JULIUS EWALD KOCKRITZ (JANUARY 3, 1876-MARCH 28, 1931)
German Evangelical Minister, Hymn Writer, and Christian Educator
Also known as Ewald Kockritz
Julius Ewald Kockritz comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church.
In this context, “Evangelical” means Protestant–specifically, the union of the Prussian Lutheran and Reformed traditions.
Kockritz was a minister in the old Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA), founded by Prussian immigrants to the United States. The ESNA (1877-1934) had organizational roots dating to 1840. The founders of the ESNA’s American predecessors, in the old country, had belonged to the Prussian Union of Churches (1817-2003), the result of the marriage of the Lutheran and Reformed churches that King Frederick William III (1770-1740; r. 1797-1840) had forced. The heritage of the ESNA passed first to the old Evangelical and Reformed Church (a union with the old German Reformed Church in the United States) then to the United Church of Christ (a union with the old Congregational Christian Churches).
Kockritz, born in Napoleonville, Louisiana, on January 3, 1876, came from a large family. He was one of ten children of Herman Kockritz and Emma (Winkler) Kockritz. Our saint, who grew up in Henderson, Kentucky, went to work as the private secretary to John Young Brown (1835-1904), the Governor of Kentucky (1891-1895) in 1892. Three years later, Kockritz left that position. He worked for a grain company, as a newspaper reporter, and as a telegram operator for several years before deciding to become a minister in the ESNA. He matriculated at Eden Theological Seminary in 1898.
Kockritz graduated in 1901 and embarked on his life’s work. The newly ordained minister married Clare Elizabeth Hartmann (1879-1955) on November 6, 1901. The couple had five children, three of whom survived our saint. Kockritz’s first pastorate was in Clarington, Ohio (1901-1905).
Kockritz served at St. Luke’s Evangelical Church, Cincinnati, Ohio (1905-1910). During this tenure, he began to edit Sunday School publications for the ESNA, a role he filled through 1915.
Kockritz served at Salem Evangelical Church (now United Church of Christ), New Orleans, Louisiana (1910-1917); then at Bethel Evangelical Church (now United Church of Christ), Evansville, Indiana (1917-1931). Denominational roles during these years included:
service on the Board of Religious Education (1913-1929), with a tenure as the Chairman;
service on the War Welfare Commission (1917-1918);
service translating the ESNA constitution into English;
service writing a brief history of the ESNA;
service as the ESNA Moderator (1929); and
service as the ESNA General Secretary (1930-1931).
In Evansville our saint found time to serve on the local Interracial Commission and on the Board of Trustees of the Protestant Deaconess Hospital.
Kockritz wrote three hymns included in The Evangelical Hymnal (1917):
you have granted literary ability and spiritual sensitivity to
Julius Ewald Kockritz and others, who have composed hymn texts.
May we, as you guide us,
find worthy hymn texts to be icons,
through which we see you.
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 44:1-3a, 5-15
Psalm 147
Revelation 5:11-14
Luke 2:8-20
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 20, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMATOR OF AUXERRE AND GERMANUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT MAMERTINUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT MARCIAN OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF JOHANNES BUGENHAGEN, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCELLINUS OF EMBRUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF OLAVUS AND LAURENTIUS PETRI, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH
A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days is one of my hobbies, not a calendar of observances with any force or a popular following. It does, however, constitute a forum to which to propose proper additions to church calendars.
Much of the Western Church observes January 18 as the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter the Apostle, the rock upon which Christ built the Church. (Just think, O reader; I used to be a Protestant boy! My Catholic tendencies must be inherent.) The celebration of that feast is appropriate. The Church does not neglect St. Martha of Bethany, either. In The Episcopal Church, for example, she shares a feast with her sister (St. Mary) and her brother (St. Lazarus) on July 29.
There is no Feast of the Confession of St. Martha of Bethany, corresponding to the Petrine feast, however. That constitutes an omission. I correct that omission somewhat here at my Ecumenical Calendar as of today. I hereby define the Sunday immediately prior to Palm/Passion Sunday as the Feast of the Confession of St. Martha of Bethany. The reason for the temporal definition is the chronology inside the Gospel of John.
This post rests primarily on John 11:20-27, St. Martha’s confession of faith in her friend, Jesus, as
the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.
The combination of grief, confidence, and faith is striking. It is one with which many people identify. It is one that has become increasingly relevant in my life during the last few months, as I have dealt with two deaths.
