Above:  Josef Rheinberger

Image in the Public Domain

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JOSEF GABRIEL RHEINBERGER (MARCH 17, 1839-NOVEMBER 25, 1901)

Germanic Roman Catholic Composer

Josef Rheinberger comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via his sacred music.

Rheinberger, born in Liechtenstein on March 17, 1839, was a musical prodigy.  He worked as the parish organist in Vaduz when seven years old.  A year later, our saint became a composer.  Rheinberger’s father, the treasurer for Prince Aloys III of Liechtenstein (r. 1836-1858), nurtured this talent.  Yet the father remained reluctant until 1851 to permit his son to become a professional musician.  Rheinberger began to study at the conservatory in Munich.

Upon graduating, Rheinberger joined the piano and composition faculty at the conservatory in Munch.  After the dissolution of that institution, our saint became a vocal coach and an accompanist at the Court Theater.  He resigned in 1867, and married a former pupil, the poet and socialite Franziska “Fanny” von Hoffnaass.  She became one of her husband’s librettists.  Rheinberger, appointed the court conductor in Munich in 1877, eventually joined the faculty of the second Munich conservatory, while retaining duties as court conductor.  Horatio William Parker (1863-1919) was one of Rheinberger’s students at the conservatory from 1882 to 1885.  Franciska died after a long illness on December 31, 1892.  Our saint’s failing health forced his resignation as court conductor two years later.

Rheinberger composed many works.  These included twelve Masses, a Requiem, a Stabat Mater, two concerti, twenty sonatas, and thirty-six solo pieces for the organ, plus choral works, symphonies, operas, and chamber music.

One can easily listen to many of our saint’s compositions on YouTube.

Rheinberger, aged 62 years, died in Munich, German Empire, on November 25, 1901.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 31, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT NICODEMUS, DISCIPLE OF JESUS

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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 Josef Rheinberger

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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In Thy service, Lord of mercy,

Above:  The Logo of the Evangelical Synod of North America

Image Source = The Yearbook and Almanac of the Evangelical and Reformed Church 1938 (1939), 2

Available at archive.org

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JULIUS EWALD KOCKRITZ (JANUARY 3, 1876-MARCH 28, 1931)

German Evangelical Minister, Hymn Writer, and Christian Educator

Also known as Ewald Kockritz

Julius Ewald Kockritz 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 this context, “Evangelical” means Protestant–specifically, the union of the Prussian Lutheran and Reformed traditions.

Kockritz was a minister in the old Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA), founded by Prussian immigrants to the United States.  The ESNA (1877-1934) had organizational roots dating to 1840.  The founders of the ESNA’s American predecessors, in the old country, had belonged to the Prussian Union of Churches (1817-2003), the result of the marriage of the Lutheran and Reformed churches that King Frederick William III (1770-1740; r. 1797-1840) had forced.  The heritage of the ESNA passed first to the old Evangelical and Reformed Church (a union with the old German Reformed Church in the United States) then to the United Church of Christ (a union with the old Congregational Christian Churches).

Kockritz, born in Napoleonville, Louisiana, on January 3, 1876, came from a large family.  He was one of ten children of Herman Kockritz and Emma (Winkler) Kockritz.  Our saint, who grew up in Henderson, Kentucky, went to work as the private secretary to John Young Brown (1835-1904), the Governor of Kentucky (1891-1895) in 1892.  Three years later, Kockritz left that position.  He worked for a grain company, as a newspaper reporter, and as a telegram operator for several years before deciding to become a minister in the ESNA.  He matriculated at Eden Theological Seminary in 1898.

Kockritz graduated in 1901 and embarked on his life’s work.  The newly ordained minister married Clare Elizabeth Hartmann (1879-1955) on November 6, 1901.  The couple had five children, three of whom survived our saint.  Kockritz’s first pastorate was in Clarington, Ohio (1901-1905).

Kockritz served at St. Luke’s Evangelical Church, Cincinnati, Ohio (1905-1910).  During this tenure, he began to edit Sunday School publications for the ESNA, a role he filled through 1915.

Kockritz served at Salem Evangelical Church (now United Church of Christ), New Orleans, Louisiana (1910-1917); then at Bethel Evangelical Church (now United Church of Christ), Evansville, Indiana (1917-1931).  Denominational roles during these years included:

1. service on the Board of Religious Education (1913-1929), with a tenure as the Chairman;
2. service on the War Welfare Commission (1917-1918);
3. service translating the ESNA constitution into English;
4. service writing a brief history of the ESNA;
5. service as the ESNA Moderator (1929); and
6. service as the ESNA General Secretary (1930-1931).

