Archive for the ‘January 16’ Category
Above: Roberto de Nobili
Image in the Public Domain
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ROBERTO DE NOBILI (1577-JANUARY 16, 1656)
Roman Catholic Missionary in India
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Roberto de Nobili comes to the Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days from The Book of Worship of the Church of North India (1995).
De Nobili, born to Italian nobility in Montepulciano, Tuscany, in 1577, devoted his adult life to God. He joined the Society of Jesus at Naples in 1597. The order sent him to southern India. Our saint sailed for India in October 1604 and arrived in Goa in May 1605. De Nobili moved to Madurai, Tamil Nadu, in November 1606. Within a year he mastered the Tamil, Telugu, and Sanskrit languages. He met Goncalo Fernandez, a fellow Jesuit who had labored as a missionary for a decade without converting one person. De Nobili concluded that proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in a manner agreeable to Hindu Brahmin culture might succeed.
So our saint pursued that strategy for half a century. De Nobili dressed like a Hindu holy man and preached to people from all castes, converting many of them. He pioneered a controversial method of evangelism, on of which Pope Gregory XV approved in 1623. The perception of Christianity among many Hindus was that it was the religion of the invaders, and therefore undesirable. De Nobili sought to overcome this problem. He worked at Madura, Mysore, and Karotic. Our saint wrote catechisms and apologetic works, translated prayers into indigenous languages, and pioneered a missionary strategy other Jesuits followed. He preached the gospel of Jesus Christ constantly, even during times of incarceration, such as at Madura from 1639 to 1641. Eventually blindness and bad health forced de Nobili to retire. He died at Mylapore on January 16, 1656.
De Nobili’s mission, successful in the short term, failed in the long term. By 1740 the number of Indian Christians exceeded 100,000. In 1744, however, Pope Benedict XIV suppressed the methods de Nobili favored. This did not help, but it did not change the fact that de Nobili and his successors, despite their best efforts, never changed the widespread perception among Hindus that Christianity was the religion of the invaders.
De Nobili has remained a subject of criticism, much of it vitriolic. Certain websites (especially weblogs) I have found via a Google search have perpetuated accusations that he was a bad person–either a heretic or an imperialist–but still a proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. Southern Baptist missionary Cody C. Lorance offered a nuanced critique in 2005. He was generally sympathetic toward de Nobili while arguing that the Jesuit contributed to the longterm failure of that missionary venture. De Nobili, Lorance argued, should have translated the Bible or parts thereof, as Lutheran Bartholomeaus Ziegenbalg did subsequently. The reason for that failure was the politics of the Counter-Reformation. Lorance also criticized de Nobili for failing to encourage the education of Indians as priests and attributed that failure to cultural biases.
Certainly de Nobili, being a human being, was imperfect. Yes, he could and should have done some things differently than he did.
Despite the validity of some criticisms of de Nobili and his tactics, I choose to focus on the positive.
De Nobili could have lived in relative comfort in Europe, but he chose to serve God in a foreign land. He subjected himself to decades of hardship, including years of incarceration. Through it all he proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ consistently.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 19, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS OF HUNGARY AND HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF ALICE NEVIN, U.S. GERMAN REFORMED LITURGIST AND COMPOSER OF HYMN TEXTS
THE FEAST OF F. BLAND TUCKER, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF JOHANN HERMANN SCHEIN, GERMAN LUTHERAN COMPOSER
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Almighty God, who called your Church to witness that you were in
Christ reconciling men to yourself: Help us so to proclaim the good news of your love,
that all who hear it may be reconciled to you; through him who died for us and rose again
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Isaiah 49:1-6
Psalm 97 or 100
Ephesians 2:13-22
Matthew 28:16-20
—Alternative Prayer Book 1984, page 750
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Above: The Flag of the Anglican Communion
Image in the Public Domain
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Image in the Public Domain
RICHARD MEUX BENSON (JULY 6, 1824-JANUARY 14, 1915)
Anglican Priest and Cofounder of the Society of St. John the Evangelist
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Image in the Public Domain
CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON (APRIL 12, 1830-AUGUST 30, 1912)
Episcopal Priest, Cofounder of the Society of St. John the Baptist, and Bishop of Fond du Lac
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Image in the Public Domain
CHARLES GORE (JANUARY 22, 1853-JANUARY 17, 1932)
Anglican Bishop of Worcester, Birmingham, and Oxford; Founder of the Community of the Resurrection; Theologian; and Advocate for Social Justice and World Peace
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PROLOGUE
January 16 and 17 seem to be auspicious days for celebrating founders of monastic orders. So far the list has consisted of St. Antony of Egypt and St. Pachomius the Great. With this post I remain within the theme yet depart antiquity for the 1800s. Richard Meux Benson, Charles Chapman Grafton, and Charles Gore join the company of saints at this weblog. The Church of England celebrates Gore’s life on January 17. The Episcopal Church celebrates the lives of Gore and Benson on January 16 and the life of Grafton on August 30. I have decided to follow the Episcopalian practice of joining Benson and Gore on January 16 and to depart from the Episcopalian practice of commemorating Grafton on August 30. A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days is my project–one of my hobbies–so I have full authority with regard to it.
