Mr. Tuttiett’s hymns are characterized by smoothness of rhythm, directness of aim, simplicity of language, and deep earnestness. Those for special services and seasons are of great merit.

Above:  Lawrence Tuttiett

Image in the Public Domain

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LAWRENCE TUTTIETT (BAPTIZED OCTOBER 31, 1825-DIED MAY 21, 1897)

Anglican and Scottish Episcopal Priest and Hymn Writer

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—John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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Lawrence Tuttiett 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.

Tuttiett, born in Coylton, Devonshire, England, and baptized on October 31, 1825, was a son of a surgeon in the Royal Navy.  Our saint initially planned to become a naval surgeon, too.  Yet Tuttiett changed course and studied theology instead.  After graduating from King’s College, London, he became a deacon (1848) then a priest (1849) in The Church of England.

Tuttiett embarked upon a faithful career.  After serving as the Perpetual Curate of Lea Marston, Warwickshire (1854-1870), our saint moved to Scotland and transferred into the Scottish Episcopal Church.  He served in St Andrews (1870f) then became the Prebendary of St. Ninian’s Cathedral, Perth (1880).  Eventually our saint retired to Pitlochry.

Tuttiett left a written legacy.  Published works included:

1. Hymns for Churchmen (1854);
2. Counsels for a Godfather (1861);
3. Hymns for the Children of the Church (1862);
4. Gems of Thought on the Sunday Special Services:  Being the Harmonized Teaching of the Collect, Epistle, Gospel, and the First Lessons, Easter to the End of Trinity (1864); and
5. Through the Clouds:  Thoughts in Plain Verse (1866).

As of 1907, thirteen of Tuttiett’s hymns were in common use in England and Scotland.  Fewer of these hymns were in common use in the United States of America.  The Episcopal, Lutheran, and German Reformed traditions have been most likely to retain any of Tuttiett’s hymns in their authorized hymnals.  Two of these hymns have been “Father, Let Me Dedicate” and “O, Grant Us Light, That We May Know.”

Tuttiett, aged 71 years, died in St Andrews, Scotland, on May 21, 1897.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 11, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE THIRTY-THIRD DAY OF EASTER

THE FEAST OF HENRY KNOX SHERRILL, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

THE FEAST OF BARBARA ANDREWS, FIRST FEMALE MINISTER IN THE AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1970

THE FEAST OF SAINT GJON KODA, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1947

THE FEAST OF JOHN JAMES MOMENT, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTEO RICCI, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY

THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHÊÔ LÊ VAN GAM, VIETNAMESE ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 1847

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Dear God of beauty,

you have granted literary ability and spiritual sensitivity to

Lawrence Tuttiett and others, who have composed hymn texts.

May we, as you guide us,

find worthy hymn texts to be icons,

through which we see you.

In the Name of God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 44:1-3a, 5-15

Psalm 147

Revelation 5:11-14

Luke 2:8-20

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

APRIL 20, 2013 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMATOR OF AUXERRE AND GERMANUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT MAMERTINUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT MARCIAN OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK

THE FEAST OF JOHANNES BUGENHAGEN, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCELLINUS OF EMBRUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF OLAVUS AND LAURENTIUS PETRI, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH

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Above:  Bishop John Armstrong

Image in the Public Domain

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JOHN ARMSTRONG (AUGUST 22, 1813-MAY 16, 1856)

Anglican Bishop of Grahamstown, South Africa, and Hymn Writer

Bishop John Armstrong 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.

Armstrong devoted his life to God and to the people of God.  Our saint, born in Bishop-Wearmouth, England, on August 22, 1813, always had fragile health.  He, an 1836 graduate of Lincoln College, Oxford, took Anglican Holy Orders in 1837.  Armstong served as a curate in Alford, Gloucestershire; Wotten-Fitzpatrick, Dorcetshire; and Clifton until taking his duties in Exeter in 1841.  There our saint served simultaneously at the cathedral and as the Rector of St. Paul’s Church through 1845.  Armstrong served as the Rector of Tidenham from 1845 to 1853.  At Tidenham our saint helped to found the Church Penitentiary Association, to assist prostitutes and unwed mothers.  He published appeals for such an institution in 1849 and 1851.