In Evansville our saint found time to serve on the local Interracial Commission and on the Board of Trustees of the Protestant Deaconess Hospital.

Kockritz wrote three hymns included in The Evangelical Hymnal (1917):

1. In Thy Service, Lord of Mercy;
2. Lord, I Would Praise Thee; and
3. As Fades the Daylight Splendor.

Kockritz, aged 55 years, died in Evansville, Indiana, on March 28, 1931.  One of his hymns summarized our saint’s life:

We would find our chief delight;

Show us then some place to labor

In Thy kingdom, Lord of light.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 30, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JEANNE JUGAN, FOUNDER OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR

THE FEAST OF CARLTON C. BUCK, U.S. DISCIPLES OF CHRIST MINISTER, MUSICIAN, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF EDMOND L. BUDRY, SWISS REFORMED MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF GERALD KENNEDY, U.S. METHODIST BISHOP AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF JOHN LEARY, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC SOCIAL ACTIVIST AND ADVOCATE FOR THE POOR AND MARGINALIZED

THE FEAST OF KARL OTTO EBERHARDT, GERMAN MORAVIAN ORGANIST, MUSIC EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER

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Dear God of beauty,

you have granted literary ability and spiritual sensitivity to

Julius Ewald Kockritz and others, who have composed 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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I am an unapologetic pedant.   I value accuracy in language.

Today’s pedantic rant concerns told “untold” stories.  Sometimes I see titles of clickbait on the Internet.  The title may mention the “untold truth” or the “untold story” of something or someone.  On other occasions, I read titles of books and notice the subtitle, which begins The Untold Story of.…

By definition, these are not untold stories if someone is telling them or has told them.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 29, 2022 COMMON ERA

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Above:  Bishop Simon Bruté

Image in the Public Domain

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SIMON WILLIAM GABRIEL BRUTÉ DE RÉMUR (MARCH 20, 1779-JUNE 26, 1839)

Roman Catholic Bishop of Vincennes

Bishop Simon Bruté comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget (1763-1850).

Simon-Guillaume-Gabriel Bruté de Rémur (Jr.), born in Rennes, France, on March 20, 1779, came from a wealthy and large family.  His mother was his father’s second wife; the first wife had died.  Our saint grew up with seven half-siblings and a full brother in the Palace of Justice, Rennes.  Simon (Sr.) died in 1886, depriving the family of opulence.  The mother, Renée Le Saulnier de Vauhello (twice a widow), managed the family’s finances capably, if not in the condition she preferred.

Bruté, who had priests and an abbot in the family, was always a faithful Roman Catholic.  He worked in the print shop (the family business his mother operated); this job kept our saint of the revolutionary regiment of boys.  During the Reign of Terror, Bruté, disguised as a prison baker’s assistant, received and delivered letters for incarcerated priests and took the Eucharist to them.  He also studied medicine (1796-1803), but never practiced.  Instead, our saint matriculated at Saint Sulpice Seminary, Paris, in November 1803.  He, ordained to the priesthood in 1808, taught at the seminary (1808-1810).

Benedict Joseph Flaget recruited Bruté to become a missionary to the United States.  Flaget, Bruté, et al sailed in June 1810.  Our saint spent a quarter of a century living on the East Coast.  He taught philosophy at St. Mary’s College, Baltimore (1810-1812).  Then, assigned to St. Mary’s College, Emmitsburg, Maryland, Bruté taught and performed pastoral duties.  The priest, renowned for his erudition and lack of selfishness, served as the spiritual director of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821).  He retrieved his library from France in 1815 then donated those volumes to St. Mary’s College, Baltimore, whose President he had just become.  Starting in 1817, at Emmitsburg, Bruté started teaching theology and moral philosophy.

Above:  Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Vinennes, Indiana

Image in the Public Domain

Holy Mother Church carved the Diocese of Vincennes (spanning eastern Illinois and all of the State of Indiana) out of the Diocese of Bardstown, Kentucky, in 1834.  The new diocese needed a bishop.  Bruté accepted the appointment.  The challenges were great.  The territory was vast, and there were only three priests.  One priest was on loan from another diocese.  Bruté himself was the third priest.  Our saint raised funds, recruited priests, and founded churches, schools, a library, and the seminary.  He also taught at the seminary.