RICHARD MEUX BENSON, PART I
This composite account begins with Richard Meux Benson, born to a wealthy family in London, England, the United Kingdom, on July 6, 1824. He, tutored privately at home for years, went on to attend Christ Church, Oxford, where he met to major influences, the Tractarians Edward Bouverie Pusey (1800-1882) and John Henry Newman (1801-1890). Our saint graduated with his B.A. in 1847 and his M.A. two years later. Benson took Anglican Holy Orders in 1849, served briefly as the Curate of St. Mark’s, Surbiton (1849-1850), then became the Vicar of Cowley, Oxford (1850-1886). In 1865, at Cowley, he, along with two other priests, founded the Mission Priests of St. John the Evangelist, which became the Society of St. John the Evangelist (S.S.J.E.) the following year. The S.S.J.E. became the first stable Anglican religious order for men founded since the English Reformation. Members, who were active in the outside world, lived communally, recited the Divine Office together daily, meditated privately at least one hour daily when possible, and spent designated days on spiritual retreats and in silence.
CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, PART I
The two cofounders of the S.S.J.E. were Father Simeon Wilberforce O’Neill and Father Charles Chapman Grafton. The latter, a native of the United States, had started his sojourn in England. Grafton, born to a wealthy family in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 12, 1830, had entered the ordained life after graduating from Harvard Law School in 1853. He, after studying with the Right Reverend William Rollinson Whittingham, the Bishop of Maryland from 1840 to 1879, entered the Sacred Order of Deacons on December 23, 1855. Grafton served at Reisterstown, Maryland, for a few years. He became a priest on May 30, 1858. Next he served as the Curate of St. Paul’s Church, Baltimore, and as the Chaplain of Deaconesses in the Diocese of Maryland. Our saint lived in England from 1865 to 1872.
RICHARD MEUX BENSON, PART II
Benson served at Cowley until 1886, when he resigned to devote his full attention to the S.S.J.E. From 1870 to 1883 the order spread to the United States, India, and South Africa. Our saint wrote the rule for the order, the Superior of which he remained until 1890. Afterward he traveled the world for a few years. Benson spent a year in India then eight years in Boston. He spent the Lent of 1895 preaching and teaching in parishes in Baltimore, despite the fact that his high churchmanship had prompted critical comments by William Paret, the Bishop of Maryland from 1884 to 1911. Benson returned to England, where he remained for the last 16 years of his life. He took communion every morning. When he could no longer walk to take communion, someone pushed him in a wheelchair. Benson died on January 14, 1915.
Benson wrote much. Searches at archive.org yielded the following results:
- Letters of Richard Meux Benson, Student of Christ Church; Founder and First Superior of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, Cowley (1916);
- Lays of Memory, Sacred and Social: By a Mother and Son, with Eliza Benson (1856);
- The Wisdom of the Son of David: An Exposition of the First Nine Chapters of the Book of Proverbs (1860);
- Redemption: Some of the Aspects of the Work of Christ, Considered in a Course of Sermons (1861);
- Benedictus Dominus: A Course of Meditations for Every Day of the Year (no earlier than 1866 and no later than 1870);
- The Life Beyond the Grave: A Series of Meditations Upon the Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ (1885);
- The Magnificat: A Series of Devotions Upon the Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1889);
- The Manual of Intercessory Prayer (1889);
- The Final Passover: A Series of Meditations Upon the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ–Volumes I, II Part I, II Part II, III Part I, and III Part II (1893);
- The Followers of the Lamb (1900);
- War Songs of the Prince of Peace–Volumes I and II (1901); and
- The Way of Holiness: An Exposition of Psalm CXIX, Analytical and Devotional (1901).
CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, PART II
Grafton returned to the United States in 1872. He became the Rector of the Church of the Advent, Boston, Massachusetts, an Anglo-Catholic parish. Grafton also left the S.S.J.E. due to a jurisdictional dispute regarding Benson. Grafton did, however, help to found the American Congregation of St. Benedict, now the Benedictine Order of St. John the Beloved. Then, in 1888, he, with Mother Ruth Margaret, founded the Sisterhood of the Holy Nativity.
In 1888 the Diocese of Fond du Lac elected Grafton to become its bishop. The consecration occurred on August 25, 1889. Bishop Grafton expanded the diocese. He did this via two financial channels–his wealth and the wealth of people in the East whom he persuaded to contribute. Nevertheless, perhaps Grafton’s most memorable moment occurred in 1900, at the consecration of Bishop Coadjutor Reginald Heber Weller. Grafton, an ecumenist with strong interest in ties to Old Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, invited distinguished guests to participate in the consecration of Bishop Weller. Bishop Antoni Kazlowski of the Polish National Catholic Church and Bishop Tikhon (now St. Tikhon) of the Russian Orthodox Church joined Episcopal bishops in the conscration of Weller. The ecumenical breadth of bishops offended many Protestant-minded Episcopalians, who also objected to the photograph of all the bishops in full episcopal regalia. The sight of Episcopal bishops in copes and mitres was a cause of much ecclesiastical controversy. In time the scandal of the “Fond du Lac Circus” died down.
Grafton died on August 30, 1912. Two years later Cathedral Editions of his complete works (Volumes I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII) debuted in print.
CHARLES GORE
Charles Gore was sui generis–of his own kind. He was a liberal–a social radical, even–yet many theological radicals considered him to be too conservative. Gore valued tradition yet many traditionalists thought he was too liberal. He was an Anglo-Catholic yet many Anglo-Catholics considered him to be insufficiently Anglo-Catholic. Others expected him to fit into a round hole, but he was a gloriously square peg.
Gore, a native of Wimbledon, London, the United Kingdom, came from a privileged family. His privilege continued as he studied at Harrow then at Baillol College, Oxford. In 1875 he became a Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford. He, a deacon in 1876 and a priest in 1878, served as the Vice Principal of the theological school at Cuddesdon from 1880 to 1883. Next he was the first Principal of Pusey House, Oxford, from 1884 to 1893.
Gore was a popular preacher. He served as the Incumbent of Radley from 1893 to 1894 before becoming the Canon of Westminster in 1894. Sundays on which he preached were much-anticipated days for many people.
In 1887 Gore founded the Society of the Resurrection, which became the Community of the Resurrection five years later. The new order started with six priests, and our saint served as the first Superior (1892-1901).
Gore became a bishop in 1902. He served as the Bishop of Worcester (1902-1905), the Bishop of Birmingham (1895-1911), and the Bishop of Oxford (1911-1919). He retired to London in 1919. Our saint wrote and preached a great deal, lectured at King’s College, and served as the Dean of the theological faculty of London University (1924-1928). He died of pneumonia on January 17, 1932, after returning from a trip to India. Gore was 78 years old.
Gore’s theology included much room for ambiguity. He embraced higher criticism of the Bible, allowing for the realities of science and history, yet he insisted on the veracity of biblical miracles and the truth of the Church’s ancient creeds. Nevertheless, some traditionalists questioned our saint’s Christology, especially when he argued that Jesus, as God incarnate, had taken on human limitations to his knowledge.
