Above:  Pavel Chesnokov

Image in the Public Domain

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PAVEL GRIGORIEVICH CHESNOKOV (OCTOBER 24, 1877-MARCH 14, 1944)

Russian Orthodox Composer

Pavel Chesnokov composed nearly 500 works, about 400 of them sacred.

Chesnokov, born in Vladmir, near Moscow, the Russian Empire, on October 24, 1877, shared his musical gifts.  He studied vocal and instrumental music at the Moscow Conservatory.  Our saint learned how to play the piano and the violin, and became a choirmaster and a conductor.  He taught at the Moscow Conservatory from 1920 to 1944.  When the Bolsheviks outlawed the composition of sacred music, in 1917, Chesnokov wrote secular music instead.  He, the last choirmaster at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow, ceased to compose any music after the destruction of the cathedral by the Soviet government in 1931.  He, aged 66 years, died in Moscow on March 14, 1944.

Chesnokov’s music survives, fortunately.  Examples include Paschal Hymn to the Virgin, To Thee We Sing, Do Not Cast Me Off, Cherubic Hymn, Let My Prayer Arise, and Salvation is Created.

My first encounter with the music of Chesnokov as in the early 1990s, at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton, Georgia, where I sang in the choir.  The choir performed several Russian Orthodox works (in Russian), including Salvation is Created, with its soaring soprano line and basso profundo conclusion.  The piece has been special to me since.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 12, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE ELEVENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

THE FEAST OF SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE VISITATION

THE FEAST OF ALICIA DOMON AND HER COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS IN ARGENTINA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS BARTHOLOMEW BUONPEDONI AND VIVALDUS, MINISTERS AMONG LEPERS

THE FEAST OF SAINT LUDWIK BARTOSIK, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR

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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 Pavel Chesnokov 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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He who truly loves God regards as little what he suffers for God’s sake.

Above:  St. Paul of the Cross

Image in the Public Domain

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PAOLO FRANCESCO DANEI (JANUARY 3, 1694-OCTOBER 18, 1775

Founder of the Congregation of Discaled Clerks of the Most Holy Cross and Passion (the Passionists)

Alternative feast day = October 18

Former feast day = April 28

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–St. Paul of the Cross

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St. Paul of the Cross spent most of his life serving God.

Our saint, son of Anna Maria Massari and merchant Luca Danei, grew up in a pious family.  St. Paul, born in Ovada, Piedmont (now Italy), on January 3, 1694, had a dedication to the Blessed Sacrament, St. Mary of Nazareth, and the Passion of Jesus.  He, who spent half a century praying for the conversion of England, founded the Congregation of Discaled Clerks of the Most Holy Cross and Passion (the Passionists) in 1721, when he was still a layman.  Pope Benedict XIII ordained St. Paul to the priesthood in 1727.  Pope Benedict XIV approved the rule of the order, focused on preaching Christ crucified, in 1741.  Our saint, who founded many missions, served (against his will) as the first Superior General of the order from 1741 until his death.  He, aged 81 years, died in Rome on October 18, 1775.

Pope Pius IX beatified St. Paul in 1852 then canonized him in 1867.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 12, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE ELEVENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

THE FEAST OF SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE VISITATION

THE FEAST OF ALICIA DOMON AND HER COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS IN ARGENTINA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS BARTHOLOMEW BUONPEDONI AND VIVALDUS, MINISTERS AMONG LEPERS

THE FEAST OF SAINT LUDWIK BARTOSIK, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR

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

and who raise up your servant Saint Paul of the Cross to be a light in the world:

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

who called us out of darkness into your marvelous light;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Isaiah 49:1-6

Psalm 98 or 98:1-4

Acts 17:22-31

Matthew 28:16-20

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

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To serve God is to seek a way to human hearts. To serve God is to speak about evil as a sickness which should be brought to light so that it can be cured. To serve God is to condemn all its manifestations.

Above:  Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko

Image in the Public Domain

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BLESSED JERZY POPIELUSZKO (SEPTEMBER 14, 1947-OCTOBER 19-20, 1984)

Polish Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1984

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–Father Jerzy Popieluszko, quoted in Robert Ellsberg, All Saints:  Daily Refections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time (New York:  The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997), 457

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Father Jerzy Popieluszko, born to peasant farmers in Okopy, Podlaskie, Poland, on September 14, 1947, became a martyr.