Faith frequently shines brightly in the spiritual darkness and exists alongside grief. Faith enables people to cope with their grief and helps them to see the path through the darkness. We need to grieve, but we also need to move forward. We will not move forward alone, for God is with us. If we are fortunate, so are other people, as well as at least one pet.
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Loving God, who became incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth
and enjoyed the friendship of Saints Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany:
We thank you for the faith of St. Martha, who understood that
you were the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who was coming into the world.
May we confess with our lips and our lives our faith in you,
the Incarnate, crucified, and resurrected Son of God, and draw others to you;
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Jeremiah 8:18-23
Psalm 142
1 Corinthians 15:12-28
John 11:1-44
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 18, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE CONFESSION OF SAINT PETER THE APOSTLE
John Keble was an influential priest and hymn writer. Our saint was a son of an Anglican priest, also named John Keble. (Aside: Would it have been difficult to add suffixes, such as Jr. and III?) The younger Keble’s life was one of devotion to his father and to the Church. Our saint, a great intellectual, thrived at Oxford University, where he was present for many years. He graduated from Corpus Christi College in 1897, received double first class honors from Oriel College in 1810, and became a fellow at Oriel College in 1811. He, ordained to the diaconate in 1815 and to the priesthood the following year, left Oxford in 1823 to assist his father in parish ministry. Four years later our saint published The Christian Year, a collection of poems for Sundays and feast days. The volume helped to spread High Church ideals widely. In 1831 Keble returned to Oxford as Professor of Poetry.
Perhaps Keble’s greatest legacy was the Oxford Movement, which he launched on July 14, 1833 (hence his feast day in The Church of England), with a sermon, “National Apostasy.” In the sermon our saint condemned the government’s suppression of Irish bishoprics. Thus not only was Keble a leading Tractarian, but the original one. During the ensuing years he published translations of theological works, from the Church Fathers to Richard Hooker.
Keble finished his life as a married man and a rural vicar. He married in 1835, after the death of his father. The following year he became the Vicar of Hursley (near Wincester). He died at Bournemouth, Hampshire, on March 29, 1866, aged 73 years.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 7, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF HELDER CAMARA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF OLINDA AND RECIFE
THE FEAST OF SAINT ADALBERT NIERYCHLEWSKI, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF MITCHELL J. DAHOOD, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MOSES, APOSTLE TO THE SARACENS
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Father of the eternal Word, in whose encompassing love all things in peace and order move:
grant that, as your servant John Keble adored you in all creation,
so we may have a humble heart of love for the mysteries of your Church
and know your love to be new every morning, in Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
—Common Worship: Daily Prayer (2005), page 482
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Grant, O God, that in all time of our time of testing we may know your presence and obey your will;
that, following the example of your servant John Keble,
we may accomplish with integrity and courage what you give us to do,
and endure what you give us to bear;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Psalm 26:1-8
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 5:1-12
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 295
These days, in most of the Western World, women have professional opportunities due to the successes of feminism. But Dora Greenwell did not live during a time in which she could enjoy these advantages. Her legacy, however, was–and is–quite impressive.
Dora Greenwell was a sister of two priests of The Church of England. William, eventually Dean of Durham Cathedral, and Alan, Rector of Golborne then Clifton. From 1848 to 1854 Dora lived with one brother then the other, helping in the work of each sibling’s parish. Then, in 1854-1872, she lived with her widowed mother at Durham. From 1872 to 1881 Dora resided at Tarquay then Clifton the London, advocating for proper mental health care. In 1881 an accident led to her death, which occurred at Alan’s home at Clifton, near Bristol.
She wrote extensively on the Atonement. Dora’s chosen symbol was Luther’s heart set against a black cross amid white roses–thereby signifying the joy, peace, and consolation found in Christ’s cross. The poet, referring to her position relative to the cross, said,
I both hold and am held.
One of the texts in Songs of Salvation (1873) was “I Am Not Skilled to Understand,” the text of which follows:
I am not skilled to understand
What God hath willed, what God hath planned;
I only know at His right hand
Stands One who is my Saviour.
—–
I take God at His word and deed:
“Christ died to save me”–this I read;
And in my heart I find a need
Of Him to be my Saviour.
—–
And was there no other way
For God to take?–I cannot say;
I only bless Him, day by day,
Who saved me through my Saviour.
—–
That He should leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die,
You count it strange?–so do not I,
Since I have known my Saviour.
—–
And O that He fulfilled may see
The travail of His soul in me,
And with His work contented be,
As I with my dear Saviour!