Gore favored a reasoning faith, a synthesis of critical reason and Christian faith. He called this synthesis liberal Catholicism. (Note the lowercase “l” in “liberal,” O reader, for that is crucial. There is such a thing as Liberal Catholicism, with strong Theosophical influences. Gore was hardly a Theosophist.) Gore’s liberal Catholicism included defenses of apostolic succession and support for tradition. It did not, however, follow tradition blindly, for it accommodated reason, science, and history. As Ross Mackenzie wrote of our saint in the Christian Passages section of The Episcopal Church’s Education for Ministry, Year Three (1991),
Catholicism meant for him the establishment of a visible society that is the home of salvation. But it must be a liberal Catholicism, appealing to scripture, antiquity, and reason in its concern for liberty, equality, and fraternity, “real expressions,” he said, “of the divine wisdom for today.”
–Page 493
This Social Gospel aspect of Gore’s theology found expression regarding many issues. Sound theology, he insisted, must translate into positive social action. In 1889 he helped to found the Christian Social Union, an outgrowth of Tractarian social concern. Gore criticized imperialism, including that of his own nation-state. He also advocated for international reconciliation after World War I. The passage of time has confirmed that Germany suffered due to the ravages of the Great War and to vengeful treaty provisions, leading to high levels of resentment. Nazis fed off that sense of grievance as well as other factors. The article of the article on Gore in Volume 10 of the Encyclopedia Britannica (1968) noted our saint’s concern with social issues such as housing, education, world peace, and industrial relations. That author wrote that this concern flowed from Gore’s
fundamental theological conviction of the unity of grace and nature in the divine purpose. From this premise he concluded that his pastoral office demanded the broadest concern for human welfare as well as watchful care for the good order of the church.
–Page 583
Many works by Gore and some about him came to my attention when I searched at archive.org, my favorite website. I have divided these works into categories, the first of which is original works by Gore:
The second category is works to which Gore contributed:
- Father Pollock and His Brother: Mission Priests of St. Alban’s, Birmingham, With a Letter from Charles Gore, D.D., Lord Bishop of Birmingham (1911);
- Property: Its Duties and Rights, Historically, Philosophically and Religiously Regarded; Essays by Various Writers, with an Introduction by the Bishop of Oxford (1915); and
- The Life and Work of John Richardson Illingworth, M.A., D.D., as Portrayed in His Letters and Illustrated by Photographs; Edited by His Wife, with a Chapter by the Rev. Wilfrid Richmond; With a Preface by Charles Gore, D.D., Bishop of Oxford (1917).
The third category is books Gore edited:
The fourth category is works in which another person edited Gore’s words:
Finally, in its own category is a response to Gore:
EPILOGUE
The Synoptic Gospels tell a story about a wealthy young man. In Mark 10:17-3, Matthew 19:16-30, and Luke 18:18-30, a rich young man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. According to our Lord and Savior, this young man, who has kept certain commandments religiously, lacks one thing:
Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.
–Luke 18:22b, Revised Standard Version–Catholic Edition (1966)
The young man leaves a sorrowful person, for he trusts in his wealth, not in God.
Richard Meux Benson, Charles Chapman Grafton, and Charles Gore came from backgrounds of economic privilege, but did not trust in that privilege. No, they trusted in God. They cared about the problems of the less fortunate and of those near and far, and acted accordingly. They built up the Church, for the glory of God. They were trees which produced good fruit.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAPHNUTIUS THE GREAT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF UPPER THEBAID
THE FEAST OF NARAYAN SESHADRI OF JALNA, INDIAN PRESBYTERIAN EVANGELIST AND “APOSTLE TO THE MANGS”
THE FEAST OF SAINT PATIENS OF LYONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP
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Gracious God, you have inspired a rich variety of ministries in your Church:
We give you thanks for Richard Meux Benson, Charles Chapman Grafton, and Charles Gore,
instruments in the revival of Anglican monasticism.