Our saint, ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Warsaw on May 28, 1972, became affiliated with the Solidarity Movement, as a chaplain, in 1980.  The champion of non-violent resistance and a friend of Lech Walesa preached against the Communist government even during martial law (December 13, 1981-July 22, 1983).  His political activism made him an enemy of the state and the object of repeated assassination attempts, as well as arrests and interrogations.  This harassment continued after the end of martial law and the declaration of the general amnesty (July 22, 1984).  Finally, secret police abducted Popieluszko on October 19, 1984.  They beat him to death.  After the discovery of our saint’s body in the Vistula Water Reservoir, on October 30, 1984, more than 250,000 people attended the priest’s funeral as in excess of 1,000,000 people stood outside the church.  Death did not silence our saint.

Pope Benedict XVI declared Popieluszko a Venerable in 2009 then a Blessed the following year.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 12, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE ELEVENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

THE FEAST OF SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE VISITATION

THE FEAST OF ALICIA DOMON AND HER COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS IN ARGENTINA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS BARTHOLOMEW BUONPEDONI AND VIVALDUS, MINISTERS AMONG LEPERS

THE FEAST OF SAINT LUDWIK BARTOSIK, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR

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Almighty and everlasting God, who kindled the flame of your love

in the heart of your holy martyr Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko:

grant to us, your humble servants, a like faith and power of love,

that we who rejoice in his triumph may profit by his example;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with

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

Jeremiah 15:15-21

Psalm 124 or 31:1-5

1 Peter 4:12-19

Mark 8:34-38

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 715

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Above:  Charles Gounod

Image in the Public Domain

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CHARLES FRANÇOIS GOUNOD (JUNE 17, 1818-OCTOBER 18, 1893)

French Roman Catholic Composer

Charles Gounod glorified God via music.

Our saint, born in Paris, France, on June 17, 1818, grew up in an artistic and devout family.  His father, François Gounod, was a painter.  Charles’s mother, Lemachois Victoire, was a pianist.  Gounod studied philosophy before matriculating at the Paris Conservatory in 1836.  He continued his musical studies in Rome and Vienna.  Early compositions included Ferdinand, an oratorio that won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1839; a Mass (1842); and the Requiem (1843).

Gounod, back in Paris, continued to work as a musician and a composer.  He served as the organist and choirmaster at the Church of Foreign Missions.  Our saint studied for the priesthood in 1846-1847, but decided to focus on music instead.  From 1852 to 1860 he was the conductor of the Orphéon Choral Society in Paris.

Gounod left the country during the Franco-Prussian War.  He, in London during 1870-1875, founded the Royal Choir Society.  Our saint, back in France, became an officer of the Legion of Honor in 1880.

Gounod, aged 75 years, died in St. Cloud, France, on October 18, 1893.

He left a fine musical legacy consisting of operas, cantatas, masses, incidental music, songs, works for pianoforte, and other secular and sacred works.  In the realm of sacred music our saint’s masterworks included the St. Cecilia Mass (1855), his setting of the Ave Maria (1859), and the Requiem in C (1893).

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 12, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE ELEVENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

THE FEAST OF SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE VISITATION

THE FEAST OF ALICIA DOMON AND HER COMPANIONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS IN ARGENTINA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS BARTHOLOMEW BUONPEDONI AND VIVALDUS, MINISTERS AMONG LEPERS

THE FEAST OF SAINT LUDWIK BARTOSIK, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR

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Almighty God, beautiful in majesty, majestic in holiness:

You have shown us the splendor of creation in the work of your servant Charles Gounod.

Teach us to drive from the world all chaos and disorder, that our eyes may behold your glory,

and that at last everyone may know the inexhaustible richness of your new creation in Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Isaiah 28:5-6 or Hosea 14:5-8 or 2 Chronicles 20:20-21

Psalm 96

Philippians 4:8-9 or Ephesians 5:18b-20

Matthew 13:44-52

–Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 61

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Above:  Family Tree of St. Hedwig of Andechs

Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor

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SAINT HEDWIG OF ANDECHS (1174-OCTOBER 15, 1243)

Silesian Roman Catholic Princess of and Nun

Also known as Saint Hedwig of Silesia

Alternative feast day = October 15

mother of

BLESSED GERTRUDE OF TRZEBNICA (CIRCA 1200-DECEMBER 1268)

Roman Catholic Abbess

Her feast transferred from March 17

One of my goals in the continuing process of renovating my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days is to emphasize relationships.  That is my rationale for merging the feasts of St. Hedwig of Andechs and Blessed Gertrude of Trzebnica, not that I need one, given that the Ecumenical Calendar is my project.

