Above:  Edward Shippen Barnes

Image Source = hymntime.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Above:  The Flag of Saxe-Weimer-Eisenach

Image in the Public Domain

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Above:  James Drummond Burns

Image Source = hymntime.com

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

JAMES DRUMMOND BURNS (FEBRUARY 18, 1823-NOVEMBER 17, 1864)

Scottish Presbyterian Minister, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator

James Drummond Burns lived for fewer than 42 years, but he made them count for God.  Our saint, born at Edinburgh, Scotland, on February 18, 1823, studied at Edinburgh.  He was a theology student in 1843, the year of the Disruption in The Church of Scotland. Burns left The Church of Scotland for the new Free Church of Scotland.  Two years later he became the Free Church minister at Dunblane.  In 1847, however, bad health (specifically, pulmonary problems) forced him to leave.  Our saint began to serve at Funchal, Madera.  His health improved to the point that, in 1855, he was able to transfer to the new Presbyterian Church of England congregation in Hampstead, in the metropolitan London area.  This was his final pastorate.  In 1863 our saint’s health took a last turn for the worse; he contracted a cold that caused more lung-related problems for him.  Burns died at Mentone, France, where he was attempting to recover his health.  He was 41 years old.

Burns, known for

his fine personality, attractive voice, and big heart

–Armin Haeussler, The Story of Our Hymns  The Handbook to the Hymnal of the Evangelical and Reformed Church (1952), page 574,

left a written legacy, which included original hymns and 39 translations of hymns from German.  He also published sermons, wrote the article of hymns for the eighth edition of The Encyclopedia Britannica, as well as two volumes of poetry (The Vision of Prophecy and Other Poems, 1854; and The Heavenly Jerusalem, or Glimpses Within the Gates, 1856).

Certainly Burns deserves a place on an official calendar of saints.  That is a matter for others, those in positions of influence in the lives of various denominations, to pursue.  As for me, I do what I can; I add him to my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 4, 2016 COMMON ERA

THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A

THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN OF DAMASCUS AND COSMAS OF MAIUMA, THEOLOGIANS AND HYMNODISTS

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN CALABRIA, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE POOR SERVANTS AND THE POOR WOMEN SERVANTS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE

THE FEAST OF JOSEPH MOHR, AUSTRIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF THOMAS COTTERILL, ENGLISH PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGIST

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear God of beauty,

you have granted literary ability and spiritual sensitivity to

James Drummond Burns 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

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Above:  Shapur II and Shapur III

Image in the Public Domain

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SAINT BARBASYMAS (DIED IN 342)

Bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon

His feast transferred from January 14

+++++++++++++++++++

SAINT SADOTH OF SELEUCIA (DIED IN 342)

Bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon

His feast = February 18

+++++++++++++++++++

Shapur II the Great (reigned 309-379) of the Sassanid Empire persecuted Christians.  By 342 his forces captured St. Barbasymas, the Bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, and 16 priests.  Authorities offered the bishop of a cup filled with gold coins in exchange for committing idolatry; he rejected the offer.  He and his 16 companions died (via beheading) for their faith.  The next Bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon was St. Sadoth of Seleucia.  He, previously a bishop serving under St. Barbasymas, had attended the Council of Nicaea (325).  The new bishop, his priests, deacons, and nuns went into hiding.  Imperial authorities arrested St. Sadoth and 128 priests, deacons, and nuns then executed most of them immediately.  Those authorities kept St. Sadoth and some of his companions alive, however.  These agents incarcerated and tortured them and offered to spare them in exchange for idolatry.  Nobody accepted the offer.  These Christians became martyrs outside the walls of Seleucia in 342.

The Church in the region survived, of course.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 4, 2016 COMMON ERA

THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A

THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN OF DAMASCUS AND COSMAS OF MAIUMA, THEOLOGIANS AND HYMNODISTS

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN CALABRIA, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE POOR SERVANTS AND THE POOR WOMEN SERVANTS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE

THE FEAST OF JOSEPH MOHR, AUSTRIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF THOMAS COTTERILL, ENGLISH PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGIST

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Gracious God, in every age you have sent men and women

who have given their lives in witness to your love and truth.

Inspire us with the memory of St. Barbasymas, St. Sadoth of Seleucia, and their companions,

whose faithfulness led to the way of the cross,

and give us courage to bear full witness with our lies to your Son’s victory over sin and death,

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

Ezekiel 20:40-42

Psalm 5

Revelation 6:9-11

Mark 8:34-38

–Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 59

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Above:  England in 600 C.E.

