Archive for the ‘Saints of 550-599’ Category
Above: England Circa 600 C.E.
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT HONORIUS OF CANTERBURY (DIED SEPTEMBER 30, 653)
Archbishop of Canterbury
Also known as Saint Honoratus of Canterbury
St. Honorius of Canterbury comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via the Roman Catholic Church.
St. Honorius, a Roman by birth, was one of the members of the Gregorian mission (dispatched by Pope St. Gregory I “the Great” and led by St. Augustine of Canterbury). The first wave of that mission arrived in 597. They found the Celtic Church, centuries old, present. The Celtic Church had bishops, monasteries, and a different method for calculating the date of Easter. At the Synod of Whitby (664), after the death of our saint, the Celtic Church folded into the Roman Catholic Church.
Sources disagree about whether St. Honorius arrived with the first wave (597) or the second wave (601) of missionaries in the Gregorian Mission.
After decades of laboring faithfully for God in England, St. Honorius became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 627. St. Paulinus of York (d. 644), the Archbishop of York, consecrated him. St. Honorius understood that English people were more amenable to preaching by other English people than by foreigners. Therefore, he raised up English priests and bishops. Our saint, for example, consecrated St. Ithamar, the first Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Rochester, in 644. Yet St. Honorius harbored no antipathy for the Celtic Church. In fact, he admired St. Aidan of Lindisfarne (circa 590-651), a great and prominent missionary bishop of the Celtic Church.
St. Honorius died on September 30, 653. He was the last surviving member of the Gregorian Mission. The next Archbishop of Canterbury was St. Deusdedit of Canterbury (d. 664), an Anglo-Saxon.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 19, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF NAZARETH, HUSBAND OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
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Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servant Saint Honorius of Canterbury,
whom you called to preach the Gospel to the people of England.
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 for ever. 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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Above: Icon of St. Columba of Iona
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT COLUMBA OF IONA (CIRCA 521-597)
Celtic Missionary and Abbot
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In the midst of all his toils, he appeared loving unto all, serene and holy, rejoicing in the joy of the Holy Spirit in his inmost heart.
–St. Adamnan, on St. Columba of Iona
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St. Columba of Iona is one of the more popular Celtic saints. He is a figure on the calendars of the Roman Catholic Church and various provinces of the Anglican Communion. Furthermore, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) merge his feast with those of St. Aidan of Lindisfarne (circa 590-651) and St. Bede of Jarrow (672/673-735). Those Lutheran denominations lists Sts. Columba, Aiden, and Bede as renewers of the church. St. Columba is absent from the calendar of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), however. That calendar does list St. Bede, however. Furthermore, one should not confuse St. Columba with his contemporary, St. Columban/Columbanus (543-615), the Abbot of Bobbio. x
Many hagiographies of St. Columba contain legendary and historically unreliable material. I choose to ignore that content.
St. Columba was an Irish prince. He, born in County Donegal circa 521, was a son of Feidlimid. Our saint, benefiting from royal status, studied under St. Finnian of Moville and St. Finnian of Clonard. Our saint, ordained to the priesthood of the Celtic Church circa 551, founded churches and monasteries in Ireland. (Celtic monasteries were centers of missionary activity.)
Above: Iona, the Holy Isle
Image Source = Google Earth
Circa 563, St. Columba and twelve monks relocated to Iona, apparently to get away from interference from certain Irish authorities, who were harassing some of his monks. Our saint founded a church and a monastery. He went on to found more monasteries in Scotland. Monks from St. Columba’s monasteries evangelized Picts. Many monks founded other monasteries, from which other monks went out and evangelized.
St. Columba, revered as a living saint during his final years, died in his sleep during the night of June 8-9, 597. He had been copying a portion of the Psalter by hand immediately prior to resting. His corpse wore a smile.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 27, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF GEORGE WASHINGTON DOANE, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF NEW JERSEY; AND HIS SON, WILLIAM CROSWELL DOANE, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF ALBANY; HYMN WRITERS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTONY AND THEODOSIUS OF KIEV, FOUNDERS OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX MONASTICISM; SAINT BARLAAM OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT; AND SAINT STEPHEN OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET AND RELIGIOUS WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS REMACLUS OF MAASTRICHT, THEODORE OF MAASTRICHT, LAMBERT OF MAASTRICHT, HUBERT OF MAASTRICT AND LIEGE, AND FLORIBERT OF LIEGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT LANDRADA OF MUNSTERBILSEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBESS; AND SAINTS OTGER OF UTRECHT, PLECHELM OF GUELDERLAND, AND WIRO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZITA OF TUSCANY, WORKER OF CHARITY
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Almighty God, who filled the heart of Columba
with the joy of the Holy Spirit and with deep love for those in his care:
may your pilgrim people follow him,
strong in faith, sustained by hope, and one in the love that binds us to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Common Worship: Daily Prayer (2005), 475
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O God, by the preaching of your blessed servant Columba
you caused the light of the Gospel to shine in Scotland:
Grant, we pray, that, having his life and labors in remembrance,
we may show our thankfulness to you by
following the example of his zeal and patience;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Isaiah 61:1-3
Psalm 97:1-2, 7-12
1 Corinthians 3:11-23
Luke 10:17-20
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 417
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Gracious God, by his preaching your servant Columba
brought the light of the gospel to Scotland;
give us grace to follow his example of zeal and patience and
to expand our energy on winning others to faith in your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
or
Glory to you, Spirit of God, for the preaching of Columba,
aptly named the dove, and for his companions at Iona;
though we may never banish monsters from the river Ness,
help us, like him, to be loving to everyone,
happy-faced, in the joy of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Isaiah 66:18-19
Psalm 18:31-37 or Psalm 47
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Mark 4:35-41
–The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia
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O God, you girded your servant Columba with the cincture of holiness
and made him a pilgrim for Christ in the midst of the Irish and Scottish peoples.
Grant that, having his life and labours in remembrance,
we may rest upon your love and be cheerful in all adversities,
as we await the redemption of all things in
your well-beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ;
who is alive and reigns, with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
1 Corinthians 3:11-23
Psalm 89:20-26
Luke 10:17-20
–The Anglican Church of Canada
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Above: St. Petroc’s Church, Bodmin, Cornwall, England
Image Source = Google Earth
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SAINT PETROC (DIED CIRCA 564)
Welsh Prince, Abbot, and Missionary
St. Petroc comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via the calendars of the Roman Catholic Church and The Church of England.
St. Petroc was originally a saint of the Celtic Church. He died prior to the arrival of St. Augustine of Canterbury et al. (597) and the Synod of Whitby (664). His feast transferred into the Roman Catholic Church then into The Church of England. Many legends about him developed then repeated in hagiographies. I have chosen to disregard these.
St. Petroc was a Welsh prince who led a religious life. His father was Glywys, the King of Glywysing, one of the Welsh kingdoms. After King Glywys died, St. Petroc refused a crown and sailed to Ireland, to study and to begin life as a religious. A few years later, St. Petroc returned to Great Britain and settled at Padstone, Cornwall. There he founded a monastery and served as the abbot for at least three decades. Our saint also founded churches, as well as a second monastery. The location of the second monastery was in the Cornish countryside. St. Petroc, furthermore, converted Constantine, the King of Dumnonia, to Christianity. St. Petroc died in Pastow, Cornwall, circa 564. He had laid the foundation of Christian faith in much of Cornwall.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 19, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, AND MARTYR, 1012
THE FEAST OF DAVID BRAINERD, AMERICAN CONGREGATIONALIST THEN PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF SAINT EMMA OF LESUM, BENEFACTOR
THE FEAST OF MARY C. COLLINS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MISSIONARY AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF OLAVUS PETRI, SWEDISH LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN, HISTORIAN, LITURGIST, MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND “FATHER OF SWEDISH LITERATURE;” AND HIS BROTHER, LAURENTIUS PETRI, SWEDISH LUTHERAN ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND “FATHER OF SWEDISH HYMNODY”
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Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servant Saint Petroc,
whom you called to preach the Gospel to the people of Cornwall, England.
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 for ever. 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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Above: Agony in the Garden, by El Greco
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT MARTIN I (DIED SEPTEMBER 16, 655)
Bishop of Rome, and Martyr, 655
Alternative feast days = April 14 and November 12
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SAINT MAXIMUS THE CONFESSOR (CIRCA 580-AUGUST 13, 662)
Monk, Abbot, and Martyr, 662
His feast transferred from January 21 and August 13
Christian doctrines developed over centuries, through much debate and a series of synods and ecumenical councils. Some of the Church Fathers, such as St. Clement of Alexandria and Origen, were orthodox, by the standards of their time, but have become heretics post mortem and ex post facto.
The separation of church and state would have spared the lives of St. Martin I and St. Maximus the Confessor.
The heresy du jour was monothelitism, which taught that Jesus had only one will–divine. Emperor Constans II (reigned 641-668), seeking to preserve the Roman (Byzantine) Empire against rising Arab/Islamic threats, did not content himself with sending military personnel to fight invaders. In 648, he issued a decree banning the discussion of monothelitism. Theology was political.
Think about monothelitism this way, O reader: Consider Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Did he act as if he had only a divine will?
St. Martin I, a native of Todi, Tuscany, had been a deacon and a papal legate in Constantinople. After Pope Theodore I (in office November 24, 642-May 14, 649) died, our saint won election to succeed him.
The newly-minted pope never received imperial approval. Constans II always treated him an errant deacon. St. Martin I immediately convened the Lateran synod of 649, in defiance of the imperial gag order, to condemn monothelitism as a heresy. Then St. Martin I excommunicated Bishop Paul of Thessalonica for rejecting the decision of the Lateran synod. The pope also sent a copy of the Lateran synod’s decision to Constans II and invited him to denounce monothelism.
St. Maximus the Confessor attended the Lateran synod of 649. He, born circa 580, had been a public servant before entering monastic life at Phillippicus, across from Constantinople, in Asia Minor. He had risen to the rank of abbot. The Persian conquest of Anatolia had forced St. Maximus to flee to Carthage, where he studied under St. Sophronius (died circa 638), later the Patriarch of Jerusalem. St. Maximus traveled widely. He also wrote and spoke at length about theology and spirituality. Monothelitism became one of his targets.
Constans II chose to order the arrest of St. Martin I, not to denounce monothelitism. Olympius, the new exarch, carried orders to apprehend the pope then to send him to Constantinople. The exarch became St. Martin I’s ally instead. The pope and Olympius rebelled against the emperor; they felt pushed into committing insurrection.
The freedom of Sts. Martin I and Maximus the Confessor ended in the summer of 653. Imperial forces arrested them in Rome on June 17. Both men spent the rest of their lives as prisoners.
St. Martin I, accused of treason, received a death sentence in December 653. Patriarch Paul II of Constantinople, near death, persuaded Constans II to reduce the sentence to exile. St. Martin I’s health had been failing prior to his arrest. It had deteriorated further in prison. The combination of starvation and the cold weather in Crimea caused his death on September 16, 655.
St. Eugene I (in office August 10, 654-June 2, 657; feast day = June 2) was a conciliatory man who, for reasons I do not need to explain, did not want to alienate Constans II. The new pope was ready to accept a vague statement that implied that Jesus had three wills, all for the purpose of conciliation. On Pentecost 655, at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, outraged clergy and lay people prevented St. Eugene I from completing the Mass until he had promised to reject the compromise. This angered Constans II, who threatened to treat St. Eugene I the same way he had treated St. Martin I. However, border conflicts kept the emperor too busy to act on that threat before St. Eugene I died of natural causes.
The next pope, St. Vitalian (in office July 30, 657-January 27, 672), eventually found a diplomatic and political opening to insist that Jesus had only two wills and to get away with doing so.
St. Maximus spent 653-658 in prison and 658-662 in exile. He insisted on his innocence on the charge of treason (insurrection) at his three trials (654, 658, and 662). Our saint insisted that he played no part in the Islamic conquest of northern Africa. He died in what is now Georgia in 662. Constans II had ordered his tongue cut out and his right hand amputated so that the troublesome monk could no longer speak and write.
The situation improved in 668. That year, after the murder of Constans II in Sicily, his son succeeded him as Constantine IV (reigned 668-685). The new emperor permitted discussion of monothelitism. The Third Council of Constantinople (681) declared monothelitism a heresy and proclaimed that Jesus had two wills.
National or imperial security does not justify treating people so badly over theological differences. One may rebut, however, that when St. Martin I came to trial, the formal charge was treason (insurrection), not any matter concerning doctrine. I reply that Constans II had ordered the pope’s arrest before St. Martin I felt pushed into committing insurrection. I insist that the emperor’s order to arrest the pope pushed St. Martin I into insurrection. I accuse Constans II of having made the situation worse by issuing then trying to enforce the gag order.
Besides, insurrection against some potentates has been justifiable.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 25, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS THE ELDER, SAINT NONNA, AND THEIR CHILDREN: SAINTS GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS THE YOUNGER, CAESARIUS OF NAZIANZUS, AND GORGONIA OF NAZIANZUS
THE FEAST OF SAINT FELIX VARELA, CUBAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND PATRIOT
THE FEAST OF JOHN ROBERTS, EPISCOPAL MISSIONARY TO THE SHOSHONE AND ARAPAHOE
THE FEAST OF KARL FRIEDRICH LOCHNER, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF THEODOR FLIEDNER, RENEWER OF THE FEMALE DIACONATE; AND ELIZABETH FEDDE, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN DEACONESS
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Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyrs
Saint Martin I of Rome and Saint Maximus the Confessor
triumphed over suffering and were faithful even to death:
Grant us, who now remember them in thanksgiving,
to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world,
that we may receive with them the crown of life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sirach/Ecclesiaticus 51:1-12
Psalm 116 or 116:1-8
Revelation 7:13-17
Luke 12:2-12
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 74
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Above: Saint John the Almoner, by Titian
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT JOHN THE ALMSGIVER (CIRCA 550-616/620)
Patriarch of Alexandria
Also known as Saint John the Almoner, Saint John the Merciful, and Saint John V of Alexandria
Eastern Orthodox feast day = November 12
St. John the Almsgiver served God faithfully, especially as God was present in the poor of Alexandria, Egypt.
St. John, from Roman imperial nobility, initially pursued a secular life. His father was Epiphanus, governor of Cyprus. Our saint, born in Amathus, Cyprus, circa 550, married and a had a family. After St. John’s wife and children died, he entered religious life.
St. John became the Patriarch of Alexandria, succeeding Theodore I, in 610. Our saint gave money to needy people, whom he called his
lords and masters.
He also opposed simony, as well as corruption in secular life. For example, St. John, aware of the habitual and frequent exploitation of the poor, lobbied for uniform weights and measures. The Patriarch also advocated for improved religious education as a means of counteracting heresies. St. John also increased the number of churches in Alexandria from seven to seventy.
After the Persian occupation of Alexandria began, St. John went into exile on Cyprus. He died there no earlier than 616 and no later than 620.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 31, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICODEMUS, DISCIPLE OF JESUS
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O God, our heavenly Father, who raised up your faithful servant Saint John the Almsgiver,
to be a bishop in your Church and to feed your flock:
Give abundantly to all pastors the gifts of your Holy Spirit,
that they may minister in your household as true servants 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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Above: Venantius Fortunatus Reading His Poems to Radegonda, by Lawrence Alma-Tameda
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT RADEGUNDA (518/520-AUUST 13, 587)
Thuringian Roman Catholic Princess, Deaconess, and Nun
Her feast transferred from August 13
mentor and patron of
SAINT VENANTIUS HONORIUS CLEMENTI(AN)US FORTUNATUS (CIRCA 530-CIRCA 610)
Roman Catholic Poet, Hymn Writer, and Bishop of Poiters
His feast = December 14
Different spellings of the names of Saints Radegunda and Venantius, who have different feast days on the Roman Catholic calendar, exist. Despite the separate feast days, one cannot properly tell the story of one saint without recounting the story of the other. I merge the feasts here, on my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, for that reason.
On a light note, perhaps you, O reader, will agree that, regardless of whether one prefers Venantius Honorius Clementius Fortunatus or Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus, he had the best name of any saint, canonized or otherwise. The name rolls off one’s tongue nicely.
St. Radegunda, born in 518/520, was a princess of Thuringia, in modern-day Germany. In 531 the Franking king Clothar/Clotaire/Lothair I (reigned 511-561) conquered Thuringia and killed most of the royal family. He forced Radegunda to marry him the following year. This was a political move, far from a love match. St. Radegunda led a pious and simple life; she avoided extravagance and performed many good works while she endured her marriage. She fled from that childless union in 550, after her husband had ordered the murder of her brother, thereby ending the male line in the Thuringian royal family. The Church protected St. Radegunda, and Médard, the Bishop of Noyon, ordained her a deaconess.
St. Venantius Honorius Clement(ian)us Fortunatus, born in Treviso, Italy, circa 530, became a great Latin poet. He, educated in Ravenna and Milan, traveled in Gaul and southern Germany. (Contradictory stores provided various reasons for the road trip.) He settled in Poitiers, at the Frankish royal court, and befriended Queen Radegunda.
In 560 St. Radegunda, deaconess and a former queen, founded the Convent of the Holy Cross, the first convent in Europe, at Poitiers. The name of the first abbess was Agnes. St. Radegunda lived there as a nun and devoted herself to good works. St. Venantius became a priest and served as the chaplain of the convent. He also composed Latin hymns about topics ranging from the cross of Christ to St. Mary of Nazareth, the Mother of God. He also wrote poetic praise of wine. In 569 the Roman Emperor Justin II (reigned 565-574) gave the convent a piece of the alleged True Cross. St. Venantius composed Vexilla Regis (still part of the Roman Catholic rites for Holy Week) for the occasion.
St. Radegunda died at the convent on August 13, 587.
St. Venantius became the Bishop of Poitiers in 599. He served in that position for the rest of us life, until circa 610.
St. Venantius left behind a fine literary legacy. He composed biographies of St. Martin of Tours, St. Hilary of Poitiers, St. Germanus of Paris, St. Radegunda, and other figures. Friend St. Gregory of Tours encouraged our saint to publish his poetry. St. Venantius did, and blessed generations of Christians. English translations of some of those texts have included the following:
- “Welcome, Happy Morning;”
- “The Royal Banners Forward Go;”
- “Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle;”
- “See the Destined Day Arise;” and
- the Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost versions of “Hail Thee, Festival Day.”
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Loving God, who teaches us that we depend on you and each other,
we thank you for Sts. Radegunda and Venantius Honorius Clementi(an)us Fortunatus,
who helped each other and many others, and whose intertwined legacies have endured.
May their examples inspire us to support each other in holy living, for your glory and the common good.
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wisdom of Solomon 1:1-11
Psalm 64
1 Corinthians 1:17-25
Luke 1:26-38
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 3, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS FLAVIAN AND ANATOLIUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PATRIARCHS; AND SAINTS AGATHO, LEO II, AND BENEDICT II, BISHOPS OF ROME; DEFENDERS OF CHRISTOLOGICAL ORTHODOXY
THE FEAST OF CHARLES ALBERT DICKINSON, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF IMMANUEL NITSCHMANN, GERMAN-AMERICAN MORAVIAN MINISTER AND MUSICIAN; HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW, JACOB VAN VLECK, U.S. MORAVIAN BISHOP, MUSICIAN, COMPOSER, AND EDUCATOR; HIS SON, WILLIAM HENRY VAN VLECK, U.S. MORAVIAN BISHOP; HIS BROTHER, CARL ANTON VAN VLECK, U.S. MORAVIAN MINISTER, MUSICIAN, COMPOSER, AND EDUCATOR; HIS DAUGHTER, LISETTE (LIZETTE) MARIA VAN VLECK MEINUNG; AND HER SISTER, AMELIA ADELAIDE VAN VLECK, U.S. MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF JOHN CENNICK, BRITISH MORAVIAN EVANGELIST AND HYMN WRITER
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Above: Icon of St. Romanus the Melodist
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT ROMANUS THE MELODIST (CIRCA 490-CIRCA 556)
Deacon and Hymnodist
Also known as Saint Romanos the Melodist and Saint Roman the Melodist
Alternative feast day = October 14
St. Romanus the Melodist comes to this, my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Many details of his life are lost to us in 2018, but enough are available.
St. Romanus, author of hymns, entered the world in Emesa, now in Syria, circa 490. His parents were Jewish. Whether they were also Christian has become lost in the ravages of time. Our saint, baptized at an early age, grew up in the church; he loved God and the church. St. Romanus, as a youth, lit lamps and prepared the censer at this parish. Eventually our saint moved to Beirut, where he, ordained a deacon, served in the Church of the Resurrection. Later the deacon relocated to Constantinople, the imperial capital, where he spent the rest of his life.
St. Romanus was a humble man and an ascetic with a devotion to the Mother of Our Lord and Savior. He was, for many years, self-conscious about his singing voice and his public reading ability, both of which he considered substandard. One Christmas Eve, however, after a vision of St. Mary of Nazareth, St. Romanus had a much improved singing voice and public reading ability. He also began to write kontakia, or hymns for saints’ days and major feasts. Our saint composed in excess of 1000 kontakia, about 80 of which have survived to 2018.
St. Romanus died in Constantinople circa 556.
The loss of 920 or so kontakia of St. Romanus has been a terrible one. Those kontakia still extant have remained in use, however.
St. Romanus sought to honor God with his life. He succeeded.
May we succeed in that goal also, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAUL VI, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK WILLIAM FABER, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN BRIGHT, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF JOHN BYROM, ANGLICAN THEN QUAKER POET AND HYMN WRITER
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Dear God of beauty,
you have granted literary ability and spiritual sensitivity to
Saint Romanus the Melodist 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: Roman Imperial Borders in the Balkans, 330 C.E.
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT DIONYSIUS EXIGUUS (CIRCA 470-544/550/560)
Roman Catholic Monk and Reformer of the Calendar
Also known as Saint Dionysius the Small, Little, Short, and Humble
The Romans calculated time according to the founding of the city of Rome–Ab Urbe Condita (A.U.C.), or “Since the Founding of the City” or “In the Year of the City.” That system persisted in much of Europe into what we now call the late first millennium A.D./C.E. That system went by the wayside because, in large part, of St. Dionysius Exiguus, born in Scythia Minor (modern-day Romania), in the Roman Empire, circa 1223 A.U.C. (470 A.D./C.E.) He, a monk and apparently never an abbot, called himself Exiguus, Latin for humble, short, little, and small; it was not a reference to his stature. Our saint lived in Rome starting circa 1253 A.U.C. (500 A.D./C.E.).
St. Dionysius Exiguus was a talented and respected man who took assignments from popes. He was a mathematician, an astronomer, and a theologian. He calculated tables for celebrating Easter, based on the lunar calendar. He collection of 401 ecclesiastical canons spanned papal pronouncements and statements from pivotal ecumenical councils. Our saint was historically important for those matters alone.
The major historical contribution of St. Dionysius Exiguus was changing the labels of years. He considered the Incarnation to have been the dividing line in history. (So far, so good.) However, he miscalculated the date and year of the birth of Jesus as December 25, 753 A.U.C., which he renamed December 25, 1 Before Christ. Therefore 754 A.U.C. retroactively became Anno Domini (“In the Year of Our Lord”) 1. (Contrary to chronologies in many sources, there was no year 0, according to St. Dionysius Exiguus.) This calculation, which he made in 1278 A.U.C./525 C.E., was in error. Herod the Great, who, according to the Gospel of Matthew, ordered the Massacre of the Innocents, died in 749 A.U.C. (4 B.C./B.C.E)., therefore the birth of Jesus probably occurred in 747 A.U.C. (6 B.C./B.C.E.).
Some people have accused me of the alleged offense of political correctness or of being an atheist or agnostic when they have noticed my use of B.C.E. and C.E. They have misunderstood me. Certain ones have also had political and/or theological axes to grind, so to speak.
I am a practicing Christian. I am also a historian. I refuse to state that the birth of Jesus occurred “Before Christ”–not by a week (as St. Dionysius Exiguus intended) and certainly not by six years. This is a matter of avoiding inaccuracy in the timing of a major event. That is the sole reason I use “Before the Common Era” (B.C.E.) in lieu of “Before Christ” (B.C.) and “Common Era” (C.E.) in lieu of Anno Domini (A.D.). “Common to what?” is a question one might ask legitimately. But at least I am not placing the birth of Jesus “Before Christ.”
Anyone who criticizes me for this or wishes to do so needs to get a life.
The date of December 25 has much to do with theology. Historians know about various festivals of sun gods set on and shortly before that day, about the time of the Winter Solstice, in the Roman period. December 25 is also nine months to the day after March 25, a traditional date of the creation of the world and the Feast of the Annunciation (the conception of Jesus.) I hold that Jesus would have been the incarnate form of the Second Person of the Trinity regardless of the date and manner of the conception and the length of the pregnancy. We are in the purview of theology, not history, in this matter.
The new labeling system for years spread slowly throughout Europe. The Synod of Whitby (664), in England, adopted it. Some parts of Europe held onto the old system into what we now call the 800s C.E.
We know little about the life of St. Dionysius Exiguus, not even the year he died; sources disagree. We know enough, however.
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church canonized our saint on July 8, 2008. It established his feast day as September 1, the first day of the church year in Eastern Orthodoxy.
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I wrote both the text above and the proper below, and selected the passages of scripture.
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Loving God, who stands outside time as we experience it,
we thank you for your servant Saint Dionysius Exiguus,
who grasped the importance of the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity as Jesus of Nazareth.
May we likewise revere you and make Christ central to our spiritual lives, to your glory.
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Isaiah 43:14-21
Psalm 148
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Matthew 2:1-18
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 18, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF BARTHOLOMÉ DE LAS CASAS, “APOSTLE TO THE INDIANS”
THE FEAST OF ARTHUR PENRHYN STANLEY, ANGLICAN DEAN OF WESTMINSTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EDWARD WILLIAM LEINBACH, U.S. MORAVIAN MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF ELIZABETH FERARD, FIRST DEACONESS IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND
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Above: St. Equitius of Valeria
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT EQUITIUS OF VALERIA (BETWEEN 480 AND 490-CIRCA 570)
Benedictine Abbot and Founder of Monasteries
St. Equitius of Valeria was a protégé of St. Benedict of Nursia (circa 480-circa 550).
St. Equitius, born in the area of Valria Suburbicarla (now L’Aquila-Rieti-Tivoli, near Abruzzi, Italy) between 480 and 490, was a Benedictine monk and a famous preacher. He founded many monasteries on the Italian peninsula and served as the Abbot of San Lorenzo di Pizzoli, Valeria Suburbicarla. He died there circa 570.
Sts. Benedict and Equitius were crucial to Western civilization. Monasticism preserved knowledge and provided social services. Monasteries were also orphanages, homes for abandoned children, hospitals, and centers of learning, as well as hubs for missionary activity. The indirect legacy of St. Benedict and Equitius has long been staggering.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 14, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CHARLES AUGUSTUS BRIGGS, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, AND ALLEGED HERETIC; AND HIS DAUGHTER, EMILIE GRACE BRIGGS, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR AND “HERETIC’S DAUGHTER”
THE FEAST OF SAINT METHODIUS I OF CONSTANTINOPLE, DEFENDER OF ICONS AND ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE; AND SAINT JOSEPH THE HYMNOGRAPHER, DEFENDER OF ICONS AND THE “SWEET-VOICED NIGHTINGALE OF THE CHURCH”
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HIRAM FOULKES, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
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O God, by whose grace your servant Saint Equitius of Valeria,
kindled with the flame of your love, became a burning and a shining light in your Church:
Grant that we also may 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 forever. Amen.
Acts 2:42-47
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: England, 600 C.E.
Image scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor from Hammond’s World Atlas–Classics Edition (1968)
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SAINT AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY (DIED MAY 26, 604 OR 605)
Archbishop of Canterbury
Anglican feast day = May 26
Roman Catholic feast day = May 27
Alternative feast day = May 28
In 596 our saint was the Prior of the Monastery of St. Andrew, Rome. If he had remained there, he would have been at most a footnote in history. That year, however, Pope St. Gregory I “the Great” appointed him to lead a group of 30 or so missionary monks to southern England. The Christian Gospel had most likely come to the island of Britain with the Roman army. In the wake of Roman withdrawal and pagan invasions, however, the Celtic Church was present mostly in the western and northern regions of the island.
The Italian-born monk and his entourage arrived in the Kingdom of Kent in 597. King Ethelbert of Kent (reigned circa 597-616) and his Frankish Christian wife, Bertha (both saints in the Roman Catholic Church), welcomed them. With royal support the monks settled in Canterbury and began to preach. That year, at Arles, he became a bishop. Four years later St. Gregory the Great promoted St. Augustine to the rank of Archbishop. As the first Archbishop of Canterbury St. Augustine ordained priests, consecrated bishops (including St. Mellitus, a subsequent Archbishop of Canterbury), consecrated the cathedral at Canterbury, presided over the construction of the Monastery of Sts. Peter and Paul (later renamed St. Augustine’s), converted King Ethelbert and many royal subjects, and attempted to united the Celtic and Roman Catholic Churches. He did not live long enough to witness the completion of the final goal at the Synod of Whitby (664).
The year of St. Augustine’s death is uncertain. The official website of the Archbishop of Canterbury states that he died between 604 and 609. The 1968 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica lists his death as occurring no earlier than 604 and probably before Easter 607. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Second Edition, 1974) states that our saint died in either 604 or 605. The 1962 edition of The Encyclopedia Americana provides 604 as the year of his death. Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (2000) lists 605 as the year of his death. Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010) and A Great Cloud of Witnesses: A Calendar of Commemorations (2016), resources of The Episcopal Church, also list the year of St. Augustine’s death as 605.
St. Augustine of Canterbury, with help from other saints (not all of them canonized), laid a fine foundation for the Roman Catholic Church in Britain.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 7, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PHILIP AND DANIEL BERRIGAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND SOCIAL ACTIVISTS
THE FEAST OF ANNE ROSS COUSIN, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GERALD THOMAS NOEL, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER; BROTHER OF BAPTIST WRIOTHESLEY NOEL, ANGLICAN PRIEST, ENGLISH BAPTIST EVANGELIST, AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS NIECE, CAROLINE MARIA NOEL, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF MARIA JOSEPHA ROSSELLO, COFOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF OUR LADY OF PITY
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O Lord our God, by your Son Jesus Christ you called your apostles
and sent them forth to preach the Gospel to the nations:
We bless your holy Name for your servant Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury,
whose labors in propagating your Church among the English people we commemorate today;
and we pray that all whom you call and send may do your will, and bide your time, and see your glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Tobit 13:1, 10-11
Psalm 66:1-8
2 Corinthians 5:17-20a
Luke 5:1-11
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 389
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SUNDRY THOUGHTS 
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