Grant that we, following their example,
may call for perennial renewal in your Church through conscious union with Christ,
witnessing to the social justice that is a mark of the reign of our Savior Jesus,
who is the light of the world; and who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Kings 19:9-12
Psalm 27:5-11
1 John 4:7-12
John 17:6-11
–Altered from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 171
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Above: St. Pachomius the Great
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT PACHOMIUS THE GREAT (292-MAY 14, 346/348)
Founder of Christian Communal Monasticism
St. Pachomius the Great has several feast days–May 15 in the Eastern Orthodox Churches, May 9 in the Roman Catholic Church, and January 17 in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. The January 17 date seems to pertain to St. Antony of Egypt (died in 356), whose feast falls on January 17. He founded the hermetic form of Christian monasticism, but his contemporary, St. Pachomius, founded communal Christian monasticism.
St. Pachomius converted to Christianity. The native of Upper Thebaid, Egypt, grew up a pagan. At the age of 20 or 21 years he entered the Roman Army quite unhappily. Military life was not our saint’s vocation. During his time in the Army, however, he spent time in Thebes, where some Christians extended kindness to him. After his discharge from the military (about 314) our saint became a baptized Christian.
Our saint’s life as a monk filled most of his life. Immediately he became a disciple of Palemon, an anchorite in the tradition of St. Antony of Egypt. Palemon and St. Antony of Egypt lived austerely at Tabennisi, on the banks of the Nile River, performing manual labor and praying ceaselessly. After several years our saint perceived a vocation to found a monastery. Palemon helped our saint to build the first cell at Tabennisi in 318. Soon about 100 monks (including John, a brother of our saint) and a number of nuns (including a sister of our saint) joined the new order. When St. Pachomius died on May 14, 346, the order had eleven monasteries and two convents. He had written an influential monastic rule, one from which St. Basil the Great (died in 379) and St. Benedict of Nursia (died circa 540) incorporated much of that rule into their rules.
Our saint’s order survived into the eleventh century. Members of the order lived austerely, fasting and obeying a rule of silence much of the time. (They were excellent mimes.) They also sang psalms often while working. Among their duties were caring for the sick.
Thus monasticism, which has contributed to Western civilization, began. For centuries monks and nuns have devoted themselves to devoted themselves to seek worthy pursuits such as education, scholarship, health care, child care, and intercessory prayer. May nobody doubt the value of the monastic life. Even hermits, such as St. Antony of Egypt, have become magnets for people seeking spiritual advice. The world would be much worse off without the contributions of monks and nuns.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SHEPHERD KNAPP, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GOTTFRIED WILHELM SACER, GERMAN LUTHERAN ATTORNEY AND HYMN WRITER; AND FRANCES ELIZABETH COX, ENGLISH HYMN WRITER AND TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN DUCKETT AND RALPH CORBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS IN ENGLAND
THE FEAST OF NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, HYMN WRITER
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O God, whose blessed Son became poor that we through his poverty might be rich:
Deliver us from an inordinate love of this world, that we,
inspired by the devotion of your servant, St. Pachomius the Great,
may serve you with singleness of heart, and attain to the riches of the age to come;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Song of Songs 8:6-7
Psalm 34
Philippians 3:7-15
Luke 12:33-37 or Luke 9:57-62
–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 722
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Snow in January
Image in the Public Domain
THIS IS THE RESET VERSION OF THE CALENDAR FOR JANUARY, PENDING FURTHER REVISION.
