Archive for the ‘Saints of 1870-1879’ Category
Above: St. Thomas Episcopal Church, New York, New York
Image Source = Google Earth
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THOMAS TERTIUS NOBLE (MAY 5, 1867-MAY 4, 1953)
Anglican then Episcopal Organist and Composer
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I am a great believer in tunes which are wholesome and masculine.
–T. Tertius Noble, to the committee for the The Hymnal (1941) of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church, July 18, 1938
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T. Tertius Noble comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via The Hymnal (1941) of the Evangelical and Reformed Church, The Hymnal 1940 (1943) of The Episcopal Church, and their companion volumes.
Thomas Tertius Noble, born in Bath, England, on May 5, 1867, was a son and the youngest of nine children of Sarah Jefferson Noble and silversmith Thomas Noble. Given that our saint was the third Thomas in his family, he received the middle name Tertius.
Our saint, known as “Tommy” during his youth, manifested musical talent, which he valued. He, shipped off to a boarding school when ten years old, complained that the curriculum provided no opportunities to develop this talent. Noble longed to return home. Eventually, he did return to his home. Noble found opportunities to develop his talent, starting in 1881. In 1881, he, an adolescent, by the standards of 2023, moved in with Charles Everitt, the retired Canon of Gloucester and the new Rector of All Saints’ Church, Colchester. Everitt needed a parish organist. On May 22, 1943, at a Hymn Society of America dinner held in his honor at The General Theological Seminary, New York, New York, Noble recalled:
I could not play the organ very well. It was an awful, old organ; it had four stops, and the mechanism rattled so loudly that you could not hear the music…. Learning on this organ was difficult, but it was good for me….
–Quoted in Amin Haeussler, The Story of Our Hymns: The Handbook to the Hymnal of the Evangelical and Reformed Church (1952), 827
Above: The Parish Church of All Saints, Colchester, England
Image Source = Google Earth
Noble had a more satisfactory musical experience from 1886 to 1889, when he studied at the Royal College of Music. He had won a scholarship in 1886. Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) was one of our saint’s mentors and teachers there. Noble, after graduating in 1889, served as Stanford’s assistant organist at Trinity College, Cambridge (1890-1892).
Other jobs as an organist followed. Noble served at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Ely (1892-1898). While there, he began to compose his first anthems, including Souls of the Righteous. Noble also married Meriel Maude Stubbs 1897. She was a daughter of Charles Stubbs (1845-1912), the Dean of Ely (1893-1905) then the Bishop of Truro (1906-1912).
Above: The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Ely, England
Image Source = Google Earth
Then Noble worked at the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter (the York Minister), York (1898-1913). He and Meriel welcomed their son, Philip Raymond (1903-1979). Our saint also founded a symphony orchestra; conducted the York Pageant in 1909; and revived the York Musical Festival, dormant for three quarters of a century, in 1912.
Above: The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter, York, England
Image Source = Google Earth
Noble, speaking on May 22, 1943, recalled:
The strain on a cathedral organist is enormous. I had been responsible for fourteen services a week for twenty years, and looked forward, in England, to many more. This was the time to change, though the various canons at York could not see why I should exchange the Minister for just a parish church!
So, in 1913, Noble moved to New York, New York, to assume the duties of organist and choir director at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Our saint brought the Anglican cathedral choir tradition to his new parish. Noble founded the choir school there in 1919 and served faithfully until he retired in 1943. Along the way, our saint received honorary degrees from Columbia University (1918); Trinity College (1926); and Cosmo Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury (1932). St. Thomas Church unveiled a window in honor of Noble’s half-century as a church musician in 1932.
Noble composed sacred and secular music and edited editions of compositions by other composers. He edited the G. Schirmer edition of George Frederick Handel‘s The Messiah. Incidental music flowed from his pen. So did the following, among other masterpieces:
Noble’s hymn tunes included the following:
Noble also made his imprint in writing. He wrote The Training of the Boy Chorister (1943).
On the denominational level, Noble’s service extended to the committees for The Hymnal 1916 (1919) and The Hymnal 1940 (1943).
Above: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Rockport, Massachusetts
Image Source = Google Earth
Noble retired to Rockport, Massachusetts, in 1943. He, one day shy of his eighty-sixth birthday, died there on May 4, 1953.