Bruté, aged 60 years, died in Vincennes, Indiana, on June 26, 1839.  The good work fell to Célestine Guynemer de la Hailandière (1798-1882), briefly the Bishop Coadjutor.

Bruté is officially a Servant of God; the cause for his eventual canonization is underway.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 29, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF THE BEHEADING OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

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Almighty God, whose will it is to be glorified in your saints,

and who raised up your servant Simon William Gabriel Bruté de Rémur

to be a light in the world:

Shine, we pray, in our hearts,

that we also in our generation may show forth your praise,

who called us out of darkness into your marvelous light;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Isaiah 49:1-6

Psalm 98 or 98:1-4

Acts 17:22-31

Matthew 28:16-20

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 717

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While life shall last, I’ll sing the glory

Above:  Rudolph A. John

Image Source = Yearbook and Almanac of the Evangelical and Reformed Church 1939 (1938), 42

Available at archive.org

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RUDOLPH A. JOHN (JR.) (MARCH 26, 1859-JULY 17, 1938)

German Evangelical Minister, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator

Rudolph A. John 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 grew up in the old Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA).  In this context, “Evangelical” meant “Protestant”–Lutheran-Reformed, specifically.  Prussian immigrants–members of the merged Lutheran-Reformed church there–created a counterpart in the United States of America.  Our saint’s father was the Reverend Rudolph A. John (Sr.), who served at St. Peter’s Evangelical Church, Washington, Missouri.  Later, John (Sr.) taught at Eden Theological Seminary.  Our saint, born at Washington, Missouri, on March 26, 1859, was also a son of Christine (Kopf) John.  Our saint had a brother, Samuel A. John, who grew up to become a prominent minister and an expert in Sunday School work in the ESNA.

John (Jr.) joined the ranks of ESNA ministers, too.  He studied at Washington University then at Eden Theological Seminary.  Our saint, ordained on June 26, 1878, embarked on his life’s work, first at a cluster of mission churches in southern Illinois.  Next, he served at Immanuel Evangelical Church (now United Church of Christ), Sedalia, Missouri.  During this time, John was the Secretary of the ESNA’s West Missouri District.  A tenure at St. John’s Evangelical Church (now United Church of Christ), Richmond, Virginia (-1886) followed.  Prior to 1886, our saint edited Christliche Kinderzeitung, a Sunday School paper for intermediates and youth.  He also married Emilie (W.) John and started a family.  The couple had a daughter (who survived our saint) and a son (who predeceased our saint).

John spent four decades at St. Paul’s Evangelical Church (now United Church of Christ), Chicago, Illinois, starting in 1886.  After retiring, he held the title Pastor Emeritus.  Our saint, during his time in Chicago, served a term as the President of the ESNA’s North Illinois District.  He also founded St. Paul’s Church Home, for elderly people.  In retirement, John served as its superintendent.

John found time to compose poems, write hymns, and translate other hymns from German.  He wrote hymns in both English and German.  The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church, a successor to the ESNA, included three of our saint’s translations:

1. I Will Sing the Praise of Love Unbounded,
2. I Will Ever Sing Thy Praises, and
3. Take Thou My Hand and Lead Me.

John, aged 79 years, died in Richmond, Virginia, on July 17, 1938.  Survivors included his widow and daughter.

The final verse of our saint’s translation (1912) of a hymn (form 1757) by Gerhard Tersteegen constitues a fitting epitaph for John:

Of Christ the Saviour and His love;

With angel hosts I’ll tell the story

Of Christ, in Zion’s home above;

God’s love is mine, death cannot sever

Me from that heart that loves forever.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 28, 2022 COMMON ERA

PROPER 17:   THE TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR C

THE FEAST OF SAINT AMBROSE OF MILAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT MONICA OF HIPPO, MOTHER OF SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO; AND SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF HIPPO REGIUS

THE FEAST OF DENIS WORTMAN, U.S. DUTCH REFORMED MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF GEORGE THOMAS COSTER, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HUMANITARIAN

THE FEAST OF LAURA S. COPENHAVER, U.S. LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER AND MISSIONARY LEADER

THE FEAST OF SAINT MOSES THE BLACK, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND MARTYR

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Dear God of beauty,

you have granted literary ability and spiritual sensitivity to

Rudolph A. John and others, who have composed and 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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INTRODUCTION