1 (EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS)
- Holy Name of Jesus
- World Day of Peace
2 (NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS)
- Johann Konrad Wilhelm Loehe, Bavarian Lutheran Minister, and Coordinator of Domestic and Foreign Missions
- Narcissus, Argeus, and Marcellinus of Tomi, Roman Martyrs, 320
- Odilo of Cluny, Roman Catholic Abbot
- Sabine Baring-Gould, Anglican Priest and Hymn Writer
3 (TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS)
- Edward Caswall, Roman Catholic Priest and Hymn Writer
- Edward Perronet, British Methodist Preacher
- Gladys Aylward, Missionary in China and Taiwan
- William Alfred Passavant, Sr., U.S. Lutheran Minister, Humanitarian, and Evangelist
4 (ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS)
- Elizabeth Ann Seton, Foundress of the American Sisters of Charity
- Felix Manz, First Anabaptist Martyr, 1527
- Gregory of Langres, Terticus of Langres, Gallus of Clermont, Gregory of Tours, Avitus I of Clermont, Magnericus of Trier, and Gaugericus, Roman Catholic Bishops
- Johann Ludwig Freydt, German Moravian Composer and Educator
5 (TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS)
- Antonio Lotti, Roman Catholic Musician and Composer
- Genoveva Torres Morales, Foundress of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Angels
- John Nepomucene Neumann, Roman Catholic Bishop of Philadelphia
- Margaret Mackay, Scottish Hymn Writer
6 (EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST)
7 (François Fénelon, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cambrai)
- Aldric of Le Mans, Roman Catholic Bishop
- Angela of Foligno, Penitent and Humanitarian
- Gaspar del Bufalo, Founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood
- Lucian of Antioch, Roman Catholic Martyr, 312
8 (Thorfinn of Hamar, Roman Catholic Bishop)
- Arcangelo Corelli, Roman Catholic Musician and Composer
- Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, Scientists
- Harriet Bedell, Episcopal Deaconess and Missionary
- Syncletica of Alexandria, Desert Mother
9 (Pepin of Landen, Itta of Metz, Their Relations, Amand, Austregisilus, and Sulpicius II of Bourges, Faithful Christians Across Generational Lines)
- Adelard of Corbie, Roman Catholic Monk
- Julia Chester Emery, Upholder of Missions
- Philip II of Moscow, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, and Martyr, 1569
- William Jones, Anglican Priest and Musician
10 (John the Good, Roman Catholic Bishop of Milan)
- Allen William Chatfield, Anglican Priest, Hymn Writer, and Translator
- Mary Lundie Duncan, Scottish Presbyterian Hymn Writer
- William Gay Ballantine, U.S. Congregationalist Minister, Educator, Scholar, Poet, and Hymn Writer
11 (Theodosius the Cenobiarch, Roman Catholic Monk)
- Charles William Everest, Episcopal Priest and Hymn Writer
- Miep Gies, Righteous Gentile
- Paulinus of Aquileia, Roman Catholic Patriarch
- Richard Frederick Littledale, Anglican Priest and Translator of Hymns
12 (Benedict Biscop, Roman Catholic Abbot of Wearmouth)
- Aelred of Hexham, Roman Catholic Abbot of Rievaulx
- Anthony Mary Pucci, Roman Catholic Priest
- Henry Alford, Dean of Canterbury
- Marguerite Bourgeoys, Foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame
13 (Hilary of Poitiers, Roman Catholic Bishop of Poitiers, “Athanasius of the West;” and Hymn Writer; mentor of Martin of Tours, Roman Catholic Bishop of Tours)
- Christian Keimann, German Lutheran Hymn Writer
- George Fox, Founder of the Religious Society of Friends
- Mary Slessor, Scottish Presbyterian Missionary in West Africa
- Samuel Preiswerk, Swiss Reformed Minister and Hymn Writer
14 (Macrina the Elder, Her Family, and Gregory of Nazianzus the Younger)
- Caesarius of Arles, Roman Catholic Bishop; and Caesaria of Arles, Roman Catholic Abbess
- Kristen Kvamme, Norwegian-American Hymn Writer and Translator
- Sava I, Founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and First Archbishop of Serbs
15 (Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights Leader and Martyr, 1968)
- John Cosin, Anglican Bishop of Durham
16 (Roberto de Noboli, Roman Catholic Missionary in India)
- Berard and His Companions, Roman Catholic Martyrs in Morocco, 1220
- Edmund Hamilton Sears, U.S. Unitarian Minister and Hymn Writer
- Richard Meux Benson, Anglican Priest and Cofounder of the Society of St. John the Evangelist; Charles Chapman Grafton, Episcopal Priest, Cofounder of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, and Bishop of Fond du Lac; and Charles Gore, Anglican Bishop of Worcester, Birmingham, and Oxford; Founder of the Community of the Resurrection; Theologian; and Advocate for Social Justice and World Peace
17 (Antony of Egypt, Roman Catholic Abbot and Father of Western Monasticism)
- Pachomius the Great, Founder of Christian Communal Monasticism