The Church of England created the Diocese of Grahamstown, South Africa, in 1853.  The new diocese needed a bishop.  So, Armstrong’s consecration as the first Bishop of Grahamstown occurred in Lambeth on November 30, 1853.  However, our saint arrived in Grahamstown in October 1854.  He worked himself to death as he visited congregations, founded churches, and fulfilled other episcopal duties.  Armstrong also founded St. Andrew’s College, Grahamstown, in 1855.

Armstrong wrote at least one hymn and published sermons and lectures.  He composed one hymn that I found.  The title of it has varied, depending upon the whims of hymnal committees and their choice of the opening stanza.  This hymn has appeared as both “O Lord, Thy Benediction Give” and as “O Thou, Who Makest Souls to Shine.”

Armstrong, aged 42 years, died in South Africa on May 16, 1856.

Posthumous volumes rolled off printing presses.  These books included Notes in South Africa (1856) and reprints of previously published works.  A biography, Memoir of John Armstrong, D.D., Late Lord Bishop of Grahamstown, by Thomas Jefferson Carter, debuted in 1859.  And the Fourth Edition of The Pastor in His Closet; or, A Help to the Devotions of the Clergy appeared in 1870.

Grahamstown has become Makhanda, and St. Andrew’s College has continued the good work Armstrong founded it to do.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 3, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY OF EASTER

THE FEAST OF CAROLINE CHISHOLM, ENGLISH HUMANITARIAN AND SOCIAL REFORMER

THE FEAST OF ANTONIN DVORÁK, CZECH ROMAN CATHOLIC COMPOSER

THE FEAST OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH HODGES, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, LITURGIST, ORGANIST, AND COMPOSER

THE FEAST OF MARIE-LÉONIE PARADIS, FOUNDER OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY

THE FEAST OF SAINTS MAURA AND TIMOTHY OF ANTINOE, MARTYRS, 286

THE FEAST OF SAINT TOMASSO ACERBIS, CAPUCHIN FRIAR

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Heavenly Father, Shepherd of your people,

we thank you for your servant John Armstrong,

who was faithful in the care and nurture of your flock;

and we pray that, following his example and the teaching of his holy life,

we may by your grace grow into the statute

of the fullness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Ezekiel 34:11-16

Psalm 23

1 Peter 5:1-4

John 21:15-17

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 718

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Above:  Flag of the Kingdom of Bavaria

Image in the Public Domain

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BLESSED KAROLINA GERHARDINGER (JUNE 20, 1797-MAY 9, 1879)

Founder of the Poor Teachers Sisters of Notre Dame (the School Sisters of Notre Dame)

Also known as Blessed Maria Theresa of Jesus

Blessed Karolina Gerhardinger comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via the Roman Catholic Church.

Karolina Gerhardinger, born in Stadtamhof, Electorate of Bavaria, on June 20, 1797, came from a working-class family.  She, a daughter of Willibard and Franziska Gerhardinger, seemed destined to become an educator.  Her education was in the capable hands of Augustininan canonesses until 1809, when the Kingdom of Bavaria abolished religious orders within its frontiers.

Blessed Karolina continued her formal education and became a teacher.  She taught “in the world” until 1833.  In 1828, the Vatican persuaded the Kingdom of Bavaria to restore religious communal life.  Our saint yearned to found an order committed to free Christian education for the poor.  In 1833, she founded the Poor Teachers Sisters of Notre Dame (the School Sisters of Notre Dame).  Our saint became Maria Theresa of Jesus–“of Jesus” because of her devotion to Christ, present in the Blessed Sacrament.

The order expanded rapidly after the Vatican approved the Rules and Constitution in 1854.  Blessed Karolina presided over expansion across Europe and in the United States.  The purpose of the American mission was to help German immigrants.

Blessed Karolina fell seriously ill in 1877.  She, aged 81 years, died in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire, on May 9, 1879.

The Roman Catholic Church has formally recognized our saint.  Pope John Paul II declared her a Venerable in 1983 then a beatus in 1985.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MARCH 23, 2024 COMMON ERA

THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY OF LENT

THE FEAST OF SAINTS GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR AND ISAAC THE GREAT, PATRIARCHS OF ARMENIA

THE FEAST OF MEISTER ECKHART, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN AND MYSTIC

THE FEAST OF SAINT METODEJ DOMINIK TRCKA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1959

THE FEAST OF UMPHREY LEE, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER AND PRESIDENT OF SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY

THE FEAST OF SAINT VICTORIAN OF HADRUMETUM, MARTYR AT CARTHAGE, 484

THE FEAST OF SAINT WALTER OF PONTOISE, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND ECCLESIASTICAL REFORMER

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O God, by whose grace your servant Blessed Karolina Gerhardinger,

kindled with the flame of your love,

became a burning and a shining light in your Church:

Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline,

and walk before you as children of light;

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.