Image in the Public Domain

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SAINT COLMAN OF LINDISFARNE (CIRCA 605-676)

Celtic Bishop of Lindisfarne

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SAINT AGILBERT (DIED CIRCA 685)

Roman Catholic Bishop of Dorcester and Bishop of Paris

His feast transferred from October 11

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SAINT WILFRID (634-709)

Roman Catholic Bishop of York, Bishop of Lichfield, and Bishop of Hexham

His feast transferred from October 12

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A calendar of saints ought to reflect the breadth and width of Christian traditions.  Consider the Roman Catholic calendar, for example:  it contains feasts for Sts. Colman of Lindisfarne, Agilbert, and Wilfred.  The first disagreed strongly with the other two.  The short version of their common story follows.

St. Colman of Lindisfarne, Irish-born, entered Iona monastery under St. Columba.  He became the third Bishop of Lindisfarne.  In that capacity St. Colman attended the Synod of Whiby (664), where he argued for Celtic practices which contradicted Roman Catholic ones.  He lost that argument, resigned as bishop, and founded a new monastery (on the island of Inishbofin) for English and Irish monks who agreed with him.  When disputes erupted between the English and Irish monks, St. Colman founded a second monastery and served as abbot of both.

St. Agilbert, a Frank, studied at a West Saxon monastery before becoming a missionary bishop.  He ordained St. Wilfrid.  He and St. Wilfrid argued for the Roman practices at the Synod of Whitby.  St. Agilbert returned to France, becoming Bishop of Paris in 668, after King Cuenwald of the West Saxons divided his diocese.  A few years later, St. Agilbert declined the king’s invitation to return to England.  The saint sent his nephew instead.

St. Wilfrid, educated at Lindisfarne and Canterbury, became an advocate of Roman practices over Celtic ones.  He left for the European continent in 654, living alternatively in Rome and Lyons for a few years.  St. Wilfrid became abbot at Ripon in 660, where he introduced the Rule of St. Benedict and became a leader in replacing Celtic rites and practices with Roman ones.  St. Wilfrid, on the winning side at the Synod of Whitby (664), became Bishop of York.  Ordained by non-schismatic bishops in France in 666, St. Wilfrid returned to England to find that one St. Chad was the new Bishop of York.  St. Wilfrid chose not to contest this fact; he returned to Ripon instead.  St. Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, made St. Wilfrid the Bishop of York in 669.  Eight years later, in 677, St. Wilfrid appealed to Rome because King Egfrid had divided the Diocese of York and deposed him.  Rome overruled the king in 680, at which point the king imprisoned St. Wilfrid for nine months.  The liberated bishop went to Sussex, where he converted almost everyone and founded a monastery.  King Aldfrid, Egfrid’s successor, recalled St. Wilfrid to Ripon in 686 yet exiled him five years later. St. Wilfrid filled the vacant See of Lichfield.  In 703, he refused an order from Berhtwald, Archbishop of Canterbury, to resign as Bishop of Lichfield and return to Ripon.  Rome upheld the bishop.  In 705, after Aldfrid died, St. Wilfrid became Bishop of Hexham.  He died at St. Andrew’s Monastery in Oundle, Northhamptonshire, during a visitation.

Christians will disagree, of course.  Yet this fact need not override our unity in Christ.  These three men served Christ, each in his own way.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 6, 2011 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF MYRA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF PHILIP BERRIGAN, SOCIAL ACTIVIST

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Almighty God,

you raised up faithful bishops of your church,

including your servants

Saint Colman of Lindisfarne,

Saint Agilbert,

and Saint Wilfrid.

May the memory of his life be a source of joy for us and a bulwark of our faith,

so that we may serve and confess your name before the world,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Ezekiel 34:11-16 or Acts 20:17-35

Psalm 84

1 Peter 5:1-4 or Ephesians 3:14-21

John 21:15-17 or Matthew 24:42-47

–Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 60

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Revised on December 2, 2016

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Winter, by Hendrick Avercamp

Image in the Public Domain

1 (Henry Morse, English Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1645)

• Benedict Daswa, South African Roman Catholic Catechist and Martyr, 1990
• Charles Seymour Robinson, U.S. Presbyterian Minister, Hymn Writer, and Hymnologist
• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian Roman Catholic Composer and Musician
• Mitchell J. Dahood, Roman Catholic Priest and Biblical Scholar
• Sigebert III, King of Austrasia

2 (PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE)

3 (Anskar and Rimbert, Roman Catholic Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen)