Above:  The Flag of the Congo Free State and Belgian Congo

Image in the Public Domain

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WILLIAM HENRY SHEPPARD, JR. (MARCH 8, 1865-NOVEMBER 25, 1927)

LUCY GANTT SHEPPARD (1867-MAY 27, 1955)

SAMUEL N. LAPSLEY (APRIL 14, 1866-MARCH 26, 1892)

Southern Presbyterian Missionaries to the Congo

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When one surveys the names of presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), one notices that most names are geographical or historical-cultural.  In Georgia, where I live, for example, the PC(USA) has five presbyteries.  The Flint River Presbytery–named for the Flint River–is in the southwestern part of the state.  The Savannah Presbytery is to the east of the Flint River Presbytery.  The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta requires no explanation for its name.  Northwest of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta sits the Cherokee Presbytery, named after the tribe that used to live there.  The Northeast Georgia Presbytery is the other presbytery in the state.

Next door, in Alabama, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has three presbyteries–South Alabama, the Sheppards and Lapsley, and North Alabama.

The Presbytery of the Sheppards and Lapsley?  Why not?  I will explain in this post.

I have already added two other missionaries to the Congo to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days.  Louise Cecilia Fleming (1862-1899) was a medical missionary.  Althea Brown Edmiston (1875-1937) served with the Sheppards.

BEGINNINGS

William Henry Sheppard, Jr., entered the world at Waynesboro, Virginia, on March 8, 1865.  His father, William Henry Sheppard, Sr., was a barber.  Our saint’s mother, Fannie Francis Martin Sheppard, was a maid and a free person of color.  Young William attended local schools worked as a stable hand for a white family.  Eventually, he moved to Staunton, Virginia, where he lived with his aunt and worked for a white dentist, S. Homer Henkel.

William matriculated at the Hampton Normal and Industrial School (now Hampton University), Hampton, Virginia, in 1880.  There he studied under Booker T. Washington and, with the help of chaplain Hollis B. Frissel, founded a mission in the poor African-American community in nearby Slabtown.

Our saint, having graduated from Hampton in 1883, matriculated at the Tuscaloosa Theological Institute (now Stillman College), Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  There he met Lucy Gantt, a student at Talladega College.  The couple became engaged to marry in 1886, the year Lucy graduated.  William (Class of 1884) worked in a church in Montgomery through 1887.

The engagement was long.  In the meantime, the old (Southern) Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) ordained William in 1887.  He spent two years as pastor of Zion Presbyterian Church, Atlanta.  His dream, however, was to serve as a missionary in Africa.  The PCUS policy regarding African-American missionaries required sending a white missionary as a supervisor.

The corresponding white missionary was Samuel N. Lapsley, commissioned with William in 1889.  While the two missionaries departed for the Congo Free State, Lucy taught school.  She also sang with the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee.

Lapsley entered the world at Selma, Alabama, on April 14, 1866.  He grew up in the First Presbyterian Church in that city; Lapsley, Sr., was a judge in Selma, as well as an elder in First Presbyterian Church, and eventually the Moderator of the PCUS General Assembly.  Lapsley, Sr., had built a church for African Americans in Vine Hill.  Samuel served as the Sunday School superintendent of that African-American congregation.  He also played the piano and organ there.  Samuel, a graduate of The University of Alabama, turned down a promising academic career to become a minister.  While a student at McCormick Theological Seminary, he applied for the new PCUS mission field in the Congo, opened in 1889.  The field was open, but the laborers were few.

IN THE CONGO

Above:  Congo Free State

Image in the Public Domain

Sheppard and Lapsley arrived in the Congo on May 10, 1890.  They arrived at their chosen site–Luebo–on April 22.  The American Presbyterian Congo Mission had begun.  Lapsley handled financial and diplomatic matters.  Sheppard learned local languages, preached, hunted for food, and negotiated with local leaders.  Lapsley, only 25 years old, died of fever in Leopoldville on March 26, 1892.

The First Presbyterian Church of Selma raised funds for the S. N. Lapsley, a steamer, completed at Richmond, Virginia, in June 1900.  This vessel arrived at the American Presbyterian Congo Mission in July 1901.  Unfortunately, it sank on November 16, 1903.  However, the second S. N. Lapsley, also a steamer, built in Scotland and dedicated on December 15, 1906, served the mission for a quarter of a century.

William, on furlough in the United States in 1893, married Lucy, then teaching in Birmingham, Alabama.  Lucy joined her husband as a missionary in the Congo; they served until 1910.  Lucy opened the first school in the Presbyterian mission at Ibanche and founded the mission’s first women’s society.  She also proved invaluable in the publication of a hymnal, the first book printed in the Tshiluba dialect.  Furthermore, Lucy directed the mission’s choir.

During a period when Lucy had returned to the United States, William began a series of extramarital affairs.  This matter returned to haunt him after he completed his missionary service.

Above:  The Congo Free State, 1905

Image in the Public Domain

William courageously helped to expose the brutality of the Congo Free State, the private colony of King Leopold II of Belgium.  The penalty for a man who failed to meet his quota in rubber sap collection was the severing of his right hand.  Official discouragement of agriculture led to mass starvation.  William, accepting the suggestion of fellow missionary William Morrison that he investigate one incident, photographed partially dismembered bodies, 81 severed hands, and human flesh cooking over a fire while a raider from the Zappo-Zaps boasted.  (That tribe committed atrocities on behalf of rubber companies.)  William’s article, with photographs, appeared in Morrison’s missionary newspaper, the Kasai Herald, in January 1908.  The Kasai Rubber Company sued the two missionaries for libel.  With charges against Morrison dropped, William went on trial.  Equipped with witnesses and the support of the William Howard Taft Administration, our saint won.  The Belgian parliament took control of the Congo.

William also explored the terrain in the Congo.  His adventures earned him the nickname “the Black Livingstone.”

BACK IN THE UNITED STATES

William, suffering from Malaria, returned to the United States in 1910.  The PCUS, citing affairs, suspended him for fifteen months and revoked his missionary appointment.  William founded Grace Presbyterian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, in 1912.  He served as its pastor until 1927.

The Sheppards also collected African art; they were some of the first African Americans to do so.  Their collection has become the property of the Hampton University Museum.

Willam Henry Sheppard, Jr., aged 62 years, died in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 25, 1927.

Lucy Gantt Sheppard, aged 88 years, died in Louisville on May 27, 1955, after a long illness.  Survivors included two children, Wilhemina Sheppard Brown and Max Sheppard.

William’s epitaph is,

He lived for others.

That epitaph also applies to Samuel N. Lapsley and to Lucy.

CONCLUSION

The Presbytery of the Sheppards and Lapsley bears a good and an honorable name.    This name indicates lives devoted to the service of Christ–specifically, to people, for the glory of God.  That is a standard worth emulating.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 27, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF THOMAS GALLAUDET AND HENRY WINTER SYLE, EPISCOPAL PRIESTS AND EDUCATORS OF THE DEAF

THE FEAST OF SAINT AMADEUS OF CLERMONT, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK; AND HIS SON, SAINT AMADEUS OF LAUSANNE, FRENCH-SWISS ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP

THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMINIC BARBERI, ROMAN CATHOLIC APOSTLE TO ENGLAND

THE FEAST OF HENRIETTE LUISE VON HAYN, GERMAN MORAVIAN HYMN WRITER

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Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servants

William Henry Sheppard, Jr.;

Lucy Gantt Sheppard; and

Samuel N. Lapsley;

whom you called to preach the Gospel to the people of the Congo.

Raise up in this and every land evangelists and heralds of your kingdom,

that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Isaiah 52:7-10

Psalm 96 or 96:1-7

Acts 1:1-9

Luke 10:1-9

—Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 716

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And What Should Happen to Them

Bullies come in all ages.  Bullies exist in a variety of settings.  And bullies are menaces.  All institutions–such as schools–should have a zero-tolerance policy regarding bullies and bullying.

I, inspired by a generalized sense of beneficence and a specific sense of Judeo-Christian morality, usually manifest a liberal, broad-minded, generosity of spirit.  I abhor any form of prejudice against any human being.  I cannot reconcile the Golden Rule with support for discrimination, bigotry, and hatred.  So, if you, O reader, like, call me a radical, lily-livered leftist, a communist, or any other term you consider derogatory.  I may claim it as a compliment.  I am trying to live the love of God.