—–
Yea, living, dying, let me bring,
My strength, my solace, from this spring,
That He who lives to be my King
Once died to be my Saviour.
Amen.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 31, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CHARLES FREDERICK MACKENZIE, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF CENTRAL AFRICA
SIR CHARLES VILLIERS STANFORD (SEPTEMBER 30, 1852-MARCH 29, 1924)
Composer, Organist, and Conductor
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, knighted in 1901, was a musical prodigy. In fact, at the tender age of ten years, he heard a prestigious ensemble perform one of his compositions. Stanford graduated with honors from Queen’s and Trinity Colleges, Cambridge, then commenced a brilliant musical career as an adult. He, among the most distinguished musical figures of his time, conducted orchestras in Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, and in various U.S. cities. he also played the organ at Trinity College, conducted the London Bach Society (1885) and the Royal College of Music (1887), and taught music at Cambridge and the Royal College of Music. (That was a partial list.) Stanford was a brilliant composer. He set Irish airs, helping to revive Irish folk music. And he wrote symphonies, operas, motets, cantatas, Irish Rhapsodies, and other works, including Songs of the Sea, Songs of the Fleet, a Stabat Mater, a Magnificat, and various hymn tunes.
One of his greatest works was the tune “St. Patrick’s Breastplate,” the tune for “I Bind Unto Myself Today.”
Stanford’s legacy has enriched my life. It might have improved yours, O reader, also.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 30, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK OAKELEY, ANGLICAN THEN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT BATHILDAS, QUEEN OF FRANCE
THE FEAST OF CHARLES I OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND, KING AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF LESSLIE NEWBIGIN, UNITED REFORMED THEOLOGIAN
1 (Anna of Oxenhall and Her Faithful Descendants, Wenna the Queen, Non, Samson of Dol, Cybi, and David of Wales)
Edward Dearle, Anglican Organist and Composer
Edwin Hodder, English Biographer, Devotional Writer, and Hymn Writer
George Wishart, Scottish Calvinist Reformer and Martyr, 1546; and Walter Milne, Scottish Protestant Martyr, 1558
Richard Redhead, Anglican Composer, Organist, and Liturgist
Roger Lefort, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bourges
2 (Shabbaz Bhatti and Other Christian Martyrs of the Islamic World)
Aidan of Lindisfarne, Celtic Missionary Bishop; Caelin, Celtic Priest; Cedd of Lastingham, Celtic and Roman Catholic Priest, Bishop of Essex, and Abbot of Lastingham; Cynibil of Lastingham, Celtic and Roman Catholic Priest and Monk; Chad of Mercia, Celtic and Roman Catholic Priest, Abbot of Lastingham, Bishop of York/the Northumbrians and of Lichfield/the Mercians and the Lindsey People; Vitalian, Bishop of Rome; Adrian of Canterbury, Roman Catholic Abbot of Saints Peter and Paul, Canterbury; Theodore of Tarsus, Roman Catholic Monk and Archbishop of Canterbury; and Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Celtic and Roman Catholic Monk, Hermit, Priest, and Bishop of Lindisfarne
Daniel March, Sr., U.S. Congregationalist and Presbyterian Minister, Poet, Hymn Writer, and Liturgist
Engelmar Unzeitig, German Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1945
John Stuart Blackie, Scottish Presbyterian Scholar, Linguist, Poet, Theologian, and Hymn Writer
Ludmilla of Bohemia, Duchess of Bohemia, and Martyr, 921; her grandson, Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, and Martyr, 929; Agnes of Prague, Bohemian Princess and Nun; her pen pal, Clare of Assisi, Founder of the Poor Clares; her sister, Agnes of Assisi, Abbess at Monticelli; and her mother, Hortulana of Assisi, Poor Clare Nun
3 (Katharine Drexel, Founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament)
Antonio Francesco Marzorati, Johannes Laurentius Weiss, and Michele Pro Fasoli, Franscican Missionary Priests and Martyrs in Ethiopia, 1716
Gervinus, Roman Catholic Abbot and Scholar
Henry Elias Fries, U.S. Moravian Industrialist; and his wife, Rosa Elvira Fries, U.S. Moravian Musician