- Rutherford Birchard Hayes, President of the United States of America
- Thomas A. Dooley, U.S. Roman Catholic Physician and Humanitarian
18-25 (WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY)
18 (CONFESSION OF SAINT PETER, APOSTLE)
19 (Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Humanitarians)
- Deicola and Gall, Roman Catholic Monks; and Othmar, Roman Catholic Abbot at Saint Gallen
- Henry Twells, Anglican Priest and Hymn Writer
20 (Fabian, Bishop of Rome and Martyr, 250)
- Euthymius the Great and Theoctistus, Roman Catholic Abbots
- Greville Phillimore, English Priest, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator
- Harriet Auber, Anglican Hymn Writer
- Richard Rolle, English Roman Catholic Spiritual Writer
21 (Mirocles of Milan and Epiphanius of Pavia, Roman Catholic Bishops)
- Alban Roe and Thomas Reynolds, Roman Catholic Priests and Martyrs, 1642
- John Yi Yon-on, Roman Catholic Catechist and Martyr in Korea
22 (John Julian, Anglican Priest, Hymn Writer, and Hymnologist)
- Vincent Pallotti, Founder of the Pallotines
23 (John the Almsgiver, Roman Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria)
- Charles Kingsley, Anglican Priest, Novelist, and Hymn Writer
- Phillips Brooks, Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts, and Hymn Writer
24 (Ordination of Florence Li-Tim-Oi, First Female Priest in the Anglican Communion)
- Martyrs of Podlasie, 1874
- Suranus of Sora, Roman Catholic Abbot and Martyr, 580
25 (CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL, APOSTLE)
26 (TIMOTHY, TITUS, AND SILAS, COWORKERS OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE)
27 (Jerome, Paula of Rome, Eustochium, Blaesilla, Marcella, and Lea of Rome)
- Angela Merici, Foundress of the Company of Saint Ursula
- Caspar Neumann, German Lutheran Minister and Hymn Writer
28 (Albert the Great and his pupil, Thomas Aquinas, Roman Catholic Theologians)
- Henry Augustine Collins, Anglican then Roman Catholic Priest and Hymn Writer
- Joseph Barnby, Anglican Church Musician and Composer
29 (LYDIA, DORCAS, AND PHOEBE, COWORKERS OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE)
30 (Lesslie Newbigin, Missionary and Theologian)
- Bathildas, Queen of France
- Frederick Oakeley, Anglican then Roman Catholic Priest
- Genesius I of Clermont and Praejectus of Clermont, Roman Catholic Bishops; and Amarin, Roman Catholic Abbot
31 (Charles Frederick Mackenzie, Anglican Bishop of Central Africa)
- Menno Simons, Mennonite Leader
Lowercase boldface on a date with two or more commemorations indicates a primary feast
Above: Order of Friars Minor
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT BERARD AND HIS COMPANIONS (DIED IN 1220)
Roman Catholic Franciscan Missionaries and Martyrs
Saint Francis of Assisi sent six friars to the Almohad Caliphate (1121-1269), which controlled southern Spain and much of the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Africa. Their goal was to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people there. The friars were Berard, Peter, Adjute, Accurs, Odo, and Vitalis. The six men left Italy for Spain in 1219. Along the way, Vitalis left the mission due to illness.
The Almohad Caliphate (1121-1269) was markedly fundamentalist and, of course, theocratic, as the term Caliphate implies. The government persecuted Jews and Christians, most of whom chose to emigrate. So the five friars who landed in Spain placed their lives in danger. They preached in Seville, but made no converts. They were arrested instead, and insisted that they see the Caliph, Yusuf II. So the governor at Seville sent them to Marrakesh, Morocco, to see the Caliph. At Marrakesh the five friars preached in the marketplace. The Caliph had them arrested, beaten, and bribed, all in hopes of convincing them to cease preaching. But they refused. So, on January 16, 1220, the five friars became martyrs by beheading.
These, the first Franciscan martyrs, inspired missionary zeal among members of the Order of Friars Minor. And the gospel of Jesus Christ, of course, does not cease because potentates order executions.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 14, 2010 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF VENANTIUS HONORIUS CLEMENTIUS FORTUNATUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF POITIERS
THE FEAST OF CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH, COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MYSTIC
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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 Berard, Peter, Adjute, Accurs, and Odo, 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 5
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Revised on November 20, 2016
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