Acts 2:42-47a

Psalm 133 or Psalm 34:1-8 or Psalm 119:161-168

2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Matthew 6:24-33

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 723

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Above:  St. Peter’s Church, Yoxford, England

Image Source = Google Earth

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HENRY PARR (AUGUST 16, 1815-MAY 4, 1905)

Anglican Priest and Hymn Tune Composer

Henry Parr 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 as well as that hymn book’s companion volume.

Information about Parr is scarce.

1. Parr, born in Lythwood, Hall, Shropshire, England, on August 16, 1815, took holy orders in The Church of England in 1845.
2. His ministerial record, with some gaps, was:  Vicar of Taunton (1849-1859); Curate of Tunbridge (1859-1861); Perpetual Curate of Ash Church, Gloucestershire (1861-1862); and Curate-in-Charge then Vicar of Yoxford, Suffolk (1867f).
3. Parr composed chants and hymn tunes–chants, mainly.  His hymn tunes included ST. QUINTON, NORTON, and WINMARLEIGH.
4. He edited The Church of England Psalmody (First Edition, 1847; Eighth Edition, 1880).
5. Parr, aged 89 years, died on May 4, 1905.

The paucity of information about Henry Parr disappoints yet does not surprise me.  Compared to most of his contemporaries, a wealth of information about this faithful priest and liturgist survives.  The most important factor is his legacy of fidelity, manifested in parish ministry and in liturgical contributions.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MARCH 18, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY OF LENT

THE FEAST OF SAINT LEONIDES OF ALEXANDRIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 202; ORIGEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN; SAINT DEMETRIUS OF ALEXANDRIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; AND SAINT ALEXANDER OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF SAINT CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN, AND LITURGIST

THE FEAST OF ELIZA SIBBALD ALDERSON, POET AND HYMN WRITER; AND JOHN BACCHUS DYKES, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT PAUL OF CYPRUS, EASTERN ORTHODOX MARTYR, 760

THE FEAST OF ROBERT WALMSLEY, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER

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

thank you for those (especially Henry Parr)

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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When I am in Heaven, where everything is possible, I will cling to the mantle of the Mother of God and I will not turn my eyes from you. But do not forget what this poor old man has said to you.

Above:  St. Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo 

Image in the Public Domain

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SAINT GIUSEPPE BENEDETTO COTTOLENGO (MAY 3, 1786-APRIL 30, 1842)

Founder of the Little House of Providence

Also known as Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo

Also known as the Italian Vincent de Paul

Also known as the Workman of Divine Providence

Alternative feast day = April 29

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–St. Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo, on his deathbed

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St. Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo–the Italian Vincent de Paul, the Workman of Divine Providence–comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via the Roman Catholic Church.

Cottolengo came from a devout, middle-class family.  He, born in Bra, Piedmont, Kingdom of Sardinia, on May 3, 1786, was the first of twelve children, half of whom died in infancy.

Our saint pursued his priestly vocation.  He, having become a Franciscan tertiary on October 2, 1802, matriculated at the seminary at Asti in 1805.  The closing of that institution two years later forced Cottolengo to continue his theological studies at home.  He joined the ranks of priests on June 8, 1811.  The new Curate to Corneliano D’Alta obtained his doctorate in theology in Turin.  Then our saint became the canon at the Basilica of Corpus Domini, Turin.

Turin was experiencing turmoil.  Recovery from Napoleonic occupation was underway.  Also, many people were moving into the city from the countryside.  Rapid urbanization brought crises, including poverty, illiteracy, poor sanitation, epidemics, and high infant mortality.  The forty-one-year-old priest, having read a biography of St. Vincent de Paul, perceived charity as his true vocation.