But my spine stiffens when I consider bullies.  My experiences as a victim of bullying from the early grades through high school have converted me into a hardliner regarding bullies.  They deserve to suffer the consequences of their actions.  They deserve no official mercy.  Bullies need to stop bullying immediately–one way or another.  If education, friendly persuasion, and appeals to sympathy do not work, harsh punishments are in order.

I can almost hear some readers of this post raising objections.  I assure such readers (as well as others) that I have done my homework, so to speak.  I recall the truism that

Children learn what they live.

I know that many bullies come from abusive homes.  This subset of bullies acts based on what they know, based on home life.  That is an explanation, not an excuse.  Intolerance of differences–even slight ones–is another cause of bullying.  Other people become bullies to avoid being victims of bullying.  And some people are simply bastards.

To be clear, I reject the concept of human illegitimacy.  So, in my lexicon, being a bastard is a matter of bad character.  If bullying is not a manifestation of bad character, I do not know what is.

I know the sting of bullying; I live with it long after the activity ceased.  I recall that, in the early grades, my classmates mocked me mercilessly over my lack of physical coordination.  I dreaded jumping jacks, especially.  I was always in when the others were out.  I was always out when the others were in.  And jumping jacks became occasions of psychological trauma.  This pattern continued until Physical Education ceased, eventually.  Then, one day at Valdosta State University, in the middle 1990s, I heard a casual reference to jumping jacks.  I froze in terror.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that my manner of doing jumping jacks functions as a metaphor for my life.  I have always been in when others have been out.  I have always been out when others have been in.  That has always caused troubles for me.

I never considered becoming a bully to cease being a victim of bullies and bullying.  The Golden Rule aside, why would I want to emulate people who treated me so badly?   Why would I consider them role models?

Being a long-term victim of bullies and bullying has affected my theology.  I accept human depravity, but not as an article of faith.  I do not need faith to affirm that for which I have proof.

Bullies need to learn that bullying is not acceptable behavior.  This must be a consistent, rigorous policy in all institutions that need such a policy.  In cases in which bullies require harsh punishment, I shed no tears for them and feel neither sympathy nor empathy for them.  No, I shed tears for and feel empathy for their victims.

I can almost hear another objection.  So, I address it.  Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.  Whenever I hear or read someone depict the God of the Hebrew Bible as a harsh, judgmental deity and the God of the New Testament as a divine teddy bear, I know that such a person needs to read both Testaments more closely.  In the Bible (both Hebrew and Christian), divine mercy on victims frequently takes the form of bad news for the victimizers.  This state of affairs describes reality, does it not?

As a matter of principle, I stand with victims, not victimizers.  Those who victimize pronounce judgment on themselves.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 26, 2022 COMMON ERA

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By Christ redeemed, in Christ restored,

Above:  The Flag of England

Image in the Public Domain

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GEORGE RAWSON (JUNE 5, 1807-MARCH 25, 1889)

English Congregationalist Hymn Writer

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We keep the memory adored,

And show the death of our dear Lord

Until he come.

–George Rawson (1876), quoted in The Hymnal Revised (1911), #336

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George Rawson comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church.

Rawson, born in Leeds, England, on June 5, 1807, was an attorney–a solicitor, to be precise–in Leeds for many years.  On the side, he wrote hymns and compiled hymnals.  Our saint wrote hymns under the pseudonym “A Leeds Layman” until friends persuaded him to publish under his name.  He compiled at least three hymnals:

1. Psalms, Hymns, and Passages of Scripture for Christian Worship; the Congregational Collection, a.k.a. The Leeds Hymn Book (1853);
2. Psalms and Hymns for the Use of the Baptist Denomination (1858); and
3. Hymns, Verses, and Chants (1876).

Rawson’s hymns included:

1. In the Dark and Cloudy Day;
2. Come to Our Poor Nature’s Night; and
3. Holy Ghost, the Infinite.

Our saint, aged 81 years, died in Clifton, England, on March 25, 1889.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 26, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN PAUL I, BISHOP OF ROME

THE FEAST OF FREDERICK WILLIAM HERZBERGER, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HUMANITARIAN, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT LEVKADIA HARASYMIV, UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC NUN, AND MARTYR, 1952

THE FEAST OF SAINTS LUIGI BELTRAME QUATTROCCHI AND MARIA CORSINI BELTRAME QUATTROCCHI, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC HUMANITARIANS

THE FEAST OF SAINT TERESA OF JESUS, JORNET Y IBARS, CATALAN ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE ABANDONED ELDERLY

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

thank you for those (especially George Rawson)

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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This is post #2400 of SUNDRY THOUGHTS.