• Adelaide Anne Procter, English Poet and Feminist
• Alfred Delp, German Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1945
• James Nicholas Joubert and Marie Elizabeth Lange, Founders of the Oblate Sisters of Providence
• Jemima Thompson Luke, English Congregationalist Hymn Writer; and James Edmeston, Anglican Hymn Writer
• Samuel Davies, American Presbyterian Minister and Hymn Writer

4 (CORNELIUS THE CENTURION)

5 (Martyrs of Japan, 1597-1639)

• Avitus of Vienne, Roman Catholic Bishop
• Jane (Joan) of Valois, Co-Founder of the Sisters of the Annunciation
• Pedro Arrupe, Advocate for the Poor and Marginalized, and Superior General of the Society of Jesus
• Phileas and Philoromus, Roman Catholic Martyrs, 304

6 (Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, Poet and Hymn Writer)

• Danny Thomas, U.S. Roman Catholic Entertainer and Humanitarian; Founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
• Mateo Correa-Magallanes and Miguel Agustin Pro, Mexican Roman Catholic Priests and Martyrs, 1927
• Vedast (Vaast), Roman Catholic Bishop of Arras and Cambrai

7 (Helder Camara, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Olinda and Recife)

• Adalbert Nierychlewski, Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1942
• Daniel J. Harrington, U.S. Roman Catholic Priest and Biblical Scholar
• Gregorio Allegri, Italian Roman Catholic Priest, Composer, and Singer; brother of Domenico Allegri, Italian Roman Catholic Composer and Singer
• Moses, Apostle to the Saracens
• William Boyce and John Alcock, Anglican Composers

8 (Josephine Bakhita, Roman Catholic Nun)

• Cornelia Hancock, U.S. Quaker Nurse, Educator, and Humanitarian; “Florence Nightingale of North America”
• Jerome Emiliani, Founder of the Company of the Servants of the Poor
• John of Matha and Felix of Valois, Founders of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity
• Josephina Gabriella Bonino, Founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family

9 (Bruce M. Metzger, U.S. Presbyterian Minister, Biblical Scholar, and Biblical Translator)

• Alto of Altomunster, Roman Catholic Hermit
• Porfirio, Martyr, 203

10 (Scholastica, Abbess of Plombariola; and her twin brother, Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino and Father of Western Monasticism)

• Benedict of Aniane, Restorer of Western Monasticism; and Ardo, Roman Catholic Abbot
• Henry Williams Baker, Anglican Priest, Hymnal Editor, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator
• Norbert of Xanten, Founder of the Premonstratensians; Hugh of Fosses, Second Founder of the Premonstratensians; and Evermod, Bishop of Ratzeburg
• Philip Armes, Anglican Church Organist

11 (ONESIMUS, BISHOP OF BYZANTIUM)

12 (Absalom Jones, Richard Allen, and Jarena Lee, Evangelists and Social Activists)

• Benjamin Schmolck, German Lutheran Pastor and Hymn Writer
• Charles Freer Andrews, Anglican Priest
• Julia Williams Garnet, African-American Abolitionist and Educator; her husband, Henry Highland Garnet, African-American Presbyterian Minister and Abolitionist; his second wife, Sarah J. Smith Tompkins Garnet, African-American Suffragette and Educator; her sister, Susan Maria Smith McKinney Steward, African-American Physician; and her second husband, Theophilus Gould Steward, U.S. African Methodist Episcopal Minister, Army Chaplain, and Professor
• Michael Weisse, German Moravian Minister and Hymn Writer and Translator; and Jan Roh, Bohemian Moravian Bishop and Hymn Writer
• Orange Scott, U.S. Methodist Minister, Abolitionist, and first President of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection

13 (AQUILA, PRISCILLA, AND APOLLOS, CO-WORKERS OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE)

14 (Abraham of Carrhae, Roman Catholic Bishop)

• Christoph Carl Ludwig von Pfeil, German Lutheran Hymn Writer
• Cyril and Methodius, Apostles to the Slavs
• Francis Harold Rowley, Northern Baptist Minister, Humanitarian, and Hymn Writer
• Johann Michael Altenburg, German Lutheran Pastor, Composer, and Hymn Writer
• Victor Olof Petersen, Swedish-American Lutheran Hymn Translator

15 (New Martyrs of Libya, 2015)

• Ben Salmon, U.S. Roman Catholic Pacifist and Conscientious Objector
• Henry B. Whipple, Episcopal Bishop of Minnesota
• John Tietjen, U.S. Lutheran Minister, Ecumenist, and Bishop
• Michael Praetorius, German Lutheran Composer and Musicologist
• Thomas Bray, Anglican Priest and Missionary

16 (Philipp Melanchthon, German Lutheran Theologian and Scribe of the Reformation)