Noble’s legacy persists. The choir school at St. Thomas Church, New York, New York, still exists. And every time someone sings one of his hymn tunes, our saint’s legacy lives in that way, also.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 19, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF NAZARETH, HUSBAND OF SAINT MARY OF NAZARETH, MOTHER OF GOD
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Holy God, whose majesty surpasses all human definitions and capacity to grasp,
thank you for those (especially T. Tertius Noble)
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: 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.
- Parr, born in Lythwood, Hall, Shropshire, England, on August 16, 1815, took holy orders in The Church of England in 1845.
- 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).
- Parr composed chants and hymn tunes–chants, mainly. His hymn tunes included ST. QUINTON, NORTON, and WINMARLEIGH.
- He edited The Church of England Psalmody (First Edition, 1847; Eighth Edition, 1880).
- 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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Above: Antonín Dvorák
Image in the Public Domain
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ANTONÍN LEOPOLD DVORÁK (SEPTEMBER 8, 1841-MAY 1, 1904)
Czech Roman Catholic Composer
Antonín Dvorák comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via his faith and sacred music, not that I harbor any objection to his secular music, such as his symphonies and delightful Slavonic Dances.
Dvorák was a subject of the Austrian (later the Austro-Hungarian) Empire. He, born in Nelohozeves, near Prague, on September 8, 1841, was ethnically Bohemian. The family’s faith was Roman Catholicism. Our saint was the firstborn son of Frantisek Dvorák (1814-1894) and Anna, née Zdenková (1820-1882). The father was, at different times, an innkeeper, a professional zither player, and a butcher. Our saint’s parents married on November 17, 1840. They had fourteen children, eight of whom survived infancy.
Dvorák, a musical prodigy, studied singing as well as various instruments as a youth. These instruments included the violin, organ, viola, and piano. He also started composing as early as 1855. Our saint, as a young man, became a professional musician. He played in an orchestra and taught piano. Dvorák also fell in love with a piano student, Josefina Cermáková, who did not reciprocate. He did, however, find love with her younger sister, Anna (1854-1931), whom he married in 1873. The couple had nine children, the first three of whom died in infancy.
The young husband and father composed symphonies, works for stringed instruments, and pieces for piano while working as a church organist in Prague. He remained an obscure composer with a local reputation in the 1870s. Money was scarce in the Dvorák household, and our saint continued to teach piano students. Therefore, winning the Austrian State Prize for composition in 1876 helped greatly. It enabled him, for example, to resign his job as a church organist.
Dvorák’s reputation became international in 1879, with the help of composer Johannes Brahms and critic Louis Ehlert. The Slavonic Dances (1878) contributed to the making of our saint’s global reputation. By 1885, Dvorák was famous in England, where he premiered his Seventh Symphony and conducted another original work, The Spectre’s Bride, an oratorio. (Joseph Barnby had conducted a performance of Dvorák’s Stabat Mater, from 1880, at Royal Albert Hall in 1883.)
Despite Dvorák’s growing reputation and the quality of his compositions, anti-Czech attitudes in Vienna prevented more performances of his music in the imperial capital. Nevertheless, such attitudes were absent elsewhere, and the composer travelled internationally to conduct performances of his works when not teaching at the Prague Conservatory.
Dvorák worked as the director of the National Conservatory of Music, New York, New York, from 1892 to 1895. His initial salary was $15,000 (the equivalent of $2,771,168.48, received as compensation, as of the writing of this post). However, the Panic of 1893 affected the finances of the conservatory and its backers negatively, so our saint’s salary fell to $8,000 (the equivalent of $1,477,956.52, received as compensation, today). Dvorák, while in the United States, sought to discover and to engage with American music. He maintained that, just as he used Bohemian folk tunes in compositions, American composers should use Native American and African-American musical idioms in their works. Our saint composed while living and working in the United States. The most famous work from this period was his Ninth Symphony, subtitled From the New World.
Dvorák continued to benefit from the support of Brahms. The great bearded composer, regarding Dvorák as a worthy peer, corrected proofs of our saint’s compositions for publication in Europe while Dvorák was in the United States. Brahms volunteered to perform tedious work, to Dvorák’s amazement and gratitude.