Teresa Eustochio Verzeri, Founder of the Institute of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
4 (Charles Simeon, Anglican Priest and Promoter of Missions; Henry Martyn, Anglican Priest, Linguist, Translator, and Missionary; and Abdul Masih, Indian Convert and Missionary)
Christoph E. F. Weyse, Danish Lutheran Organist and Composer
Henry Suso, German Roman Catholic Mystic, Preacher, and Spiritual Writer
John Edgar Park, U.S. Presbyterian then Congregationalist Minister and Hymn Writer
Marie-Louise-Élisabeth de Lamoignon de Molé de Champlâtreux, Founder of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Louis
Thomas Hornblower Gill, English Unitarian then Anglican Hymn Writer
5 (Karl Rahner, Jesuit Priest and Theologian)
Ambrose Phillipps de Lisle, English Roman Catholic Convert, Spiritual Writer, and Translator of Spiritual Writings; Founder of Mount Saint Bernard Abbey
Christopher Macassoli of Vigevano, Franciscan Priest
Eusebius of Cremona, Roman Catholic Abbot and Humanitarian
Ion Costist, Franciscan Lay Brother
John S. Stamm, Bishop of The Evangelical Church then the Evangelical United Brethren Church
6 (Martin Niemoller, German Lutheran Minister and Peace Activist)
Chrodegang of Metz, Roman Catholic Bishop
Fred B. Craddock, U.S. Disciples of Christ Minister, Biblical Scholar, and Renowned Preacher
Jean-Pierre de Caussade, French Roman Catholic Priest and Spiritual Director
Jordan of Pisa, Dominican Evangelist
William Bright, Anglican Canon, Scholar, and Hymn Writer
7 (James Hewitt McGown, U.S. Presbyterian Humanitarian)
Drausinus and Ansericus, Roman Catholic Bishops of Soissons; Vindician, Roman Catholic Bishop of Cambrai; and Leodegarius, Roman Catholic Bishop of Autun
Edward Osler, English Doctor, Editor, and Poet
Maria Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, Founder of the Daughters of the Divine Savior
Paul Cuffee, U.S. Presbyterian Missionary to the Shinnecock Nation
Perpetua, Felicity, and Their Companions, Martyrs at Carthage, 203
8 (Edward King, Bishop of Lincoln)
Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, Anglican Priest and Hymn Writer
John Hampden Gurney, Anglican Priest and Hymn Writer
John of God, Founder of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God
William Henry Sheppard, Lucy Gantt Sheppard, and Samuel N. Lapsley, Southern Presbyterian Missionaries in the Congo
9 (Harriet Tubman, U.S. Abolitionist)
Emanuel Cronenwett, U.S. Lutheran Minister, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator
Frances of Rome, Founder of the Collatines
Johann Pachelbel, German Lutheran Organist and Composer
Pacian of Barcelona, Roman Catholic Bishop of Barcelona
Sophronius of Jerusalem, Roman Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem
10 (Marie-Joseph Lagrange, Roman Catholic Priest and Biblical Scholar)
Agripinnus of Autun, Roman Catholic Bishop; Germanus of Paris, Roman Catholic Bishop; and Droctoveus of Autun, Roman Catholic Abbot
Alexander Clark, U.S. Methodist Protestant Minister, Hymn Writer, and Hymnal Editor
Folliot Sandford Pierpoint, Anglican Educator, Poet, and Hymn Writer
John Oglivie, Scottish Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1615
Macarius of Jerusalem, Roman Catholic Bishop
11 (John Swertner, Dutch-German Moravian Minister, Hymn Writer, Hymn Translator, and Hymnal Editor; and his collaborator, John Mueller, German-English Moravian Minister, Hymn Writer, and Hymnal Editor)
Aengus the Culdee, Hermit and Monk; and Maelruan, Abbot
Eulogius of Spain, Roman Catholic Bishop of Toledo, Cordoba; and Leocrita; Roman Catholic Martyrs, 859
Francis Wayland, U.S. Baptist Minister, Educator, and Social Reformer
Mary Ann Thomson, Episcopal Hymn Writer
Pal Prennushi, Albanian Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1948
12 (Trasilla and Emiliana; their sister-in-law, Sylvia of Rome; and her son, Gregory I “the Great,” Bishop of Rome)
Henry Walford Davies, Anglican Organist and Composer
John H. Caldwell, U.S. Methodist Minister and Social Reformer
Maximillian of Treveste, Roman Conscientious Objector and Martyr, 295
Rutilio Grande, Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1977
Theophanes the Chroncler, Defender of Icons
13 (Yves Congar, Roman Catholic Priest and Theologian)
Heldrad, Roman Catholic Abbot
James Theodore Holly, Episcopal Bishop of Haiti, and the Dominican Republic; First African-American Bishop in The Episcopal Church