• Charles Todd Quintard, Episcopal Bishop of Tennessee
• Christian Frederick Martin, Sr., and Charles Augustus Zoebisch, German-American Instrument Makers
• Louis (Lewis) F. Kampmann, U.S. Moravian Minister, Missionary, and Hymn Translator
• Nicholas Kasatkin, Orthodox Archbishop of All Japan

17 (August Crull, German-American Lutheran Minister, Poet, Professor, Hymnodist, and Hymn Translator)

• Antoni Leszczewicz, Polish Roman Catholic Priest, and His Companions, Martyrs, 1943
• Edward Hopper, U.S. Presbyterian Minister and Hymn Writer
• Janini Luwum, Ugandan Anglican Archbishop and Martyr, 1977
• Johann Heermann, German Lutheran Minister and Hymn Writer
• John Meyendorff, Russian-French-American Orthodox Priest, Scholar, and Ecumenist

18 (Colman of Lindisfarne, Agilbert, and Wilfrid, Bishops)

• Barbasymas, Sadoth of Seleucia, and Their Companions, Martyrs, 342
• Guido di Pietro, a.k.a. Fra Angelico, Roman Catholic Monk and Artist
• James Drummond Burns, Scottish Presbyterian Minister, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator

19 (Nerses I the Great, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church; and Mesrop, Bible Translator)

• Agnes Tsao Kou Ying, Agatha Lin Zhao, and Lucy Yi Zhenmei, Chinese Roman Catholic Catechists and Martyrs, 1856, 1858, and 1862; Auguste Chapdelaine, French Roman Catholic Priest, Missionary, and Martyr, 1856; and Laurentius Bai Xiaoman, Chinese Roman Catholic Convert and Martyr, 1856
• Bernard Barton, English Quaker Poet and Hymn Writer
• Elizabeth C. Clephane, Scottish Presbyterian Humanitarian and Hymn Writer
• Massey H. Shepherd, Jr., Episcopal Priest, Ecumenist, and Liturgist; Dean of American Liturgists

20 (Henri de Lucac, French Roman Catholic Priest, Cardinal, and Theologian)

• Stanislawa Rodzinska, Polish Roman Catholic Nun and Martyr, 1945
• Wulfric of Haselbury, Roman Catholic Hermit

21 (John Henry Newman, English Roman Catholic Priest-Cardinal)

• Arnulf of Metz, Roman Catholic Bishop; and Germanus of Granfel, Roman Catholic Abbot and Martyr, 677
• Robert Southwell, English Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1595
• Thomas Pormort, English Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1592

22 (Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst, Anti-Nazi Martyrs at Munich, Germany, 1943)

• Bernhardt Severin Ingemann, Danish Lutheran Author and Hymn Writer
• Margaret of Cortona, Penitent and Founder of the Poor Ones
• Praetextatus, Roman Catholic Bishop of Rouen
• Thomas Binney, English Congregationalist Minister, Liturgist, and “Archbishop of Nonconformity”

23 (Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, and Irenaeus of Lyons, Bishops and Martyrs, 107/115, 155/156, and Circa 202)

• Alexander Akimetes, Roman Catholic Abbot
• Austin Carroll (Margaret Anne Carroll), Irish-American Roman Catholic Nun, Author, and Educator
• Samuel Wolcott, U.S. Congregationalist Minister, Missionary, and Hymn Writer
• Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski, Polish Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1945
• Willigis, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Mainz; and Bernward, Roman Catholic Bishop of Hildesheim

24 (MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE, MARTYR)

25 (Gregory of Nazianzus the Elder, Nonna, and Their Children:  Gregory of Nazianzus the Younger, Caesarius of Nazianzus, and Gorgonia of Nazianzus)

• Bernhardt Severin Ingemann, Danish Lutheran Author and Hymn Writer
• Felix Varela, Cuban Roman Catholic Priest and Patriot
• John Roberts, Episcopal Missionary to the Shoshone and Arapahoe
• Karl Friedrich Lochner, German Lutheran Minister and Hymn Writer
• Theodor Fliedner, Renewer of the Female Diaconate; and Elizabeth Fedde, Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess

26 (Antonio Valdivieso, Roman Catholic Bishop of Leon, and Martyr, 1495)

• Andrew Reed, English Congregationalist Minister, Humanitarian, and Hymn Writer
• Charles Sheldon, U.S. Congregationalist Minister, Author, Christian Socialist, and Social Gospel Theologian
• Emily Malbone Morgan, Founder of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross
• Jakob Hutter, Founder of the Hutterities, and Anabaptist Martyr, 1536; and his wife, Katharina Hutter, Anabaptist Martyr, 1538
• Paula of Saint Joseph of Calasanz, Founder of the Daughters of Mary