The Dvoráks returned to their homeland in April 1895. The composer resumed his duties at the Prague Conservatory and continued to compose. Our saint also resumed traveling throughout Europe to conduct performances of his works. His social stature increased during the final years. Dvorák joined the imperial House of Lords in 1901. That September, his sixtieth birthday was a national celebration in Bohemia. And he assumed the duties of directing the Prague Conservatory that November.
Dvorák did not survive 1904. He fell severely ill on March 25. This illness prevented our saint from attending a concert consisting mostly of his compositions. Dvorák recovered briefly but fell ill from influenza on April 18. He, aged 62 years, died on May 1.
Dvorák’s oeuvre consists of both sacred and secular works: symphonies, chamber music, operas, songs, and other compositions which resist those categories. The choral works include the Stabat Mater, the Requiem, the Te Deum, and the Mass in D Major. The Stabat Mater, playing in the background as I have been writing this post, is a masterpiece. I defy anyone, informed that Dvorák was a devout Roman Catholic who had buried his first three children, to listen to the Stabat Mater and not detect his faith and paternal grief.
Dvorák’s legacy lives, fortunately. His music enriches my life and his faith enriches mine.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 17, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND
THE FEAST OF EBENEZER ELLIOTT, “THE CORN LAW RHYMER”
THE FEAST OF HENRY SCOTT HOLLAND, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT JAN SARKANDER, SILESIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND “MARTYR OF THE CONFESSIONAL,” 1620
THE FEAST OF JOSEF RHEINBERGER, GERMANIC ROMAN CATHOLIC COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA BARBARA MAIX, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
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Eternal God, light of the world and Creator of all that is good and lovely:
We bless your name for inspiring Antonín Dvorák and all others
who with music have filled us with desire and love for you;
through Jesus Christ our Savior,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Chronicles 29:14b-19
Psalm 90:14-17
2 Corinthians 3:1-3
John 21:15-17, 24-25
–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 728
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Above: Old Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Baltimore, Maryland
Image Source = Google Earth
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JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH HODGES (1830-MAY 1, 1915)
Episcopal Priest, Liturgist, Organist, and Composer
Also known as J. S. B. Hodges, John Sebastian Bach Hodges, and J. Sebastian B. Hodges
Johann Sebastian Bach Hodges comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via The Hymnal 1940 (1943), The Methodist Hymnal/The Book of Hymns (1966), and their companion volumes.
Edward Hodges (1796-1867) and Margaret Robinson Hodges (d. 1863) presided over a musical family. Edward was an organist and a composer in The Church of England. Margaret, raised in the classical music tradition of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum), was a talented vocalist. Edward married Margaret on her nineteenth birthday. The couple raised eight children–George Frederick Handel, Faustina Hasse, Miriam, Jubal, Johann Sebastian Bach, Deborah, Cecilia, and Asaph–four of whom lived past twenty years and became organists. Faustina Hasse Hodges (1822-1895), also a composer, wrote her father’s biography yet died prior to its publication. Johann Sebastian Bach Hodges edited the book for publication (1896). The other two children who survived past twenty years and became organists were Deborah (still alive in 1896) and Jubal (who died at the age of forty-two years).
Edward spent much of this life in North America. In 1838, he moved to Toronto to become the organist at the Anglican Cathedral of St. James. By the end of the next year, he had become the organist at Trinity Church, Wall Street, New York, New York. Edward served in that capacity until illness forced his retirement in 1859. At Trinity Church, Wall Street, Edward introduced the Anglican cathedral music tradition to The Episcopal Church. He also sent for his children, one by one. Johann arrived in New York City in 1845.
Johann remained in the United States even after his father, a new widower, returned to the mother country in 1863. Our saint studied at Columbia University (B.A., 1850; M.A., 1853) then at The General Theological Seminary (S.T.D., 1854). Hodges, ordained to the diaconate in 1854 then to the priesthood the following year: served on the staff of Trinity Church (now Cathedral), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1854-1856. Then our saint spent a few years in the Midwest; he served on the faculty of Nashotah House, Nashotah, Wisconsin. During this time, Hodges also served at the Church of the Holy Communion, Chicago, Illinois. In 1860, our saint returned to the East; he became the Rector of Grace Church, Newark, New Jersey, and served in that capacity through 1870. Next, Hodges served as the Rector of (Old) St. Paul’s Church, Baltimore, Maryland (1870-1906).