Plato of Symboleon and Theodore Studites, Eastern Orthodox Abbots; and Nicephorus of Constantinople, Patriarch
Roderic of Cabra and Solomon of Cordoba, Roman Catholic Martyrs, 857
14 (Fannie Lou Hamer, Prophet of Freedom)
Albert Lister Peace, Organist in England and Scotland
Harriet King Osgood Munger, U.S. Congregationalist Hymn Writer
Nehemiah Goreh, Indian Anglican Priest and Theologian
Vincenzina Cusmano, Superior of the Sisters Servants of the Poor; and her brother, Giacomo Cusmano, Founder of the Sisters Servants of the Poor and the Missionary Servants of the Poor
William Leddra, British Quaker Martyr in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1661
15 (Zachary of Rome, Bishop of Rome)
Jan Adalbert Balicki and Ladislaus Findysz, Roman Catholic Priests in Poland
Jean Baptiste Calkin, Anglican Organist and Composer
Ozora Stearns Davis, U.S. Congregationalist Minister, Theologian, and Hymn Writer
Vethappan Solomon, Apostle to the Nicobar Islands
16 (Adalbald of Ostevant, Rictrudis of Marchiennes, and Their Relations)
Abraham Kidunaia, Roman Catholic Hermit; and Mary of Edessa, Roman Catholic Anchoress
John Cacciafronte, Roman Catholic Monk, Abbot, Bishop, and Martyr, 1183
Megingaud of Wurzburg, Roman Catholic Monk and Bishop
Thomas Wyatt Turner, U.S. Roman Catholic Scientist, Educator, and Civil Rights Activist; Founder of Federated Colored Catholics
William Henry Monk, Anglican Organist, Hymn Tune Composer, and Music Educator
17 (Patrick, Apostle of Ireland)
Ebenezer Elliott, “The Corn Law Rhymer”
Henry Scott Holland, Anglican Hymn Writer and Priest
Jan Sarkander, Silesian Roman Catholic Priest and “Martyr of the Confessional,” 1620
Josef Rheinberger, Germanic Roman Catholic Composer
Maria Barbara Maix, Founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
18 (Leonides of Alexandria, Roman Catholic Martyr, 202; Origen, Roman Catholic Theologian; Demetrius of Alexandria, Roman Catholic Bishop; and Alexander of Jerusalem, Roman Catholic Bishop)
Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop, Theologian, and Liturgist
Eliza Sibbald Alderson, Poet and Hymn Writer; and John Bacchus Dykes, Anglican Priest and Hymn Writer
Paul of Cyprus, Eastern Orthodox Martyr, 760
Robert Walmsley, English Congregationalist Hymn Writer
19 (JOSEPH OF NAZARETH, HUSBAND OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD)
20 (Sebastian Castellio, Prophet of Religious Liberty)
Christopher Wordsworth, Hymn Writer and Anglican Bishop of Lincoln
Ellen Gates Starr, U.S. Episcopalian then Roman Catholic Social Activist and Reformer
Maria Josefa Sancho de Guerra, Founder of the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus
Samuel Rodigast, German Lutheran Academic and Hymn Writer
Simon William Gabriel Bruté de Rémur, Roman Catholic Bishop of Vincennes
21 (Johann Sebastian Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and Johann Christian Bach, Composers)
Lucia of Verona, Italian Roman Catholic Tertiary and Martyr, 1574
Mark Gjani, Albanian Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1947
Nicholas of Flüe and his grandson, Conrad Scheuber, Swiss Hermits
Serapion of Thmuis, Roman Catholic Bishop
22 (Deogratias, Roman Catholic Bishop of Carthage)
Emmanuel Mournier, French Personalist Philosopher
James De Koven, Episcopal Priest
Thomas Hughes, British Social Reformer and Member of Parliament
William Edward Hickson, English Music Educator and Social Reformer
23 (Gregory the Illuminator and Isaac the Great, Patriarchs of Armenia)
Meister Eckhart, Roman Catholic Theologian and Mystic
Metodej Dominik Trčka, Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1959
Umphrey Lee, U.S. Methodist Minister and President of Southern Methodist University
Victorian of Hadrumetum, Martyr at Carthage, 484
Walter of Pontoise, French Roman Catholic Abbot and Ecclesiastical Reformer
24 (Oscar Romero, Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Salvador; and the Martyrs of El Salvador, 1980-1992)
Didacus Joseph of Cadiz, Capuchin Friar
George Rawson, English Congregationalist Hymn Writer
George Rundle Prynne, Anglican Priest, Poet, and Hymn Writer
Paul Couturier, Apostle of Christian Unity
Thomas Attwood, “Father of Modern Church Music”
25 (ANNUNCIATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST)