27 (Nicholas Ferrar, Anglican Deacon and Founder of Little Gidding; George Herbert, Anglican Priest and Metaphysical Poet; and All Saintly Parish Priests)

• Anne Line and Roger Filcock, English Roman Catholic Martyrs, 1601
• Fred Rogers, U.S. Presbyterian Minister and Host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
• Gabriel Possenti, Roman Catholic Penitent
• Marian Anderson, African-American Singer and Civil Rights Activist
• Raphael of Brooklyn, Syrian-American Russian Orthodox Bishop of Brooklyn

28 (Anna Julia Haywood Cooper and Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, African-American Educators)

• Mary Lyon, U.S. Congregationalist Feminist and Educator
• Joseph Badger, Sr., U.S. Congregationalist and Presbyterian Minister; First Missionary to the Western Reserve
• Samuel Simon Schmucker, U.S. Lutheran Minister, Theologian, and Social Reformer

29 (John Cassian and John Climacus, Roman Catholic Monks and Spiritual Writers)

• Luis de Leon, Spanish Roman Catholic Priest and Theologian
• Patrick Hamilton, First Scottish Protestant Martyr, 1528

Lowercase boldface on a date with two or more commemorations indicates a primary feast.

The Day of Judgement, by St. Guido di Pietro (Fra Angelico)

Image in the Public Domain

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BLESSED GUIDO DI PIETRO (1387/1395-FEBRUARY 18, 1455)

Roman Catholic Monk and Artist

“Why do we need miracles?  These are his miracles.”

–Pope John Paul II speaking of Fra Angelico’s paintings at the beatification ceremony, 1982

I remember attending a Lay Ministries Conference at Honey Creek, the camp and conference center of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, years ago.  (I attended several of these over time.)  The main speaker at one conference stated an obvious fact:  Much great religious art is Roman Catholic in origin, but very little of such art comes from Low Church Protestant quarters.  Iconoclastic tendencies account for this.  Indeed, Roman Catholicism is a profoundly visual form of Christianity.  And this art is an expression of deep faith.

St. Lawrence Receives the Treasures of the Church, by Fra Angelico

Such is the case with St. Guido di Pietro.  Born in Vicchio, Italy, Guido joined the Dominicans, where he received the nickname Fra Angelico, which means “Angelic Brother.”  He rose to become Prior of the monastery at Fiesole from 1449 to 1552, but the saint’s main legacy and expression of his faith and his holy life was his art.

The Transfiguration, by Fra Angelico

The saint painted exclusively religious subjects, for this was a form of prayer for him.  He painted murals for convents and the Vatican.  And he painted magnificent altar pieces.  And, centuries later, we who live today can admire the beauty and the craftsmanship of the art, as well as what informed it.

The Eastern Orthodox have a profound saying:  “Beauty will save the world.”  We all need beauty.  As I write this sentence I think about the cacophony of shouting matches that is much of the media:  talk radio, many weblogs and other websites, and much of what passes for cable news programming.  There, strong opinions and decibel levels (often in combination) are more highly praised than are objective reality and reasoned discussion.  We need beauty more than ever.  We need to turn off many media outlets, ignore loud and poorly-informed people, and be quiet.  We need to admire art and contemplate poetry.  We need to remember that God is found in quietness, not the sound of the whirlwind.  We need more people like Fra Angelico.

Beauty will save us, if we give it the chance to do so.  This beauty exists in both overtly religious art (of all formats, including music) and secular works.  How often have I melted into a Wagner opera or a Beethoven symphony?  Too many times to count.  And I have become one with some Shostakovich works.  I have found God in all these places (and many more very much like it), too.

Now, instead of choosing the standard collect and readings for an artist, as found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, the 2006 hymnal and worship book of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, I provide my own.  Readings that have some bearing specifically on the saint are a better choice.

Beloved God, you are the Lord and Master of all that is beautiful and ennobling.  May we rejoice in the example of Fra Angelico and all others whose creative output is a form of prayer.  And may we encourage such prayer as we have opportunity to do so, and engage in ourselves, if you have called us to that good work.  For you are the sculptor of our talents, and we are your handiwork.  In the name of God, who continues to create.  Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Psalm 96

Philippians 4:4-9

Matthew 22:34-40

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

OCTOBER 25, 2010 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF ANGELINA AND SARAH GRIMKE, ABOLITIONISTS

THE FEAST OF VINCENT PRICE, ACTOR

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Revised on December 2, 2016

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++