Hodges started making his greatest contributions to ecclesiastical life prior to arriving in Baltimore in 1870. He compiled The Book of Common Praise: Music for The Book of Common Prayer; For Use in Congregations and Sunday Schools (1868). Our saint continued his musical-liturgical contributions in Baltimore. In 1873, Hodges replaced the parish’s paid male-female quartet with a choir of men and boys. He also founded the first choir school in the United States. The choir, trained at this choir school, earned its reputation for excellence. Our saint’s work of facilitating The Episcopal Church’s transition from metrical psalms to hymns, begun in Newark, continued in Baltimore. He served on the committee to revise The Hymnal (1874) into The Hymnal (1892). Our saint, the composer of about a hundred anthems and hymn tunes (including EUCHARISTIC HYMN), completed Hymn Tunes, Being Further Contributions to the Hymnody of the Church (1903).
Hodges entered retirement in 1906. During this period, he published Christmas Carols and Hymns for Children Set to Music by the Rev. J. S. B. Hodges, S.T.D. (1908).
Our saint, aged about 85 years, died in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 1, 1915.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 16, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTIETH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, SAINT RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM KIDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT; AND SAINT MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN CACCIAFRONTE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND MARTYR, 1183
THE FEAST OF SAINT MEGINGAUD OF WURZBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF THOMAS WYATT TURNER, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC SCIENTIST, EDUCATOR, AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST; FOUNDER OF FEDERATED COLORED CATHOLICS
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HENRY MONK, ANGLICAN ORGANIST, HYMN TUNE COMPOSER, AND MUSIC EDUCATOR
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Holy God, whose majesty surpasses all human definitions and capacity to grasp,
thank you for those (especially Johann Sebastian Bach Hodges)
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: Pianello del Lario, Italy
Image Source = Google Earth
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BLESSED CHIARA BOSATTA (MAY 27, 1858-APRIL 20, 1887)
Co-Founder of the Daughters of Saint Mary of Providence
Also known as Dina Bosatta
Dina Bosatta, born in Pianello del Lario, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, on May 27, 1858, was a daughter of silk producer Alessandro Bosatta and Rosa Mazzucchi. Our saint, whose father died when she was young, went to the Gravedona house of the Daughters of Charity (the Canossians) in 1871. She remained with them for seven years and worked as an attendant. Bosatta perceived a vocation to the religious life. Her first choice was to join the Daughters of Charity, but they rejected her request. Our saint’s contemplative nature suited her for a different order, they said.
Dina, back home, reunited with her sister, Marcellina. They joined the Pious Union of the Daughters of Saint Mayr, dedicated to helping elderly people and abandoned children. The sisters taught children. Father Carlo Cappini, founder of the Pious Union, passed the torch to St. (Father) Luigi Guanella (1842-1915) in late 1881. Guanella and the two sisters transformed the Pious Union into the Daughters of Saint Mary of Providence. Dina took the name Chiara. She assumed responsibility for the spiritual formation of the members of the order.
Bosatta, aged not quite 29 years, died in Painello del Lario, Kingdom of Italy, on April 20, 1887.
Holy Mother Church has formally recognized Bosatta. Pope John Paul II declared her a Venerable in 1988. Then, in 1991, he added her to the beati.
Bosatta died young. Yet she accomplished much for God and for her brother and sister human beings during the relatively little time she had.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCES DE SALES, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF GENEVA; SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL, “THE APOSTLE OF CHARITY;” SAINT LOUISE DE MARILLAC, CO-FOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY OF SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL; AND CHARLES FUGE LOWDER, FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CROSS
THE FEAST OF EDWARD MCGLYNN, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, SOCIAL REFORMER, AND ALLEGED HERETIC
THE FEAST OF ELIZA SCUDDER, U.S. UNITARIAN THEN EPISCOPALIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOANNA P. MOORE, U.S. BAPTIST MISSIONARY AND EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF THE MARTYRS OF MELANESIA, 1864-2003
THE FEAST OF THOMAS TRAHERNE, ANGLICAN PRIEST, POET, AND SPIRITUAL WRITER
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O God, by whose grace your servant Blessed Chiara Bosatta,
kindled with the flame of your love,
became a burning and a shining light in your Church:
Grant that we also 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 34:1-8 or 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: 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:
- The Psalter, or Psalms of David; with Chants Arranged for the Daily Morning and Evening Service (1843); and
- 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: The Flag of The Episcopal Church
Photographer = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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PETER CHRISTIAN LUTKIN (JR.) (MARCH 27, 1858-DECEMBER 27, 1931)
Episcopal Composer, Liturgist, and Music Educator
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Dean Lutkin’s attitude to music was that of a high priest in the temple of a divine revealing art. He considered himself a steward of the mysteries of God and communicated to his pupils that high sense of a spiritual vocation which alone gives dignity and nobility to life.