Dismas, Penitent Bandit
26 (Margaret Clitherow, English Roman Catholic Martyr, 1586)
Austin C. Lovelace, United Methodist Organist, Composer, Hymn Writer, and Liturgist
Flannery O’Connor, U.S. Roman Catholic Writer
James Rendel Harris, Anglo-American Congregationalist then Quaker Biblical Scholar and Orientalist; Robert Lubbock Bensly, English Biblical Translator and Orientalist; Agnes Smith Lewis and Margaret Dunlop Smith Gibson, English Biblical Scholars and Linguists; Samuel Savage Lewis, Anglican Priest and Librarian of Corpus Christi College; and James Young Gibson, Scottish United Presbyterian Minister and Literary Translator
Ludger, Roman Catholic Bishop of Munster
Rudolph A. John, German-American Evangelical Minister, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator
27 (Charles Henry Brent, Episcopal Missionary Bishop of the Philippines, Bishop of Western New York, and Ecumenist)
Nicholas Owen, Thomas Garnet, Mark Barkworth, Edward Oldcorne, and Ralph Ashley, Roman Catholic Martyrs, 1601-1608
Peter Lutkin, Episcopal Composer, Liturgist, and Music Educator
Robert Hall Baynes, Anglican Bishop of Madagascar
Rupert of Salzburg, Apostle of Bavaria and Austria
Stanley Rother, U.S. Roman Catholic Priest, Missionary, and Martyr in Guatemala, 1981
28 (James Solomon Russell, Episcopal Priest, Educator, and Advocate for Racial Equality)
Elizabeth Rundle Charles, Anglican Writer, Hymn Translator, and Hymn Writer
Guntram of Burgundy, King
Katharine Lee Bates, U.S. Educator, Poet, and Hymn Writer
Richard Chevenix Trench, Anglican Archbishop of Dublin
Tutilo, Roman Catholic Monk and Composer
29 (Charles Villiers Stanford, Composer, Organist, and Conductor)
Dora Greenwell, Poet and Devotional Writer
John Keble, Anglican Priest and Poet
Jonas and Barachisius, Roman Catholic Martyrs, 327
Julius Ewald Kockritz, German-American Evangelical Minister, Hymn Writer, and Christian Educator
30 (Innocent of Alaska, Equal to the Apostles and Enlightener of North America)
Cordelia Cox, U.S. Lutheran Social Worker, Educator, and Resettler of Refugees
John Wright Buckham, U.S. Congregationalist Minister, Theologian, and Hymn Writer
Julio Alvarez Mendoza, Mexican Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1927
Maria Restituta Kafka, Austrian Roman Catholic Nun and Martyr, 1943
King Shapur II of Persia was a great empire builder and a cruel man. He persecuted Christians within his realm, forced one King of Armenia to commit suicide, and killed most of the inhabitants of the city of Susa. And that is a partial list of his offenses.
In 327, King Shapur II was busy persecuting Christians and ordering the destruction of monasteries and church buildings. Jonas and Barachisius, two Christian brothers from the city of Beth-Asa, traveled to the city of Hubaham to encourage the Christians there, who were under a death sentence. The brothers encouraged their fellow Christians to remain true to the faith, even to martyrdom. Jonas and Barachisius met the same cruel fate in ways I choose not to describe. There is little to no point in vivid descriptions of tortures.
Church history is replete with accounts of potentates attempting to crush Christianity with violence. They kill people. Sometimes they drive the church underground for a long time. But they cannot succeed in their ultimate goal. Love, you see, is more powerful than any weapon or campaign of persecution. And the ultimate victory belongs to God alone.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 26, 2011 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS TIMOTHY, TITUS, AND SILAS, COWORKERS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANGELA MERICI, FOUNDER OF THE COMPANY OF SAINT URSULA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULA, CONFIDANTE OF SAINT JEROME
THE FEAST OF CHARLES MATHIAS, UNITED STATES SENATOR
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The Collect and Assigned Readings for Martyrs from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), hymnal and service book of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada:
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 Saints Jonas and Barachisius, 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.
SUNDRY THOUGHTS 
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