One incident affected Cottolengo deeply.  He encountered a large family from Lyons traveling to Milan.  The pregnant mother had tuberculosis.  Her disease kept her out of Maggiore Hospital.  Her fever prevented her admission to the maternity hospital.  The mother and child died; he gave the mother last rites and baptized the baby shortly before the child died.  Four children survived the mother.

Cottolengo simplified his lifestyle.  He sold his possessions and started living in two rented rooms.  On January 17, 1828, our saint’s new life of charity began; he offered free lodging to an elderly paralytic.  This was the beginning of Cottolengo’s charity hospital for people turned away from other hospitals.

The hospital was not universally popular.  Local authorities, citing fear of contagion during an outbreak of cholera, closed the hospital in 1831.  Immediately, our saint opened the Little House of Divine Providence, on the outskirts of town.  The first patient suffered from cancer.

Cottolengo founded fourteen other charitable communities to serve God and the people of Turin.

Cottolengo, aged fifty-five years, died in Chieri, Piedmont, Kingdom of Sardinia, on April 30, 1842.  He contracted typhus while tending to patients there.

Holy Mother Church has formally recognized Cottolengo.  Pope Leo XIII pronounced him a Venerable.  Pope Benedict XV beatitfied our saint.  Pope Pius XI canonized Cottolengo.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS

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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.

Hosea 2:18-23

Psalm 94:1-14

Romans 12:9-21

Luke 6:20-36

—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 37

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Above:  Samuel Sebastian Wesley

Image in the Public Domain

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SAMUEL SEBASTIAN WESLEY (AUGUST 14, 1810-APRIL 19, 1876)

Anglican Organist and Composer

Samuel Sebastian Wesley comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via a multitude of hymnals.

Wesley, widely regarded during his lifetime as the best organist in The Church of England, was a grandson of Anglican priest and hymn writer Charles Wesley (1707-1788).  Our saint grew up in a musical home.  Wesley, born in London on August 14, 1810, was a son of Samuel Wesley (1766-1837) and Charlotte Wesley.  Samuel had introduced the music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) to England.  The father named the son after himself and Bach.  Our saint, a chorister in the Royal Chapel from the ages of nine to seventeen years, began his career as an organist when sixteen years old.

Wesley spent nearly half a century playing the organ professionally.  He worked at five parish churches, as well as the cathedrals in Hereford, Exeter, Winchester, and Gloucester.  Our saint, whom Oxford University awarded the Doctor of Music degree when he was twenty-nine years old, had competing reputations.  On one hand, Wesley was an outstanding organist.  On the other hand, he was also an argumentative eccentric who valued fishing about as much as the quality of church music.  Wesley possessed many gifts, but he did not excel in personal diplomacy.  His priority on properly worshiping God translated into a life-long effort to raise musical standards in The Church of England.

Wesley also composed.  He wrote anthems, services, hymn tunes, and works for the organ.  You, O reader, may have encountered our saint’s work.  You may, for example, have heard or sung an anthem, Lead Me, Lord.  And you may have sung a hymn, The Church’s One Foundation (text by Samuel John Stone), by Wesley.  Our saint composed AURELIA in 1864 for The Voice that Breathed O’er Eden, a wedding hymn by John Keble (1792-1866).  In 1872, fellow hymn writer Henry John Gauntlett (1805-1876) panned AURELIA as “inartistic,” subpar, and “secular twaddle.”  The tune has stood the test of time, despite Gauntlett’s opinion.  Wesley’s Evening Service in E was another masterpiece.

Wesley published The European Psalmist (1872).  The volume included 733 tunes, 130 of which he had composed.

Other published works included:

1. The Psalter, or Psalms of David; with Chants Arranged for the Daily Morning and Evening Service (1843); and
2. A Selection of Psalms and Hymns:  Arranged for the Public Services of the Church of England (1864), as music editor.