These saints came from nobility.  St. Hedwig was a daughter of Berthold IV, Duke of Merania (reigned 1185-1204).  St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) was on her nieces.  St. Hedwig, born in Castle Andechs, Bavaria (now Germany), married Prince Henry I “the Bearded,” Duke of Silesia (r. 1201-1238) and the Duke of Greater Poland (r. 1231-1238) when she was 12 years old.  The couple had seven children, including Blessed Gertrude of Trzebnica (c. 1200-December 1268).  Blessed Gertrude, betrothed to Count Palatine Otto of Wittelsbach, who died prior to the wedding day, became a nun instead.  St. Hedwig, a widow from 1238, founded hospitals, helped orphans, and cared for the sick.  She gave away her fortune before becoming a nun in the convent at Trzebnica, where Blessed Gertrude was the abbess.

St. Hedwig died at the abbey at Trzebnica, Silesia (now Poland), on October 15, 1243.

Pope Clement IV canonized her in 1267.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 6, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE FIFTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

THE FEAST OF SAINT NICETIUS OF TRIER, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND BISHOP; AND SAINT AREDIUS OF LIMOGES, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK

THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM OF KRATIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND HERMIT

THE FEAST OF HENRY USTICK ONDERDONK, EPISCOPAL BISHOP, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF MYRA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

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O God, by whose grace your servants Saint Hedwig of Andechs and Blessed Gertrude of Trzebnica,

kindled with the flame of your love, became burning and shining lights 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 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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If we wish to put an end to the Lutheran errors and troubles, we need not muster orations, or subtle arguments: let us rely on the probity of our lives and a humble spirit, desiring nothing but the good of Christ and our neighbors.

Above:  Cardinal Contarini

Image in the Public Domain

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GASPAR CONTARINI (OCTOBER 16, 1483-AUGUST 24, 1542)

Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal and Agent of Reconciliation

Also known as Gasparo Contarini

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–Gaspar Contarini, quoted in Robert Ellsberg, All Saints:  Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time (New York:  The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997), 450

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Cardinal Gaspar(o) Contarini comes to this, my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via Robert Ellsberg’s book.

Contarini, born in Venice on October 16, 1483, sought to be a reconciler during a time of extremes.  He, from nobility, studied philosophy at the University of Padua.  Our saint became a diplomat in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (King Charles I of Spain), and served as Ambassador to the Papal States.  Prior to and during the Protestant Reformation Contarini opposed ecclesiastical corruption and advocated for reform.  In 1510, for example, our saint published his criticism of worldly bishops.  When the Protestant Reformation had started, Contarini reviewed Protestant teachings and found in them much both to praise and criticize.

Contarini was not afraid to speak truth to power.  In 1529, in person, he urged Pope Clement VII (in office November 19, 1523-September 25, 1534) to focus on ecclesiastical reconciliation, not on temporal power.  Clement VII, born Guilio de Medici, did not accept the counsel.  He, a hardliner, as well as a cousin of the late Pope Leo X (in office 1513-1521), was a Supreme Pontiff of his time, unfortunately.

The next Pope was Paul III (in office October 13, 1534-November 10, 1549), born Alessandro Farnese.  His sister was Guilia, mistress of Pope Alexander VI (in office 1492-1503), born Rodrigo Borgia.  Pope Paul III appointed Contarini, a layman, to the College of Cardinals and assigned him to lead a reform commission.  The commission’s report condemned abuses, including simony and the sale of indulgences.

Contarini’s final effort at ecclesiastical reconciliation was the Regensburg conference (1541), between Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church.  He helped to develop agreement on many points, including justification by faith.  This attempt at finding common ground was so controversial on both sides that it failed.  Paul III replaced Contarini with Cardinal Carlo Carafa, a hardliner who established an inquisition instead.

Contarini died of a fever on August 24, 1542.  He was 58 years old.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

–Matthew 5:9, The New American Bible (2011)

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 5, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE FOURTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

THE FEAST OF SAINT CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, FATHER OF CHRISTIAN SCHOLARSHIP

THE FEAST OF SAINT CYRAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT

THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY TO THE FAR EAST

THE FEAST OF NELSON MANDELA, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA, AND RENEWER OF SOCIETY

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Almighty God, we praise you for your servant Gaspar(o) Contarini,

through whom you have called the church to its tasks and renewed its life.

Raise up in our own day teachers and prophets inspired by your Spirit,

whose voices will give strength to your church and proclaim the reality of your reign,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Psalm 46

1 Corinthians 3:11-23

Mark 10:35-45

–Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 60

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Above:  Blessed Augustine Thevarparampil

Image in the Public Domain

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BLESSED AUGUSTINE THEVARPARAMPIL (APRIL 1, 1891-OCTOBER 16, 1973)

Indian Roman Catholic Priest and “Good Shepherd of the Dalits”

Blessed Augustine Thevarparampil, born in Ramapuram, Kerala, India, on April 1, 1891, ministered to “Untouchables” in India.  He came from a Roman Catholic family.  Our saint, the youngest of five children of Itty Iype and Eliswa, and baptized as an infant, was a nephew of two priests, Joseph and Thomas.  Blessed Augustine was short, hence his nickname, “Kurjachan,” or “little priest.”  Our saint, ordained to the priesthood on December 17, 1921, was initially an assistant parish priest at Ramapuram (1921-1923) then at Kanadad (1923-1926).  He began to minister to Dalits at Ramapuram when he returned there to recuperate from an illness, in 1926.  He also opened schools for them because public schools did not admit Dalits.  Blessed Augustine was a priest to this population until he died at Ramapuram on October 16, 1973.  He was 82 years old.

Blessed Augustine, who followed God’s call to care for the least of marginalized in society, became a Servant of God (1987), a Venerable (2004), and a Blessed (2006).

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 3, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE SECOND DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARUTHAS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF MAYPHERKAT, AND MISSIONARY TO PERSIA

THE FEAST OF AMILIE JULIANE, COUNTESS OF SCHWARZBRG-RUDOLSTADT, GERMAN LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT BERNARD OF PARMA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF JOHN OWEN SMITH, UNITED METHODIST BISHOP IN GEORGIA

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Almighty God, whose prophets taught us righteousness in the care of your poor:

By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, grant that we may do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly in your sight;

through Jesus Christ, our Judge and Redeemer, who lives and reigns

with you and the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Isaiah 55:11-56:1

Psalm 2:1-2, 10-12

Acts 14:14-17, 21-23

Mark 4:21-29

—Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 736

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Let nothing disturb you, nothing dismay you. All things are passing, God never changes. Patient endurance attains all things….God alone suffices.

Above:  St. Teresa of Avila, by Peter Paul Rubens

Image in the Public Domain

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SAINT TERESA OF AVILA (MARCH 28, 1515-OCTOBER 4, 1582)

Spanish Roman Catholic Nun, Mystic, and Reformer

Born Teresa de Cepeda

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–St. Teresa of Avila, quoted in Robert Ellsberg, All Saints:  Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time (New York:  The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997), 448

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St. Teresa of Avila had many reasons to become dismayed, had she decided to permit them to dismay and disturb her.

Teresa de Cepeda, born in Avila, Spain, on March 28, 1515, came from a wealthy, well-educated family.  Her father was a merchant.  Her mother died when our saint was 14 years old.  St. Teresa became a Carmelite novice at the age of 21 years.  Her father objected, but she persisted.

Carmelite spiritual practice in that convent was quite lax; it was more like a boarding house than a nunnery.  Our saint, in her early twenties, was an invalid for several years.  During that time she read deeply in spiritual classics and became enamored of mental prayer, which she described as

friendly conversation with Him who we know loves us.

However, St. Teresa, having recovered her health, spent the next fifteen years neglecting her spiritual life.

St. Teresa, having renewed her spiritual life in 1555, had St. Francis Borgia (1510-1572) as a spiritual director.  In 1562, with the support of her bishop and the Pope, opened St. Joseph’s Abbey, the first of her new, rigorous convents.  More followed, starting in 1567; she founded 17 convents in all.  A friend, St. John of the Cross (1542-1591), whom she met in 1567, founded rigorous Carmelite monasteries.

St. Teresa had to contend with opposition from ecclesiastical officialdom–bishops and the Spanish Inquisition–as well as from within her order.  Inquisitors were suspicious of her reported visions; mysticism alarmed the theological enforcers.  More opposition came from within our saint’s Discaled Carmelite order.  For a number of years St. Teresa was in internal exile, forbidden to found new convents.  That internal exile ended, though.

For years St. Teresa traveled through Spain on official business.  During one such journey, from Avila to Burges, she suffered her fatal cerebral hemorrhage and heart attack.  She, aged 67 years, died at the Alba de Tormes Convent on October 4, 1582.

St. Teresa’s writings have continued to enrich seekers of God.  The Way of Perfection, The Interior Castle, the Life, Spiritual Relations, Exclamations of the Soul to God, and Conceptions on the Love of God have joined the ranks of spiritual classics.

The Church has honored St. Teresa.  Pope Gregory XV canonized her in 1622.  Pope Paul VI declared our saint the first female Doctor of the Church in 1970.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 2, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE FIRST DAY OF ADVENT:  THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

THE FEAST OF CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, EPISCOPAL MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CHINA AND JAPAN

THE FEAST OF ALICE FREEMAN PALMER, U.S. EDUCATOR AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT BRIOC, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT TUDWAL, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP

THE FEAST OF SAINT OSMUND OF SALISBURY, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

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O God, by your Holy Spirit you moved Teresa of Avila to manifest to your Church the way of perfection:

Grant us, we pray, to be nourished by her excellent teaching,

and enkindle within us a keen and unquenchable longing for true holiness;

through Jesus Christ, the joy of loving hearts, who with you and the Holy Spirit

lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Song of Songs 4:12-16

Psalm 42:1-7

Romans 8:22-27

Matthew 5:13-16

—Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 639

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This is post #1650 of SUNDRY THOUGHTS.

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Above:  Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky

Image in the Public Domain

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SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY (MAY 31, 1831-OCTOBER 15, 1906)

Episcopal Bishop of Shanghai, and Biblical Translator

Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky was on of the great missionaries.

Schereschewsky, born in Tauroggen, Lithuania, the Russian Empire, on May 31, 1831, grew up in a devout Jewish family.  He began to study for the rabbinate in 1846.  In Breslau (1852-1854), to continue those studies, our saint encountered missionaries from the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews.  He also read the New Testament in Hebrew.  Schereschewsky converted to Christianity in 1854.

That year our saint emigrated to the United States, to matriculate at Western Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to prepare for the Presbyterian ministry.  In 1857, however, Schereschewsky converted to The Episcopal Church and transferred to the General Theological Seminary, New York, New York.  He graduated in 1859, became a deacon that year, and left for Shanghai, China, as a missionary.  Our saint learned Chinese during the journey.  He, ordained to the priesthood in 1860, worked out of Beijing from 1862 to 1875.  He translated the Bible and much of The Book of Common Prayer into Mandarin during that time.

Schereschewsky served as the Bishop of Shanghai from 1877 to 1883.  He, paralyzed in 1881, spent 1882-1895 (1882-1886 in Switzerland) for medical treatment.  Our saint, who resigned in 1883, had helped to found St. John’s College, Shanghai, and begun to translate the Bible into Wenli.

Asia beckoned.  Schereschewsky and his loving wife, Susan Mary Waring (1836-1909), returned to Shanghai in 1895.  They relocated to Tokyo, Japan, two years later.  She helped him continue to translate the Bible into Wenli.  Our saint typed 2000 pages with just one finger, as well as Susan’s assistance.

Schereschewsky died in Tokyo on October 15, 1831.  He was 75 years old.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 1, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT AND MARTYR

THE FEAST OF DOUGLAS LETELL RIGHTS, U.S. MORAVIAN MINISTER, SCHOLAR, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF EDWARD TIMOTHY MICKEY, JR., U.S. MORAVIAN BISHOP AND LITURGIST

THE FEAST OF PETER MORTIMER, ANGLO-GERMAN MORAVIAN EDUCATOR, MUSICIAN, AND SCHOLAR; AND GOTTFRIED THEODOR ERXLEBEN, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER AND MUSICOLOGIST

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O God, in your providence you called Joseph Schereschewsky from his home in Eastern Europe

to the ministry of this Church, and sent him as a missionary to China,

that he might translate the Holy Scriptures into languages of that land.

Lead us, we pray, to commit our lives and talents to you,

in the confidence that when you give your servants any work to do,

you also supply the strength to do it; through Jesus Christ, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Isaiah 12:1-6

Psalm 84:1-6

2 Corinthians 4:11-18

Luke 24:44-48

—Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), 637

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Above:  George Herbert Walker Bush, 1989

Photographer = David Valdez

Image Source = Library of Congress

Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-98302

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This morning I read that former President George Herbert Walker Bush had died at the age of 94 years.  My immediate response was to pray for the repose of his soul, and for all who mourn him.

The first presidential election in which I voted was that of 1992; I rejoiced to see Bush lose his bid for a second term.  I did not, however, ever think he was an agent of Satan, et cetera.  Rather, I always respected him as a patriot and a good man.  That respect increased after he left office.  Whenever I read a news story about Bush 41 skydiving, I stood in awe of the man.

Rest in peace, sir.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 1, 2018 COMMON ERA

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