Archive for the ‘Saints of 1870-1879’ Category
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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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.
—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:
- Hymns for Churchmen (1854);
- Counsels for a Godfather (1861);
- Hymns for the Children of the Church (1862);
- 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
- 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: 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. 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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SUNDRY THOUGHTS 
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