–The Right Reverend George Craig Stewart, Bishop of Chicago, on Peter Lutkin; quoted in Robert Guy McCutchan, Our Hymnody: A Manual to The Methodist Church, 2nd. ed. (1937), 167
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Peter Lutkin comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via a plethora of hymnals.
Peter Christian Lutkin (Jr.), born in Thompsonville, Wisconsin, on March 27, 1858, came from a Danish-American family. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1869. Shortly thereafter, both parents–Peter Christian Lutkin (Sr.) and Hannah (Olivarious) Lutkin–died.
Our young saint made his way to fulfilling his potential with the help of many people, some of them related to him. Lutkin attended public schools in Chicago as well as the choir school at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul. At the age of 14 years, he became the first boy contralto soloist in the Midwest. Lutkin worked as an instructor in piano at Northwestern University, which lacked a music department, in 1879-1881. He spent 1881-1884 studying music in Europe; a group of Chicago musicians had raised the funds to make those studies possible.
Lutkin, back in Chicago, made the most of his talents. He held overlapping portfolios:
- Organist and choirmaster, St. Clement’s Episcopal Church (1884-1891);
- Director of the Department of Theory, the American Conservatory of Music (1885-1895);
- Organist and choirmaster, St. James’s Episcopal Church (1891-1896);
- Founder and first Dean of the School of Music, Northwestern University (1896-1928);
- Musical Editor, The Methodist Hymnal (1905);
- Founder and Director of the North Shore Festivals (1908-1930);
- President, the Music Teachers’ National Association (1911, 1920); and
- Musical Editor, The (Episcopal) Hymnal 1916 (1918).
Our saint, a pioneer in college music education in the United States and a champion of choral a cappella music, also helped to found the American Guild of Organists in 1896. Syracuse University awarded Lutkin the Mus.D. degree in 1900.
Lutkin composed canticles, anthems, hymn tunes, and instrumental works. His hymn tunes included LANIER, THEODORE, PATTEN, and CARMAN. Perhaps his most anthem was The Lord Bless You and Keep You.
Lutkin, aged 73 years, died in Evanston, Illinois, on December 27, 1931. His widow was Nancy Leiah Carmen Lutkin (1861-1949), whom he married on October 27, 1885.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT DIONYSIUS EXIGUUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND REFORMER OF THE CALENDAR
THE FEAST OF DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, CHEYENNE WARRIOR, CHIEF, HOLY MAN, AND EPISCOPAL DEACON AND MISSIONARY IN OKLAHOMA
THE FEAST OF SAINT FIACRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT
THE FEAST OF FRANÇOIS MAURIAC, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC NOVELIST, CHRISTIAN HUMANIST, AND SOCIAL CRITIC
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Holy God, whose majesty surpasses all human definitions and capacity to grasp,
thank you for those (especially Peter Lutkin)
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: Josef Rheinberger
Image in the Public Domain
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JOSEF GABRIEL RHEINBERGER (MARCH 17, 1839-NOVEMBER 25, 1901)
Germanic Roman Catholic Composer
Josef Rheinberger comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via his sacred music.
Rheinberger, born in Liechtenstein on March 17, 1839, was a musical prodigy. He worked as the parish organist in Vaduz when seven years old. A year later, our saint became a composer. Rheinberger’s father, the treasurer for Prince Aloys III of Liechtenstein (r. 1836-1858), nurtured this talent. Yet the father remained reluctant until 1851 to permit his son to become a professional musician. Rheinberger began to study at the conservatory in Munich.
