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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Above:  Hans and Sophie Scholl

Image in the Public Domain

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HANS SCHOLL (SEPTEMBER 22, 1918-FEBRUARY 22, 1943)

Anti-Nazi Martyr at Munich, Germany

brother of

SOPHIE SCHOLL (MAY 9, 1921-FEBRUARY 22, 1943)

Anti-Nazi Martyr at Munich, Germany

colleague of

CHRISTOPH PROBST (NOVEMBER 6, 1918-FEBRUARY 22, 1943)

Anti-Nazi Martyr at Munich, Germany

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Everywhere and at all times of greatest trial men have appeared, prophets and saints who cherished their freedom, who preached the One God and who with His help brought the people to a reversal of their downward course.  Man is free, to be sure, but without the true God he is defenseless against the principle of evil….We will not be silent.  We are your bad conscience.  The White Rose will not leave you in peace.

–A White Rose leaflet, quoted in Robert Ellsberg, All Saints:  Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time (New York:  The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997), page 88

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Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst were the core members of the White Rose, an anti-Nazi organization of university students at Munich founded in June 1942.  Hans was a medical student and a veteran of the Russian front.  His sister, Sophie, studied philosophy.  Their colleague, Christoph Probst, was also a medical student.  Members of the White Rose wrote and distributed anti-Nazi leaflets and wrote (in German, of course) “Down with Hitler” in public places.  Our saints’ Christian faith drove them to resist tyranny.  On February 18, 1943, agents of the Gestapo arrested the brother and sister while they were distributing leaflets.  Shortly thereafter the other members of the White Rose were also in custody.  Within four days the Scholls and Probst were dead (via guillotine), their penalty following their conviction on the charge of treason.

These saints knew that following the dictates of their consciences would be dangerous.  Yet they did what knew was correct.  In so doing they glorified God and stood up for their fellow human beings.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 6, 2016 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT NICETIUS OF TRIER, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND BISHOP; AND SAINT AREDIUS OF LIMOGES, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK

THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM OF KRATIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND HERMIT

THE FEAST OF HENRY USTICK ONDERDONK, EPISCOPAL BISHOP, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF MYRA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

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Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyrs

Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst

triumphed over suffering and were faithful even to death:

Grant us, who now remember them in thanksgiving,

to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world,

that we may receive with them the crown of life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 51:1-12

Psalm 116 or 116:1-8

Revelation 7:13-17

Luke 12:2-12

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 714

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Above:  St. Margaret of Cortona

Image in the Public Domain

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SAINT MARGARET OF CORTONA (1247-FEBRUARY 22, 1297)

Penitent and Foundress of the Poor Ones

St. Margaret of Cortona, born at Laviano, Umbria, in 1247, was a daughter of a farmer.  Her mother died when our saint was seven years old.  Eventually St. Margaret’s father remarried; his second wife thought of our saint as a nuisance.  For nine years St. Margaret was the mistress of a nobleman of Montepulciano, whose child she bore.  Our saint, interpreting her lover’s murder by brigands in 1274 as not only an unfortunate event but a message from God that she should never have entered into that relationship, became a penitent.  When she attempted to return to her father’s home, he turned her and his grandchild away.  Fortunately, the Franciscans at Cortona, Tuscany, took them in.  Nevertheless, St. Margaret continue to have affairs.  She also felt self-loathing after each liaison.

Eventually, however, St. Margaret turned a spiritual corner.  She began to take care of sick women.  Then she cared for poor women without charge while she lived on alms.  In 1777 our saint became a Franciscan tertiary.  She had an intense prayer life and reported ecstasies.  In 1286 St. Margaret gathered a congregation of women (the Poor Ones) around her to care for the sick poor.  She also founded a hospital at Cortona, preached against vice, and had a devotion to the Eucharist and the Passion.  Despite her reformed life, marked by a plethora of good works, St. Margaret remained a target of much malicious gossip.

St. Margaret died at Cortona on February 22, 1297.  She was either 49 or 50 years old.  Pope Leo X beatified her in 1516.  Pope Benedict XIII canonized our saint in 1728.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 6, 2016 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT NICETIUS OF TRIER, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND BISHOP; AND SAINT AREDIUS OF LIMOGES, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK

THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM OF KRATIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND HERMIT

THE FEAST OF HENRY USTICK ONDERDONK, EPISCOPAL BISHOP, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF MYRA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

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Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made

us one with your saints in heaven and on earth:

Grant that in our earthly pilgrimage we may always

be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer,

and know ourselves to be surrounded by

their witnesses to your power and mercy.

We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, in whom

all our intercessions are acceptable through your Spirit,

and who lives and reigns for ever and ever.  Amen.

Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 2:7-11

Psalm 1

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Matthew 25:1-13

—Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 726

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Above:  The Union Jack

Image in the Public Domain

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THOMAS BINNEY (APRIL 30, 1798-FEBRUARY 24, 1874)

English Congregationalist Minister, Liturgist, and “Archbishop of Nonconformity”

Thomas Binney, raised in a Presbyterian family, educated himself while apprenticing under a bookseller.  The saint became a Congregationalist (notnfar from the tree; still Reformed), studied at the theological seminary at Coward College, Wymondley, Herts, and became an ordained minister.  He served congregations at Bedford, then the Isle of Wight before becoming senior pastor of Weigh House Chapel (founded in 1695), London, where he had a reputation as one of the greatest preachers in England.

Binney was a man of strong opinions.  He opposed slavery actively.   He also argued against The Church of England vigorously while being on friendly terms with some C of E bishops and participating in at least one interdenominational service with one in Australia.  Binney might have thought that The Church of England had damned more souls than it had saved, but he did not find everyone in it objectionable.  (Aside:  I, as an Episcopalian, have a different opinion of The Church of England.)  Binney also pioneered a relatively high order of worship, introducing chants and anthems into the services at Weigh House Chapel.  That was radical by the standards of the day, given the historic Calvinist principle of Jure Divino and how many adherents had interpreted it for so long.  He also published Historical Sketches on the Liturgical Forms of the Reformed Churches, by Charles W. Baird, of New York, New York.    The saint wrote the introduction and an appendix, asking,

Are Dissenters to have a Liturgy?

Binney also wrote many devotional poems–

cart loads,

he said.  Among them was “Eternal Light, which he composed at Newport, Isle of Wight, in 1826.

Eternal Light! Eternal Light!

How pure that soul must be,

When, placed within thy searching sight,

It shrinks not, but with calm delight

Can live, and look on thee.

O how shall I, whose native sphere

Is dark, whose mid is dim,

Before the Ineffable appear,

And on my naked spirit bear

The uncreated beam?

There is no way for man to rise

To that sublime abode;

An offering and a sacrifice,

A Holy Spirit’s energies,

An Advocate with God:

These, these prepare us for the sight

Of holiness above:

The sons of ignorance and night

May dwell in the eternal Light,

Through the eternal Love!

Binney also headed the Congregational Union of England and Wales, which, along with the former Presbyterian Church of England, has become part of The United Reformed Church.

The congregation of Weigh House Chapel disbanded in 1966.  Their former building has become home of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 17, 2012 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF MARIA STEWART, EDUCATOR

THE FEAST OF EGLANTYNE JEBB, FOUNDER OF SAVE THE CHILDREN

THE FEAST OF FRANK MASON NORTH, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER

THE FEAST OF SAINT OLYMPIAS, ORTHODOX DEACONESS

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

thank you for those (especially Thomas Binney)

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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Revised on December 9, 2016

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Above:  Gaul in 561 C.E.

Image in the Public Domain

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SAINT PRAETEXTATUS (DIED 586)

Roman Catholic Bishop of Rouen

St. Praetextatus , Bishop of Rouen from 549 to 586, became caught up in struggles among sons of Clotaire/Lothair I, King of Soissons from 511 to 558 and King of all Franks from 558 to 561.  Clotaire/Lothair I had four sons:

• Chilperic I, King of Soissons from 561 to 584
• Sigebert I, King of Austrasia from 561 to 575
• Charibert I, King of Paris from 561 to 567
• Guntram, King of Burgundy from 561 to 593.

Fredegunde, Chilperic I’s mistress then wife, caused the murder of Sigebert I and his sons, and probably of her husband as well, so that Clotaire/Lothair II, her son, the King of Neustria (from 584), could become King of all Franks, which he was from 613 to 629.  The bishop denounced her actions, so he had to go into exile.  The saint had, by his own admission, aided Chilperic I’s son, Meroveus, in an uprising.  Chilperic I died in 584, at which point Guntram, King of Burgundy, permitted St. Praetextatus to return.  Yet Fredegunde sent an assassin, who proved successful.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 8, 2011 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF MARTIN RINCKART, ARCHDEACON OF EILENBURG

THE FEAST OF RICHARD BAXTER, ANGLICAN THEOLOGIAN

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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 Saint Praetextatus,

whose faithfulness led to the way of the cross,

and give us courage to bear full witness with our lives

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

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Revised on December 5, 2016

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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.

Lent Begins

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

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The Assigned Readings for This Feast:

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12

Psalm 103 or Psalm 103:8-14

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

The Collect:

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Lent is a time to prepare for Easter.  The forty days of this season exclude the Sundays which fall within its timespan, hence the distinction between a day of Lent and a Sunday in Lent.

I invite you, O reader, to maintain a holy Lent.  There is more than one way to do this, and the best way to do it is the method which works for you.  Some suggestions follow:

1. Fast one meal per day.
2. Eat simpler meals than previously.
3. Give up a bad habit.
4. Take up a good habit.
5. Increase your prayer time.
6. Study the Bible more than before.

LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS (http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/) contains Lenten devotions specified per day and filed in the monthly “Church Calendar” categories.  Perhaps they will prove useful to you.  Writing and revising them is certainly a healthy spiritual exercise for me.

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and always.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR