In gratitude and humble trust,

Above:  Calvary Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, California

Image Source = Google Earth

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FRANK VON CHRISTIERSON (DECEMBER 25, 1900-APRIL 24, 1996)

Finnish-American Presbyterian Minister and Hymn Writer

Born Friedrich von Christierson

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We bring our best today,

To serve your cause and share your love

With all along life’s way.

O God, who gave yourself to us

In Christ, your only Son,

Teach us to give ourselves each day

Until life’s work is done.

–Frank von Christierson, from As Men of Old Their Firstfruits Brought (1960, 1972); quoted in The Worshipbook:  Services and Hymns (1972)

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Frank von Christierson comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via various denominational hymnals, mainly The Methodist Hymnal/The Book of Hymns (1966).  (The United Methodist Hymnal of 1989 lacks any texts by our saint.)

Friedrich von Christierson was originally a subject of the Russian Empire.  He, born at Lovisa, near Helsinki, Finland, on December 25, 1900, left for the United States with his parents and five brothers in 1905.

Christierson (B.A., psychology, Stanford University, 1923), went into church work.  He spent a few years as the youth director at First Presbyterian Church, San Luis Obispo, California.  During this time, Christierson married Frances May Lockhart in 1925.  The couple had two children.  Our saint matriculated at San Francisco Theological Seminary (B.D., 1929; M.A., 1930).  Christierson, ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. in 1929, continued his clergy status in the PCUSA’s successors, The United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  He served in the following congregations from 1929 to 1966:

1. Calvary Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, California (1929-1944);
2. Trinity Community Presbyterian Church, North Hollywood, California, a church plant (1944-1961); and
3. Celtic Cross United Presbyterian Church (now Celtic Cross Presbyterian Church), Citrus Heights, California, a church plant (1961-1966).

Christierson was also active beyond the congregational level.  He served as the Moderator of the San Francisco Presbytery and the Los Angeles Presbytery.  For three years in the early 1960s, he served as the chairman of the radio and television ministries of the Sacramento Area Council of Churches.  In this capacity, our saint created a television program, Capital and Clergy, in 1962.

Christierson remained active in retirement.  He filled various pulpits, as an interim pastor, in California and Nevada through 1970.  Then, from 1970 to 1982, our saint was a part-time associate minister at First Presbyterian Church (now Centerpoint Community Church), Roseville, California.  He focused on the elderly and the ill.

Our saint, a fellow of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada since 1983, published Make a Joyful Noise (1987), a volume of his hymns.

Christierson, aged 95 years, died in Roseville, California, on April 24, 1996.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST, APOSTLE AND MARTYR

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Dear God of beauty,

you have granted literary ability and spiritual sensitivity to

Frank von Christierson 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:  Blessed Hanna Helena Chrzanowska

Image in the Public Domain

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BLESSED HANNA HELENA CHRZANOWSKA (OCTOBER 7, 1902-APRIL 29, 1973)

Polish Roman Catholic Nurse

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

Our saint was originally a subject of the Russian Empire.  She, born in Warsaw on October 7, 1902, came from a family of mixed religious heritage.  One side of the family was Roman Catholic; the other side was Protestant.  Her parents were Wanda Szlenkier (from a landowning family) and industrialist Ignacy Chrzanowski (1866-1940).  The family earned its reputation for committing charitable deeds.

Young Hanna, suffering from immune and respiratory system deficiencies, spent much time in hospitals and sanitariums.  She started her life’s work of humanitarianism while a child, in a hospital.  A boy, another patient, had arrived in extremely ragged clothing.  The staff had had to dispose of these clothes.  Therefore, our saint arranged for new clothes for the boy to wear home.

Our saint’s family moved to Kraków in 1910.  Blessed Hanna graduated with honors from an Ursuline high school.  After tending to soldiers’ injuries during Russia’s revolutionary period, she commenced formal nursing studies in Warsaw in 1920.  Blessed Hanna worked for a time under another nurse, Sister Magdalena Maria Epstein (1875-1947), designated a Servant of God as of the writing of this post.  Our saint’s formal education in nursing continued in France (1925f).  She also worked as a Red Cross nurse and observed nursing in Belgium.

Blessed Hanna rose in esteem and prominence in her profession.  She taught at Kraków (1926-1929), edited Nurse Poland (1929-1939), and helped to form the Catholic Association of Polish Nurses (1937).  She, fusing faith and profession, became a Benedictine oblate.

World War II presented our saint with many challenges.  Her father died in a concentration camp.  A brother, Bogdon, perished in a Stalinist massacre.  Blessed Hanna, stuck between Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler, organized nurses to provide home health care (when possible) and worked to resettle and feed refugees.  She also administered a nursing home and mentored nursing students.

Other challenges awaited Blessed Hanna after the war.  She worked as the Director of the School of Psychiatric Nursing, Kobierzyn, until the communist government closed it.  Next, she tended to the poor and neglected in her parish.  Our saint, diagnosed with cancer in 1966, underwent operations.  Yet the cancer spread.  She died in Kraków on April 29, 1973.  Blessed Hanna was seventy years old.  Cardinal Karol Wojtyla–later Pope John Paul II–presided at the funeral Mass.