Upon graduating, Rheinberger joined the piano and composition faculty at the conservatory in Munch. After the dissolution of that institution, our saint became a vocal coach and an accompanist at the Court Theater. He resigned in 1867, and married a former pupil, the poet and socialite Franziska “Fanny” von Hoffnaass. She became one of her husband’s librettists. Rheinberger, appointed the court conductor in Munich in 1877, eventually joined the faculty of the second Munich conservatory, while retaining duties as court conductor. Horatio William Parker (1863-1919) was one of Rheinberger’s students at the conservatory from 1882 to 1885. Franciska died after a long illness on December 31, 1892. Our saint’s failing health forced his resignation as court conductor two years later.
Rheinberger composed many works. These included twelve Masses, a Requiem, a Stabat Mater, two concerti, twenty sonatas, and thirty-six solo pieces for the organ, plus choral works, symphonies, operas, and chamber music.
One can easily listen to many of our saint’s compositions on YouTube.
Rheinberger, aged 62 years, died in Munich, German Empire, on November 25, 1901.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 31, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICODEMUS, DISCIPLE OF JESUS
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Eternal God, light of the world and Creator of all that is good and lovely:
We bless your name for inspiring Josef Rheinberger
and all those who with music have filled us with desire and love for you;
through Jesus Christ our Savior,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Chronicles 29:14b-19
Psalm 90:14-17
2 Corinthians 3:1-3
John 21:15-17, 24-25
–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 728
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Above: Rudolph A. John
Image Source = Yearbook and Almanac of the Evangelical and Reformed Church 1939 (1938), 42
Available at archive.org
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RUDOLPH A. JOHN (JR.) (MARCH 26, 1859-JULY 17, 1938)
German Evangelical Minister, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator
Rudolph A. John comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church.
Our saint grew up in the old Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA). In this context, “Evangelical” meant “Protestant”–Lutheran-Reformed, specifically. Prussian immigrants–members of the merged Lutheran-Reformed church there–created a counterpart in the United States of America. Our saint’s father was the Reverend Rudolph A. John (Sr.), who served at St. Peter’s Evangelical Church, Washington, Missouri. Later, John (Sr.) taught at Eden Theological Seminary. Our saint, born at Washington, Missouri, on March 26, 1859, was also a son of Christine (Kopf) John. Our saint had a brother, Samuel A. John, who grew up to become a prominent minister and an expert in Sunday School work in the ESNA.
John (Jr.) joined the ranks of ESNA ministers, too. He studied at Washington University then at Eden Theological Seminary. Our saint, ordained on June 26, 1878, embarked on his life’s work, first at a cluster of mission churches in southern Illinois. Next, he served at Immanuel Evangelical Church (now United Church of Christ), Sedalia, Missouri. During this time, John was the Secretary of the ESNA’s West Missouri District. A tenure at St. John’s Evangelical Church (now United Church of Christ), Richmond, Virginia (-1886) followed. Prior to 1886, our saint edited Christliche Kinderzeitung, a Sunday School paper for intermediates and youth. He also married Emilie (W.) John and started a family. The couple had a daughter (who survived our saint) and a son (who predeceased our saint).
John spent four decades at St. Paul’s Evangelical Church (now United Church of Christ), Chicago, Illinois, starting in 1886. After retiring, he held the title Pastor Emeritus. Our saint, during his time in Chicago, served a term as the President of the ESNA’s North Illinois District. He also founded St. Paul’s Church Home, for elderly people. In retirement, John served as its superintendent.
John found time to compose poems, write hymns, and translate other hymns from German. He wrote hymns in both English and German. The Hymnal (1941), of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church, a successor to the ESNA, included three of our saint’s translations:
- I Will Sing the Praise of Love Unbounded,
- I Will Ever Sing Thy Praises, and
- Take Thou My Hand and Lead Me.
John, aged 79 years, died in Richmond, Virginia, on July 17, 1938. Survivors included his widow and daughter.
The final verse of our saint’s translation (1912) of a hymn (form 1757) by Gerhard Tersteegen constitues a fitting epitaph for John:
While life shall last, I’ll sing the glory
Of Christ the Saviour and His love;
With angel hosts I’ll tell the story
Of Christ, in Zion’s home above;
God’s love is mine, death cannot sever
Me from that heart that loves forever.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 28, 2022 COMMON ERA
PROPER 17: THE TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF SAINT AMBROSE OF MILAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT MONICA OF HIPPO, MOTHER OF SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO; AND SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF HIPPO REGIUS
THE FEAST OF DENIS WORTMAN, U.S. DUTCH REFORMED MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GEORGE THOMAS COSTER, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF LAURA S. COPENHAVER, U.S. LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER AND MISSIONARY LEADER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MOSES THE BLACK, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND MARTYR
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Dear God of beauty,
you have granted literary ability and spiritual sensitivity to
Rudolph A. John and others, who have composed and translated 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: The Flag of the Congo Free State and Belgian Congo
Image in the Public Domain
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WILLIAM HENRY SHEPPARD, JR. (MARCH 8, 1865-NOVEMBER 25, 1927)
LUCY GANTT SHEPPARD (1867-MAY 27, 1955)
SAMUEL N. LAPSLEY (APRIL 14, 1866-MARCH 26, 1892)
Southern Presbyterian Missionaries to the Congo
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INTRODUCTION
When one surveys the names of presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), one notices that most names are geographical or historical-cultural. In Georgia, where I live, for example, the PC(USA) has five presbyteries. The Flint River Presbytery–named for the Flint River–is in the southwestern part of the state. The Savannah Presbytery is to the east of the Flint River Presbytery. The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta requires no explanation for its name. Northwest of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta sits the Cherokee Presbytery, named after the tribe that used to live there. The Northeast Georgia Presbytery is the other presbytery in the state.
Next door, in Alabama, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has three presbyteries–South Alabama, the Sheppards and Lapsley, and North Alabama.
The Presbytery of the Sheppards and Lapsley? Why not? I will explain in this post.
I have already added two other missionaries to the Congo to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days. Louise Cecilia Fleming (1862-1899) was a medical missionary. Althea Brown Edmiston (1875-1937) served with the Sheppards.
BEGINNINGS
William Henry Sheppard, Jr., entered the world at Waynesboro, Virginia, on March 8, 1865. His father, William Henry Sheppard, Sr., was a barber. Our saint’s mother, Fannie Francis Martin Sheppard, was a maid and a free person of color. Young William attended local schools worked as a stable hand for a white family. Eventually, he moved to Staunton, Virginia, where he lived with his aunt and worked for a white dentist, S. Homer Henkel.
William matriculated at the Hampton Normal and Industrial School (now Hampton University), Hampton, Virginia, in 1880. There he studied under Booker T. Washington and, with the help of chaplain Hollis B. Frissel, founded a mission in the poor African-American community in nearby Slabtown.
Our saint, having graduated from Hampton in 1883, matriculated at the Tuscaloosa Theological Institute (now Stillman College), Tuscaloosa, Alabama. There he met Lucy Gantt, a student at Talladega College. The couple became engaged to marry in 1886, the year Lucy graduated. William (Class of 1884) worked in a church in Montgomery through 1887.
The engagement was long. In the meantime, the old (Southern) Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) ordained William in 1887. He spent two years as pastor of Zion Presbyterian Church, Atlanta. His dream, however, was to serve as a missionary in Africa. The PCUS policy regarding African-American missionaries required sending a white missionary as a supervisor.
The corresponding white missionary was Samuel N. Lapsley, commissioned with William in 1889. While the two missionaries departed for the Congo Free State, Lucy taught school. She also sang with the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee.
Lapsley entered the world at Selma, Alabama, on April 14, 1866. He grew up in the First Presbyterian Church in that city; Lapsley, Sr., was a judge in Selma, as well as an elder in First Presbyterian Church, and eventually the Moderator of the PCUS General Assembly. Lapsley, Sr., had built a church for African Americans in Vine Hill. Samuel served as the Sunday School superintendent of that African-American congregation. He also played the piano and organ there. Samuel, a graduate of The University of Alabama, turned down a promising academic career to become a minister. While a student at McCormick Theological Seminary, he applied for the new PCUS mission field in the Congo, opened in 1889. The field was open, but the laborers were few.
IN THE CONGO
Above: Congo Free State
Image in the Public Domain
Sheppard and Lapsley arrived in the Congo on May 10, 1890. They arrived at their chosen site–Luebo–on April 22. The American Presbyterian Congo Mission had begun. Lapsley handled financial and diplomatic matters. Sheppard learned local languages, preached, hunted for food, and negotiated with local leaders. Lapsley, only 25 years old, died of fever in Leopoldville on March 26, 1892.
The First Presbyterian Church of Selma raised funds for the S. N. Lapsley, a steamer, completed at Richmond, Virginia, in June 1900. This vessel arrived at the American Presbyterian Congo Mission in July 1901. Unfortunately, it sank on November 16, 1903. However, the second S. N. Lapsley, also a steamer, built in Scotland and dedicated on December 15, 1906, served the mission for a quarter of a century.
William, on furlough in the United States in 1893, married Lucy, then teaching in Birmingham, Alabama. Lucy joined her husband as a missionary in the Congo; they served until 1910. Lucy opened the first school in the Presbyterian mission at Ibanche and founded the mission’s first women’s society. She also proved invaluable in the publication of a hymnal, the first book printed in the Tshiluba dialect. Furthermore, Lucy directed the mission’s choir.
During a period when Lucy had returned to the United States, William began a series of extramarital affairs. This matter returned to haunt him after he completed his missionary service.
Above: The Congo Free State, 1905
Image in the Public Domain
William courageously helped to expose the brutality of the Congo Free State, the private colony of King Leopold II of Belgium. The penalty for a man who failed to meet his quota in rubber sap collection was the severing of his right hand. Official discouragement of agriculture led to mass starvation. William, accepting the suggestion of fellow missionary William Morrison that he investigate one incident, photographed partially dismembered bodies, 81 severed hands, and human flesh cooking over a fire while a raider from the Zappo-Zaps boasted. (That tribe committed atrocities on behalf of rubber companies.) William’s article, with photographs, appeared in Morrison’s missionary newspaper, the Kasai Herald, in January 1908. The Kasai Rubber Company sued the two missionaries for libel. With charges against Morrison dropped, William went on trial. Equipped with witnesses and the support of the William Howard Taft Administration, our saint won. The Belgian parliament took control of the Congo.
William also explored the terrain in the Congo. His adventures earned him the nickname “the Black Livingstone.”
BACK IN THE UNITED STATES
William, suffering from Malaria, returned to the United States in 1910. The PCUS, citing affairs, suspended him for fifteen months and revoked his missionary appointment. William founded Grace Presbyterian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, in 1912. He served as its pastor until 1927.
The Sheppards also collected African art; they were some of the first African Americans to do so. Their collection has become the property of the Hampton University Museum.
Willam Henry Sheppard, Jr., aged 62 years, died in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 25, 1927.
Lucy Gantt Sheppard, aged 88 years, died in Louisville on May 27, 1955, after a long illness. Survivors included two children, Wilhemina Sheppard Brown and Max Sheppard.
William’s epitaph is,
He lived for others.
That epitaph also applies to Samuel N. Lapsley and to Lucy.
CONCLUSION
The Presbytery of the Sheppards and Lapsley bears a good and an honorable name. This name indicates lives devoted to the service of Christ–specifically, to people, for the glory of God. That is a standard worth emulating.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 27, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THOMAS GALLAUDET AND HENRY WINTER SYLE, EPISCOPAL PRIESTS AND EDUCATORS OF THE DEAF
THE FEAST OF SAINT AMADEUS OF CLERMONT, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK; AND HIS SON, SAINT AMADEUS OF LAUSANNE, FRENCH-SWISS ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMINIC BARBERI, ROMAN CATHOLIC APOSTLE TO ENGLAND
THE FEAST OF HENRIETTE LUISE VON HAYN, GERMAN MORAVIAN HYMN WRITER
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Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servants
William Henry Sheppard, Jr.;
Lucy Gantt Sheppard; and
Samuel N. Lapsley;
whom you called to preach the Gospel to the people of the Congo.
Raise up in this and every land evangelists and heralds of your kingdom,
that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 96 or 96:1-7
Acts 1:1-9
Luke 10:1-9
—Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 716
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SUNDRY THOUGHTS 
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