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Even behind the hardest sacrifices and worst suffering stands God with his Fatherly love, who is satisfied with the good will of his children and gives them and others happiness.

Above:  Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig

Image in the Public Domain

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BLESSED ENGELMAR UNZEITIG (MARCH 1, 1911-MARCH 2, 1945)

German Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1945

Also known as Hubert Unzeitig and the “Angel of Dachau”

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–Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig, writing to his sister from Dachau

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The Good is undying and victory must remain with God, even if it sometimes seems useless for us to spread love in the world.  Nevertheless, one sees again and again that the human heart is attuned to love, and [the heart] cannot withstand [love’s] power in the long run, if [the heart] is truly based on God and not on creatures.  We want to continue to do and offer everything so that love and peace may soon reign again.

–Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig, writing a few days before his death

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Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via the Roman Catholic Church as well as Robert Ellsberg, All Saints:  Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time (1998).

Hubert Unzeitig was originally a subject of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  He entered the world at Greifendorf (now Hradec nad Svitavou, Czech Republic) on March 1, 1911.

Our saint commenced his religious life when he was 18 years old.  He traveled to Reimlingen, Germany, to join the Mariannhill Missionaries and to start his studies for the priesthood in 1929.  While engaging in theological studies, Unzeitig lived in Würzburg, Germany.  He made his final vows in May 1938 and received the name “Engelmar.”  Ordination to the priesthood occurred on August 6, 1939, shortly prior to the beginning of the European Theater of World War II.  Unzeitig, who celebrated his first Mass on August 15, 1939, commenced his parish ministry at Glöckelberg, Austria (now Zadni Zvonková, Czech Republic) the following year.

Our saint’s ministry in Glöckelberg was brief.  His practice of defending the Jews in sermons attracted the attention of the Gestapo.  Unzeitig, arrested on April 21, 1941, arrived at Dachau concentration camp on June 8 that year.

Unzeitig earned his nickname, the “Angel of Dachau.”  He regarded all prisoners as his flock.  Our saint learned Russian so that he could minister to prisoners from Eastern Europe.  He and twenty-six other priests volunteered to care for victims of typhoid fever in the autumn of 1944.  That disease claimed our saint’s life on March 2, 1945.  He was 34 years old.

Holy Mother Church has formally recognized Unzeitig.  Pope Benedict XVI declared him a Venerable in 2009.  Pope Francis made our saint a beatus in 2016.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 25, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF MICHAEL FARADAY, ENGLISH SCIENTIST

THE FEAST OF SAINT ANDREA BORDINO, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC LAY BROTHER

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA DEL TRÁNSITO DE JESÚS SACRAMENTADO, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE FRANCISCAN TERTIARY MISSIONARIES OF ARGENTINA

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA TRONCATTI, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOHN COPELAND, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN TRANSLATOR

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Almighty and everlasting God,

who kindled the flame of your love

in the heart of your holy martyr Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig:

Grant to us, your humble servants,

a like faith and power of love,

that we who rejoice in his triumph may profit by his example;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Jeremiah 15:15-21

Psalm 124 or 31:1-5

1 Peter 4:12-19

Mark 8:34-38

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 715

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Above:  The Flag of England

Image in the Public Domain

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JEAN BAPTISTE CALKIN (MARCH 16, 1827-MAY 15, 1905)

Anglican Organist and Composer

Jean Baptist Calkin 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.

Calkin, born in London, England, on March 16, 1827, was a church musician.  His first music teacher was his father, James Calkin (1786-1862), a composer.  Our saint distinguished himself, too.  He was the organist, precentor, and choirmaster at St. Columba’s College, Dublin, Ireland, before working as the organist at Woburn Chapel, London (1853-1857); Camden Road Chapel (11863-1868); and St. Thomas’s Church, Camden Town (1870-1874).  Calkin was also a member of the London Philharmonic Society, the Council of Trinity College, the faculty of the Guild School of Music, and the faculty of Croyden Conservatory.  Furthermore, our saint was a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.

Calkin composed Anglican services, service music, anthems, songs, hymn tunes, and works for organ.  Two of his hymn tunes were DOANE and WALTHAM.

Calkin, aged 78 years, died in London on May 15, 1905.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 24, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, MARTYR

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

thank you for those (especially Jean Baptiste Calkin)

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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