Holy Mother Church has formally recognized Blessed Hanna.  Pope Francis declared her a Venerable in 2015 then one of the beati in 2018.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR, 258; AND SAINTS CORNELIUS I, LUCIUS I, AND STEPHEN I, BISHOPS OF ROME

THE FEAST OF JAMES FRANCIS CARNEY, U.S.-HONDURAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MISSIONARY, REVOLUTIONARY, AND MARTYR, 1983

THE FEAST OF MARTIN BEHM, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

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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 life of the world.

Lead us by his love to serve all those to whom

the world offers no comfort and little joy.

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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My mother lived out her faith: that we are all loved by God, created in the image of God, and a part of God’s family–no matter what word we use for God.

Above:  The Logo of the Augustana Synod

Image in the Public Domain

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RUTH YOUNGDAHL NELSON (1904-APRIL 6, 1984)

U.S. Lutheran Renewer of Society

Ruth Youngdahl Nelson comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via G. Scott Cady and Christopher L. Webber, A Year with American Saints (2006).  A remembrance by daughter Mary Nelson rounds out the available information significantly.  A YouTube video of our saint addressing students at Augsburg College (now University), Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 28, 1969, is worth your attention, O reader.  And a few other websites fill in other corners with information.

Ruth Youngdahl, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1904, was a child of John Carl Youngdahl and Elizabeth (Johnson) Youngdahl.  One brother, Luther Youngdahl (1896-1978), served as the Governor of Minnesota (1947-1951).

Our saint spent her life obeying her conscience, following Jesus, and challenging social conventions.  As a student at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota, the athletic Youngdahl helped to organize then led the college’s chapter of the National Women’s Athletic Association.  She also made national headlines in 1923 by playing on a co-educational football team.

Our saint married Clarence T. Nelson, a minister in the old Augustana Synod.  The couple had four children and fostered three others.  The Nelsons served in churches in Minnesota, Illinois, and the District of Columbia.  In addition, they served in Switzerland and Saudi Arabia.  (Clarence spent four years in the kingdom as a chaplain to oil workers.)

Nelson spoke out and wrote boldly about a variety of issues.

1. The arms race during the Cold War alarmed our saint.  She advocated making peace.
2. Racial and economic justice were also priorities for Nelson.
3. She and her husband welcomed former inmates into their home.
4. Our saint led a weekly Bible study in a women’s prison and lobbied for halfway homes for women emerging from prison.
5. In 1982, Nelson and son Jonathan participated in an armada that attempted to block a nuclear Trident submarine headed for a naval base in Bangor, Washington.  The protesters, arrested for this act of civil disobedience, never went to trial; the court dismissed the charges.
6. During her final months, the wheelchair-bound saint, 80 years old and recovering from cancer surgery, participated in a demonstration against weapons of mass destruction in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Nelson wrote ten books, including the following:

1. The Christian Woman (1951),
2. The Woman Beautiful (1954),
3. God’s Song in My Heart (1957),
4. Where Jesus Walks (1966),
5. You Can Make a Difference (1974),
6. Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters (1976),
7. God’s Joy in My Heart (1980), and
8. A Grandmother’s Letters to God (1983).

Daughter Mary Nelson wrote:

Our saint said of herself:

I am no theologian.  I can only speak and write about what Christ can do in my everyday life.

Ruth Youngdahl Nelson, who died on April 5, 1984, lived her generous Christian faith.  She, therefore, set an example–a formidable one, and a high bar.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF PETER OF CHELCIC, BOHEMIAN MORAVIAN REFORMER; AND GREGORY THE PATRIARCH, FOUNDER OF THE MORAVIAN CHURCH

THE FEAST OF FREDERICK J. MURPHY, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

THE FEAST OF GODFREY THRING, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF JANE CREWDSON, ENGLISH QUAKER POET AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF NARAYAN SESHADRI OF JALNA, INDIAN PRESBYTERIAN EVANGELIST AND “APOSTLE TO THE MANGS”

THE FEAST OF ROBERT GUY MCCUTCHAN, U.S. METHODIST HYMNAL EDITOR AND HYMN TUNE COMPOSER

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Holy and righteous God, you created us in your image.

Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil

and to make no peace with oppression.

Help us [like your servant Ruth Youngdahl Nelson]

to use our freedom to bring justice among people and nations,

to the glory of your name;

through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Hosea 2:18-23

Psalm 94:1-14

Romans 12:9-21

Luke 6:20-36

–Adapted from the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 37

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I prefer music. I do not think that entertainment music is appropriate for church. The music should be the servant of the text. And the text has to be of spiritual value.

Above:  Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, Denver, Colorado

Image Source = Google Earth

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AUSTIN COLE LOVELACE (MARCH 26, 1919-APRIL 25, 2010)

United Methodist Organist, Composer, Hymn Writer, and Liturgist

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–Austin C. Lovelace’s critique of contemporary Christian music and worship, in The Denver Post, October 2, 2009

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Austin C. Lovelace comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via three hymnals and their companion volumes.  The hymnals are, in chronological order, The Methodist Hymnal/The Book of Hymns (1966), the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), and The United Methodist Hymnal (1989).

Lovelace became one of the most influential figures in church music in the United States of America in the twentieth century.  His influence touched the hymnals of major Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church.  Our saint also lectured and made presentations.  The title of one lecture was, “Hymns that Jesus Would Not Have Liked.”  One such hymn that Lovelace reviewed was, “When the Bells of Hell Go Ting-a-Ling for You and Not for Me.”  And our saint, a fan of jazz, hosted Dave Brubeck (and his band) and Duke Ellington (and his orchestra) at services (on separate occasions) at services at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, Denver, Colorado, while he served as the Minister of Music there (1964-1970).

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Lovelace entered the world at Rutherfordton, North Carolina, on March 26, 1919.  Our saint’s parents were Arsola Crawford Lovelace (1889-1956) and Maude Lee White Lovelace (1891-1974).  His brother was Marc Hoyle Lovelace (1920-2008).  The family was Southern Baptist.  Musical training started in childhood; our saint and his brother performed piano duets as boys.

Lovelace made his life in church music, starting in his youth.  He graduated with his A.B. degree from High Point College, High Point, North Carolina, in 1939.

The Big Apple beckoned next.  Lovelace studied at Union Theological Seminary, New York, New York (M.S.M., 1941).  There he fell in love with his page turner, Pauline Palmer (1918-2015).  The couple married on May 21, 1941.

Lovelace, who served as a chaplain’s assistant during World War II, resumed academic life.  He taught at The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska; Queens College, Charlotte, North Carolina; and Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina; through 1952.  He also earned his D.S.M. degree from Union Theological Seminary in 1950.  Furthermore, our saint served in congregations in Lincoln, Nebraska; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Greensboro, North Carolina.

Lovelace spent 1952-1962 in Evanston, Illinois.  He served as the Minister of Music at First Methodist Church and taught at Garrett Theological Seminary.  During this time, our saint was the organist at the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Evanston (1954).  Lovelace also served as the first President of the National Fellowship of Methodist Musicians (1955-1957).  He also wrote Music and Worship in the Church (1960) with William C. Rice.

The Organist and Hymn Playing (First Edition, 1962; Second Edition, 1981) followed.

Above:  Christ Church, United Methodist, New York, New York

Image Source = Google Earth

Lovelace returned to New York City in 1962.  He served as the Minister of Music at Christ Church, Methodist, from 1962 to 1964.  Our saint also wrote The Youth Choir (1964) and received his Mus.D. degree from High Point College (1963).

Lovelace moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1964.  Through 1970 he served as the Minister of Music at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church.  Our saint also taught at Iliff School of Theology (-1969) then at Temple Buell College (1969-1970).  Lovelace also wrote The Anatomy of Hymnody (1965).

During the 1960s, Lovelace was active in the preparation of The Methodist Hymnal/The Book of Hymns (1966).  He served on the committee and as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Tunes.  Our saint also composed one tune (HINMAN), wrote three pieces of service music (#783, 786, and 797), adapted one tune, altered two tunes, versified one text, and harmonized twenty-six hymn tunes for the hymnal.  Furthermore, Lovelace wrote for Companion to the Hymnal (1970).

Above:  Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, Dallas, Texas

Image Source = Google Earth

Lovelace remained a full-time church musician through 1986.  He served as the Minister of Music at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, Dallas, Texas (1970-1977); then at Wellshire Presbyterian Church, Denver, Colorado (1977-1986).  He retired in 1986.

Above:  Wellshire Presbyterian Church, Denver, Colorado

Image Source = Google Earth

Lovelace remained active in retirement.  He composed through 2010, bringing his catalog to more than 1000 works:  hymn tunes, works for organ, works for choirs, works for soloists, arrangements, harmonizations, et cetera.  Our saint ceased to work as a substitute organist when 87 years old.  Lovelace also contributed to The United Methodist Hymnal (1989), for which he prepared the Metrical Index.  That volume included an original hymn tune (MUSTARD SEED), five hymn tune harmonizations, and one hymn versification by our saint.  And he wrote a book, Hymn Notes for Church Bulletins (1987).

Lovelace, aged 91 years, died in Denver, Colorado, on April 25, 2010.  His survivors included Pauline, his wife; Barbara Lovelace Williams, his daughter; and a grandson.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 20, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT ZACCHAEUS, PENITENT TAX COLLECTOR AND ROMAN COLLABORATOR

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

thank you for those (especially Austin C. Lovelace)

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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If in doubt, side with the poor.

äAbove:  The Flag of Brazil

Image in the Public Domain

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PERE CASALDÀLIGA I PLA (FEBRUARY 16, 1928-AUGUST 8, 2020)

Roman Catholic Bishop of São Félix, Brazil

“Bishop to then Poor”

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–One of Bishop Casaldàliga’s favorite sayings

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Bishop Pedro Casaldàliga comes to this, A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:  AN ECUMENICAL CALENDAR OF SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS, via Father João Bosco Burnier (1917-1976), one of his priests, and a martyr.

Our saint was a Catalan.  He, born in Balsareny, Catalonia, Spain, on February 16, 1928, grew up on the family’s cattle ranch.  He, ordained a priest in Barcelona on May 31, 1952, was also a Claretian.

The order sent Casaldàliga to Brazil in 1968.  There he remained, except for travels out of the country.  Our saint, appointed the Apostolic Administrator of the Territorial Prefecture of São Félix on April 27, 1970, became its bishop on August 27, 1971.  He served in this capacity until retiring on February 2, 2005.  Casaldàliga made powerful enemies.

1. He opposed the Brazilian military dictatorship, which committed violations of human rights of civilians.  That government censored him.
2. He confronted large agricultural corporations for cooperating with the military dictatorship and operating a modern form of the slaver trade.
3. He advocated for the rights of the poor and indigenous people.  This advocacy incurred the wrath of logging corporations, mining corporations, agricultural corporations, and land-grabbers.  Casaldàliga received death threats and the attention of more than one hitman, even after he retired.
4. In 1972, he founded the Conselho Indigenista Missionário within the Brazilian Roman Catholic Church, to support the rights of indigenous peoples.
5. He favored liberation theology.  This position placed Casaldàliga on the bad side of Pope John Paul II and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI).  The bishop defied Rome when he refused to sign a prepared statement acknowledging his alleged errors.
6. He criticized the Roman Catholic Church from within for, among other errors, marginalizing women, opposing liberation theology, and being overly centralized.
7. He made other churchmen look bad by voluntarily living in poverty, in community.

Casaldàliga, in retirement, served as a priest.  He also had a favorable relationship with Pope Francis.  The bishop, who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, died in Batatais, São Paolo, on August 8, 2020.  He was 92 years old.

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Lord Christ, who pronounced the poor to be blessed heirs of the Kingdom of God,

thank you for the faithful life and legacy of your servant, Bishop Pedro Casaldàliga,

who lived the Gospel in his advocacy on behalf of the poor and indigenous peoples.

May the spirit of courageous defense of the marginalized and oppressed ever be strong within your Church.

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

Deuteronomy 24:10-15

Psalm 10

Revelation 18:9-24

Luke 6:20-26

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 15, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF JOHN AMOS COMENIUS, FATHER OF MODERN EDUCATION

THE FEAST OF GUSTAF AULEN AND HIS PROTÉGÉ AND COLLEAGUE, ANDERS NYGREN, SWEDISH LUTHERAN BISHOPS AND THEOLOGIANS

THE FEAST OF JANE MONTGOMERY CAMPBELL, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND MUSIC EDUCATOR

THE FEAST OF JOHANN GOTTLOB KLEMM, INSTRUMENT MAKER; DAVID TANNENBERG, SR., GERMAN-AMERICAN MORAVIAN ORGAN BUILDER; JOHANN PHILIP BACHMANN, GERMAN-AMERICAN MORAVIAN INSTRUMENT MAKER; JOSEPH FERDINAND BULITSCHEK, BOHEMIAN-AMERICAN ORGAN BUILDER; AND TOBIAS FRIEDRICH, GERMAN MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN

THE FEAST OF JOHANNES KEPLER, GERMAN LUTHERAN ASTRONOMER AND MATHEMATICIAN

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH PIGNATELLI, RESTORER OF THE JESUITS

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Above:  Blessed Maria Esperanza de Jesus

Image in the Public Domain

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MARIA JOSEFA ALHAMA Y VALERA (SEPTEMBER 30, 1893-FEBRUARY 8, 1983)

Founder of the Handmaids of Merciful Love and the Sons of Merciful Love

Also known as Blessed Esperanza de Jesus

Blessed Maria Esperanza de Jesus comes to this, A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:  AN ECUMENICAL CALENDAR OF SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS, via the Roman Catholic Church.

Maria Josefa, born in Santomera, Murcia, Spain, on September 30, 1893, came from a devout, peasant family.  She was the first of nine children.  Our saint’s father was an agricultural worker.  Her mother was a housewife.  Maria Josefa, educated by nuns, joined the Daughters of Calvary, as Sister Esperanza de Jesus (Hope of Jesus) when 21 years old.

Our saint, devoted to the Merciful Love of Jesus, founded two orders.  She founded the Handmaids of Merciful Love in Madrid, Spain, on December 24, 1930.  Their mission was to care for the sick, the elderly, orphans, and poor children, and to educate the latter two.  She, based in Rome from 1926 to 1951, then at Collevalenza, Perugia, Italy, starting in 1951, founded the corresponding male order, the Sons of Merciful Love, in Collevalenza in 1951.

Our saint oversaw the construction of the Sanctuary of Merciful Love, at Collevalenza, completed in 1959.  Pope John Paul II visited the church and our saint in 1982.  He recognized the church as a minor basilica.

Our saint, aged 89 years, died in Collevalenza on February 8, 1983.

The Church has formally recognized Valera.  Pope John Paul II declared her a Venerable in 2002.  Pope Frances beatified her in 2014.

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Many non-Christians–especially non-believers–think of Christianity as a judgmental, legalistic faith.  This is a misunderstanding of Christianity, as it is, at its best.  However, many professing Christians are judgmental and legalistic.  They are what they falsely accuse Jews of being–legalistic, with works-based righteousness.

Blessed Maria Esperanza de Jesus correctly focused on divine merciful love–that which loves unconditionally and seeks to attract all people.  Grace is free, not cheap; ask the Hebrew prophets, Jesus, and the martyrs.  Grace calls for faithful response.

Legalism is a misguided attempt to respond faithfully to God.  Legalism is a sibling of the quest for certainty.  That quest is idolatrous; it replaces faith in God with certainty.

May we–you, O reader, and I–lean all the way into God’s merciful love and trust in it.  May we be neither legalistic nor judgmental. May we respond faithfully to God.

God of merciful love, thank you for the faithful life and legacy

of your servant, Blessed Maria Esperanza de Jesus.

May our lives also be beacons of your merciful love,

for your glory and the benefit of others.

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

Leviticus 19:1-4, 9-18, 32-37

Psalm 23

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Luke 10:25-37

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 10, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT LEO I “THE GREAT,” BISHOP OF ROME

THE FEAST OF LOTT CARY, AFRICAN-AMERICAN BAPTIST MINISTER AND MISSIONARY TO LIBERIA; AND MELVILLE B. COX, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER AND MISSIONARY TO LIBERIA

THE FEAST OF ODETTE PRÉVOST, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN, AND MARTYR IN ALGERIA, 1995

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Above:  Bob Keeshan as Captain Kangaroo

Image in the Public Domain

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ROBERT JAMES KEESHAN (JUNE 27, 1927-JANUARY 23, 2004)

Captain Kangaroo

Bob Keeshan comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via historical accounts and my childhood.

Keeshan came from an Irish-American Roman Catholic family.  He, born in Lynbrook, New York, on June 27, 1927, was a son of Margaret Frances Conroy Keeshan (d. 1943) and grocery store manager Joseph Keeshan.  Our saint, who graduated from high school in June 1945, served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve (1945-1946).  Afterward, he worked at the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and commenced prelaw studies at Cornell University.  After a few years, Keeshan switched his major to education.  He graduated in 1951.  The previous year, he married Anne Jeanne Laurie (d. 1996), a receptionist at the American Broadcasting Company (ABC),  The couple raised three children.

Keeshan worked on children’s shows before Captain Kangaroo.  He made his broadcasting debut on the Triple B Ranch, a radio program, in 1947.  The following year, our saint originated the role of Clarabell the Clown on The Howdy Doody Show.  He left that role in 1952.  Our saint portrayed Corny the Clown on Time for Fun (1953-1955), a morning television program in New York City.  He also selected the cartoons to broadcast.  Violent and racially-insensitive cartoons did not make the cut.  Our saint also created Tinker’s Workshop (1954-1955), a program for preschoolers.  He played the Tinker, a grandfather figure.

Keeshan portrayed Captain Kangaroo from October 1955 to December 1984.  He wore a coat with large pockets, hence the character’s name.  Our saint aimed the show at children six to eight years old.  He presented a gentle program that introduced children, as well as many adults, to music, literature, and science.  Characters included Mr. Moose, Bunny Rabbit, Grandfather Clock, and Mr. Green Jeans.

Keeshan advocated for issues affecting children.  He opposed tobacco companies sponsoring children’s activities.  Our saint, like his peer and friend Fred Rogers (1928-2003), understood human development, especially the importance of the first few years.  Therefore, Keeshan worked to provide daycare programs to businesses (1987f), criticized violence in video games, and condemned cartoons that were advertisements for toys in the 1980s.

Our saint, who received awards for his work in children’s broadcasting, died at home in Windsor, Vermont, on January 23, 2004.  He was 76 years old.

When Bob Keeshan spoke out regarding values, his life backed up his words.

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Living God, whose image each human being bears,

we thank you for the faith, life, and legacy of Bob Keeshan, Captain Kangaroo.

May the gentleness he embodied thrive in societies,

and may education enrich children culturally and intellectually.

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

Proverbs 4:1-9

Psalm 78:1-4

Ephesians 6:1-4

Matthew 19:13-15

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF CHARLES FOX, ANGLICAN MISSIONARY IN MELANESIA

THE FEAST OF AARON ROBARTS WOLFE, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF ALLEN CRITE, ARTIST

THE FEAST OF HANNAH MORE, ANGLICAN POET, PLAYWRIGHT, RELIGIOUS WRITER, AND PHILANTHROPIST

THE FEAST OF JOSEPH GOMER AND MARY GOMER, U.S. UNITED BRETHREN MISSIONARIES IN SIERRA LEONE

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Above:  Logos of The Methodist Church (1939-1968) and The United Methodist Church (1968-)

Photograph by Kenneth Randolph Taylor

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JOHN MARINUS VERSTEEG (SEPTEMBER 9, 1888-JANUARY 14, 1977)

U.S. Methodist Minister and Hymn Writer

John Marinus Versteeg 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.

Versteeg was a native of The Netherlands.  He, born in Den Heller on September 9, 1888, was a son of Anna Petronella Ollman Versteeg and the Reverend Dir Oren Versteeg.  The family immigrated in 1900, and our saint became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1909.

Versteeg became a Methodist minister.  He served in three successive denominations, due to mergers:  the Methodist Episcopal Church (-1939), The Methodist Church (1939-1968), and The United Methodist Church (1968f).  Our saint, ordained a deacon in 1915, graduated from Drew University, Madison, New Jersey (Bachelor of Divinity, 1916).  Versteeg joined the ranks of elders in 1917.  He wrote The Modern Meaning of Church Membership (1919).

Versteeg was pastor of West Side Methodist Episcopal Church, Jersey City, New Jersey (1920-1921).  During this time, he married Edna Catherine Ames on June 18, 1921.  The couple had four children:  Sherwood, Elaine, Robert, and Virgil.

Our saint served as the pastor of Drew Methodist Episcopal (now United Methodists) Church, Port Jervis, New York (1922-1925).  During these years, Versteeg wrote and published three books:

1. The Deeper Meaning of Stewardship (1923),
2. Christ and the Problems of Youth (1924), and
3. Christianity at Work (1925).

Versteeg was pastor of Roseville Methodist Episcopal  Church (now Roseville St. Paul’s United Methodist Church), Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania (1929-1931).  During this time, he wrote Perpetuating Pentecost (1930).  Our saint also received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania (1931).

Versteeg’s longest tenure was at Walnut Hills-Avondale Methodist Episcopal/Methodist Church, Cincinnati, Ohio (1932-1945).  Our saint was productive during these years.  He wrote three books:

1. Save Money! (1939),
2. Our Protestant Convictions (1941), and
3. When Christ Controls:  Stewardship Messages (1943).

Stewardship was Versteeg’s favorite topic about which to write.  He also wrote a hymn, though.  In 1926, our saint wrote a hymn for Psalm Sunday.  This text was “Does Thy Soul Leap Up Within Thee?” (The Hymnal, 1941, #139).

While in Cincinnati, Versteeg did much more.

1. He served as the president of the Greater Cincinnati Writers’ League (1942-1944).
2. He was the president of the Council of Churches in Greater Cincinnati (1941-1944).
3. He founded the Cincinnati School of Religion.
4. He chaired the Social Service Commission of the Ohio Annual Conference (1943-1944).
5. He sat on the regional War Labor Board (1943-1945).
6. He was a lecturer in Biblical Literature at the University of Cincinnati (1943-1944).
7. He took a seat on the denominational Executive Committee of the Commission on Church Union (1944-1956).
8. He was a delegate to the General Conference (1940).

Furthermore, Versteeg received more academic honors.  Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, awarded him the Doctor of Divinity degree in 1942.  Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio, granted our saint the Doctor of Sacred Theology degree in 1945.

Versteeg served as the District Superintendent of the Lima District, based in Lima, Ohio, from 1945 to 1951.  During these years, he remained active in other denominational capacities.

1. He was a delegate to the General Conferences of 1948.
2. He chaired the denominational Commission on Social Action (1948f).

Also, Union College, Schenectady, New York, awarded our saint the Doctor of Letters degree in 1946.

Versteeg served as the pastor of First Methodist (now United Methodist) Church, Athens, Ohio (1951-1957).  By 1952, he doubled as a lecturer for the denominational Board of Ministerial Training.  He was also a delegate to the General Conference of 1952.

Versteeg was the Director of Libraries at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Delaware,  Ohio (1957-1960).  Then he retired.

Versteeg served in other capacities, too.  He was a delegate to more than one World Methodist Conference.  He also belonged to the American Society of Church History.  This historical interest manifested itself in a book, Methodism:  Ohio Area (1812-1962) (1962).

Our saint, aged 88 years, died on January 14, 1977.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 29, 2021 COMMON ERA

PROPER 17:  THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B

THE FEAST OF THE BEHEADING OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

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O God, our heavenly Father, who raised up your faithful servant John Marinus Versteeg,

to be a pastor in your Church and to feed your flesh:

Give abundantly to all pastors the gifts of your Holy Spirit,

that they may minister in your household as true servants of Christ

and stewards of your divine mysteries;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with

you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Acts 20:17-35

Psalm 84 or 84:7-11

Ephesians 3:14-21

Matthew 24:42-47

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 719

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…we knew that we were right, even though we were not the majority in the Episcopal Church. There was a fortress mentality that caused us to suspect that everything the national Episcopal Church did was intended to undercut the truths that we held dear. Most of the young priests who influenced me as a teenager believed that the greater part of the Episcopal Church was heretical–were outside of God’s communion.

Above:  The Flag of The Episcopal Church

Photographer = Kenneth Randolph Taylor

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HENRY IRVING LOUTTIT, JR. (JUNE 13, 1938-DECEMBER 31, 2020)

Episcopal Bishop of Georgia

Bishop Henry Irving Loutttit, Jr., comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via my ecclesiastical past.  Within Anglicanism, history makes saints.  I, having known Bishop Louttit, attest that he was a saint.

This post is personal.  Know, therefore, O reader, that I have chosen to refer to this saint on a first-name basis–as Henry.

Henry was a model of Anglican collegiality.  In the last two decades, “Anglican,” in the United States of America, has assumed a Donatistic connotation in my mind.  Henry’s Anglicanism was a big tent, however.  He, to my right in many respects, offered an ecclesiastical setting that made room for heretics such as me.

Henry Irving Louttit, Jr., born in West Palm Beach, Florida, on June 13, 1938, was a scion of The Episcopal Church.  Henry’s mother was Amy Cleckler Louttit.  His father was Henry Irving Louttit, Sr. (1903-1984), then a priest in the Diocese of South Florida.  Henry, Sr., went on to serve as the Suffragan Bishop of South Florida (1945-1948), the Bishop Coadjutor of South Florida (1948-1951), and the Bishop of South Florida (1951-1969).  In 1969, the Diocese of South Florida broke up into the Dioceses of Southeast Florida, Southwest Florida, and Central Florida.  Henry, Sr., served as the first Bishop of Central Florida (1969-1970) before retiring.

The Louttit family belonged to the Anglo-Catholic wing of The Episcopal Church.  In 2005, Henry recalled:

The family was progressive on racial justice issues.  The Ku Klux Klan once burned a cross on the front lawn of the family home in Winter Park, Florida.

Henry had a fine Episcopal education.  He studied at Christ School, a boarding school in Arden, North Carolina.  He graduated with honors from The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, too.  Our saint made an unusual choice of seminary, given his Anglo-Catholic heritage; he matriculated at Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia.  In 2005, Henry recalled:

For them anything that Roman Catholics did or said was wrong….In my world, if Rome did it, it was right.  In their world, if Rome did it, it must be wrong.

Henry married Jayne “Jan” Northway Arledge on June 14, 1962.  The couple eventually had three daughters.

While a seminarian, Henry served at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C.  It had become the first racially-integrated Episcopal church in the District of Columbia in the 1950s.

Henry, having graduated from VTS in June 1963, embarked on his ministerial career.  His father ordained him a deacon that month.  Our saint became a priest on June 25, 1964.  He served in three congregations in the Diocese of Georgia:

1. Trinity Episcopal Church, Statesboro (-1967);
2. Christ Episcopal Church, Valdosta (1967-1994); and
3. St. James’ Episcopal Church, Quitman (1970-1974).

Henry nearly became a bishop at least twice before winning election as Bishop of Georgia.

1. Henry was a candidate for Bishop Coadjutor of Georgia in 1983.  Henry was a relatively liberal candidate; he favored the ordination of women.  Harry Woolston Shipps (1926-1916) won that election on a pledge not to ordain women.  Shipps went on to serve as the Bishop Coadjutor (1984-1985) then the Bishop of Georgia (1985-1994).  Before Shipps retired, he ordained women.
2. Henry was also a candidate for Suffragan Bishop of Ohio in 1994.  Kenneth Lester Price, Jr., won that election and served, starting that year.

Henry won election as Bishop of Georgia in late 1994.  His consecration occurred in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Savannah, on January 21, 1995.

Henry was my priest (1993-1994) then my bishop (1995-2005).  Many people knew him longer and better than I did.  I wish I had known him better than I did.

Henry was, among other descriptions:

1. Beloved,
2. Pastoral,
3. Down-to-earth, and
4. Realistic.

Henry had a healthy sense of humor about himself.  On his last Sunday at Christ Christ, Valdosta (October 30, 1994), Henry noted the proximity of that day to Halloween.  He also recalled that his installation as rector had occurred on April Fool’s Day, 1967.

In the early 2000s, I was a member of another parish in another town in the Diocese of Georgia.  One Sunday, when Henry made his episcopal visit, he diplomatically broke bad news:  He had spoken to recent former rectors of that parish.  Not one missed the parish.  This was an evaluation the congregation needed to hear.

Henry was, like most people, I suppose, a mix of progressivism and conservatism.

1. Henry was a relative liberal in the Diocese of Georgia, especially with regard to The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and the ordination of women.  His metaphorical fingerprints were all over the “new Prayer Book;” he was part of its creation.  And one daughter became a priest.  In the House of Bishops, Henry voted to insist on the ordination of women in all dioceses.
2. Henry, however, was relatively conservative regarding homosexuality.  His voting record on this issue in the House of Bishops moderated the longer he served as a bishop, however.  That relative conservatism helped in his effort to maintain diocesan unity in the early 2000s.  He was not entirely successful, though; no Bishop of Georgia could have been.  Henry strove to maintain the big tent.  Some, however, chose to leave that tent and form breakaway congregations.

Henry, as Bishop of Georgia, presided over a rural, far-flung diocese.  He worked on solutions regarding ministry in that context.  Henry also encouraged the vocational diaconate, founded missions and revitalized congregations.

Henry (Doctor of Divinity, Virginia Theological Seminary, 1993) was also a hagiographer.  He wrote Saints of Georgia (1998, 1999, 2004), a mix of national and diocesan saints.  One of these saints–Deaconess Anna Ellison Butler Alexander (1865?-1947)–eventually received denominational recognition.  The Episcopal Church added her to A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  A Calendar of Commemorations (2016) then to Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018.  Presiding Bishop Michael Curry visited her old church, Good Shepherd, Pennick, in January 2018.

I departed for the Diocese of Atlanta in August 2005.  Before I did, however, I asked Henry to recommend a parish to attend in Athens.  He advised me to join St. Gregory the Great Church.  He was correct.

Henry retired on January 23, 2010.  He remained in Savannah for years.  Eventually, though, he and Jan moved to Tallahassee, Florida, to be close to a daughter.

Henry, aged 82 years, died in Tallahassee on December 23, 2020.  He was a gentleman, a scholar, and a prince of the church.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 24, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, MARTYR

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Heavenly Father, Shepherd of your people, we thank you for your servant Henry Irving Louttit, Jr.,

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 stature and 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:  An Apartheid Sign

Image in the Public Domain

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RICHARD AMBROSE REEVES (DECEMBER 6, 1899-DECEMBER 23, 1980)

Anglican Bishop of Johannesburg, and Opponent of Apartheid

Bishop (Richard) Ambrose Reeves comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via historical accounts.  A standard rule (with exceptions) in provinces of the Anglican Communion is to wait about half a century after someone’s death before adding that person to an official calendar of saints.  I understand why this is a wise policy for ecclesiastical authorities to follow.  Given this policy, Bishop Reeves’s time for addition to some Anglican calendars of saints may arrive within a few years.  My Ecumenical Calendar, however, does not come with the fifty-year-rule.  So, I add Bishop Reeves to my Ecumenical Calendar today.

Ambrose Reeves, born in Norwich, England, on December 6, 1899, spent most of his life in ministry.  He, a veteran of World War I, studied at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University (B.A., 1924); the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, England; General Theological Seminary, New York, New York; and Cambridge University (M.A., 1943).  After completing seminary in the middle 1920s, our saint became a deacon in The Church of England (May 30, 1926), then a priest therein (June 12, 1927).  Reeves served first as the Curate of St. Albans, Golders Green (1926-1931).  During that time, he doubled as the secretary of the Christian Social Movement.

Reeves married Ada van Ryssan in 1931.  The couple raised four children.

Reeves continued to serve on the parish level and beyond from 1931 to 1949.  He was the Rector of St. Margaret’s, Leven (1931-1935).  Next, our saint served in the Diocese of Gibraltar and as the secretary of the World Student Christian Federation (1935-1937).  Reeves returned to England in 1937.  He served as the Vicar of St. James, Haydock (1937-1942); the Rector of the Church of Our Lady and St. Nicholas, Liverpool (1942-1949); and the Canon of Liverpool Cathedral (1942-1949).

Reeves spent 1949-1960 in South Africa, as the Bishop of Johannesburg.  He was outspoken in his opposition to Apartheid and condemnation of the repressive, unjust, national government.  Our saint’s uncompromising moral position led to his deportation on September 12, 1960.  Bishop Reeves, back in England, resigned, effective March 31, 1961.  His anti-Apartheid activism continued; our saint served as the President of the Anti-Apartheid Movement from 1970 to 1980.

Bishop Reeves hoped to serve as a bishop ordinary in England, yet did not.  He did, however, serve as the Assistant Bishop of London (1962-1966) then the Assistant Bishop of Chichester (1966-1980).  Our saint, the General Secretary of the Student Christian Movement (1962-1965), served also as the Priest-in-Charge (1966-1968) then the Rector (1968-1972) of St. Michael’s Church, East Sussex.

Bishop Reeves, aged 81 years, died at Shoreham-by-Sea on December 23, 1980.  He had lived well and courageously.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 4, 2021 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF JOHN BROWNLIE, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF CARROLL O’CONNOR, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC ACTOR AND SCREEN WRITER

THE FEAST OF FRÉDÉRIC JANSOONE, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND FRIAR

THE FEAST OF LAMBERT BEAUDUIN, BELGIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND PIONEER OF LITURGICAL RENEWAL

THE FEAST OF SARAH PLATT DOREMUS, FOUNDER OF THE WOMEN’S UNION MISSIONARY SOCIETY

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Holy and righteous God, you created us in your image.

Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil

and to make no peace with oppression.

Help us [like your servant Ambrose Reeves]

to use our freedom to bring justice

among people and nations, to the glory of your name;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Hosea 2:18-23

Psalm 94:1-14

Romans 12:9-21

Luke 6:20-36

–Adapted from the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 37

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