of God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 44:1-3a, 5-15

Psalm 147

Revelation 5:11-14

Luke 2:8-20

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

APRIL 20, 2013 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMATOR OF AUXERRE AND GERMANUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT MAMERTINUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT MARCIAN OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK

THE FEAST OF JOHANNES BUGENHAGEN, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCELLINUS OF EMBRUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF OLAVUS AND LAURENTIUS PETRI, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH

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