Our saint, husband of Mary Anne (Merewether) Wesley and father of six children, died in London on April 19, 1876.  He was sixty-five years old.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 18, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF DAG HAMMARSKJÖLD, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

THE FEAST OF AMOS NIVEN WILDER, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, POET, LITERARY CRITIC, AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

THE FEAST OF EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, ANGLICAN PRIEST

THE FEAST OF HENRY LASCELLES JENNER, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND

THE FEAST OF HENRY WELLINGTON GREATOREX, ANGLICAN AND EPISCOPAL ORGANIST, CHOIRMASTER, AND HYMNODIST

THE FEAST OF JOHN CAMPBELL SHAIRP, SCOTTISH POET AND EDUCATOR

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

thank you for those (especially Samuel Sebastian Wesley)

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:  Bishop Simon Bruté

Image in the Public Domain

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

Roman Catholic Bishop of Vincennes

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

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

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

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

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

Image in the Public Domain

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

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

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

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 29, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF THE BEHEADING OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

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

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

to be a light in the world:

Shine, we pray, in our hearts,

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

who called us out of darkness into your marvelous light;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Isaiah 49:1-6

Psalm 98 or 98:1-4

Acts 17:22-31

Matthew 28:16-20

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

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By Christ redeemed, in Christ restored,

Above:  The Flag of England

Image in the Public Domain

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

English Congregationalist Hymn Writer

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We keep the memory adored,

And show the death of our dear Lord

Until he come.

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

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

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

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

Rawson’s hymns included:

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

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

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 26, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN PAUL I, BISHOP OF ROME

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

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

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

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

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

thank you for those (especially George Rawson)

who have nurtured and encouraged the reverent worship of you.

May their work inspire us to worship you in knowledge, truth, and beauty.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 25:1-8

Psalm 145

Revelation 15:1-4

John 4:19-26

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 27, 2012 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES INTERCISUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR

THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGIAN

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This is post #2400 of SUNDRY THOUGHTS.

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Above:  The Flag of England

Image in the Public Domain

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

Anglican Organist and Composer

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

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

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

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

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 24, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, MARTYR

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

thank you for those (especially Jean Baptiste Calkin)

who have nurtured and encouraged the reverent worship of you.

May their work inspire us to worship you in knowledge, truth, and beauty.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 25:1-8

Psalm 145

Revelation 15:1-4

John 4:19-26

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 27, 2012 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES INTERCISUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR

THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGIAN

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Above:  William Henry Monk

Image in the Public Domain

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WILLIAM HENRY MONK (MARCH 16, 1823-MARCH 18, 1889)

Anglican Organist, Hymn Tune Composer, and Music Educator

William Henry Monk comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via a plethora of hymnals.

Monk became a leading light in hymnody in The Church of England.  Our saint, born in London on March 16, 1823, was a son of William Monk and Anna (Coleman) Monk.  Our saint excelled in his study of the organ.  He served as the organist and choirmaster at St. Peter’s Church, Eaton Square, London (1837-1841).  Later he fulfilled those roles at Eaton Chapel, Pimlico (1841-1843); St. George’s Chapel, Albemarle Street, London (1843-1845); Portman Chapel, Marylebone (1845-1847); and King’s College, London (1847f).  In 1874, Monk added Professor of Vocal Music to his duties at King’s College.  He started work as a professor at the National Training School for Music in 1876.  And, from 1852 to 1889, our saint served as the organist at St. Matthias Church, Stoke Newington, London, too.

Monk, a composer of anthems, service music, and hymn tunes, promoted hymn singing throughout his career.  He, part of the Oxford Movement, participated in the change from the Anglican metrical psalter to hymnody in the Anglican tradition.  Monk was also the music editor of numerous hymnals, chiefly the 1861, 1868, 1875, and 1889 editions of Hymns, Ancient and Modern, known informally as “Monk’s book.”  Ours saint’s superb contributions to the corpus of hymn tues included EVENTIDE (“Abide with Me”), ASCENSION (“Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise”), and UNDE ET MEMORES (“And Now, O Father, Mindful of the Love”).

Monk, whom the University of Durham awarded a well-deserved honorary Doctor of Music degree in 1882, died in London on March 18, 1889.  he was 76 years old.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 22, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF JACK LAYTON, CANADIAN ACTIVIST AND FEDERAL LEADER OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

THE FEAST OF JOHN DAVID CHAMBERS, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINTS HRYBORII KHOMYSHYN, SYMEON LUKACH, AND IVAN SLEZYUK, UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC BISHOPS AND MARTYRS, 1947, 1964, AND 1973

THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN KEMBLE AND JOHN WALL, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYRS, 1679

THE FEAST OF SAINTS THOMAS PERCY, RICHARD KIRKMAN, AND WILLIAM LACEY, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1572 AND 1582

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

thank you for those (especially William Henry Monk)

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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