Through the Dust

Murder capital of the USA

2012-02-16T09:46:00.001-06:00

There were no murders inNew Orleans or Jefferson Parish in the past week. Must be the Carnival spirit!

Joseph of Antioch

2012-02-15T06:41:00.003-06:00

February 15

Joseph of Antioch (sometimes called Josippus), deacon and martyr, with seven companions, slain atAntioch in Syria, date unknown.

Cyril of the Slavs

2012-02-14T07:08:00.001-06:00

February 14

Constantine (later Cyril),deacon, scholar, philologist, linguist, and (with his brother Methodius)missionary to the southern Slavs, died 14 February 869.

Cyril and Methodius were born in Thessaloniki to a Greek drungarios(a military officer) named Leon and to Maria. Born in 827-828, Cyril wasreputedly the youngest of seven brothers, according to the Vita Cyrilli(The Life of Cyril). He is said to have given himself to the pursuit ofheavenly wisdom at the age of seven, but at fourteen was made an orphan by thedeath of his parents.

An influential official, possibly the eunuch Theoktistos (Θεόκτιστος),brought him to Constantinople where he studied theology and philosophy.Theoktistos was a logothetes tou dromou,a powerful Byzantine official, responsible for the postal services and thediplomatic relations of the empire. He was also responsible, along with theregent Bardas, for initiating a far-reaching educational program within the empire,which culminated in the establishment of the University of Magnaura, whereConstantine/Cyril was to teach. Photius is said to have been among histeachers; Anastasius Bibliothecarius mentions their later friendship, as wellas a conflict between them on a point of doctrine. Cyril learned an eclecticvariety of knowledge including astronomy, geometry, rhetoric, and music. It wasin the field of linguistics, however, that Cyril particularly excelled. Besideshis native old Macedonian (Slavonic), he was fluent in Latin, Arabic, Hebrew,and Greek; according to the Vita, the Byzantine Emperor Michael IIIclaimed that “all Thessalonians speak perfect Slavonic” (ch. 86).

After the completion of his education Cyril was ordained deacon andbecame a monk. He seems to have held the important position of chartophylax,or secretary to the patriarch and keeper of the archives, with some judicialfunctions also. This influential position required that he be in holy orders.After six months’ quiet retirement in a monastery he began to teach philosophyand theology. Cyril also took an active role in relations with the other greatmonotheistic religions, Islam and Judaism. He penned fiercely anti-Jewishpolemics, perhaps connected with his mission to the Khazars, a tribe who livednear the Sea of Azov under a Jewish king who allowed Jews, Muslims, andChristians to live peaceably side by side. He also undertook a mission to theArabs with whom, according to the Vita, he held discussions. He is saidto have learned the Hebrew, Samaritan, and Arabic languages during this period.The account of his life presented in the Latin Legenda claims that healso learned the Khazar language while in Chersonesos, in Taurica (todayCrimea). (It has been claimed that Methodius also accompanied him on themission to the Khazars, but this is probably a later invention.)

In 862 Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia requested that the emperorMichael III and the patriarch Photius send missionaries to evangelize hisSlavic subjects. His motives in doing so were probably more political thanreligious. Rastislav had become king with the support of the Frankish rulerLouis the German, but subsequently sought to assert his independence from theFranks. He is said to have expelled missionaries of the Roman Church andinstead turned to Constantinople for ecclesiastical assistance and, presumably,a degree of political support. The request provided a convenient opportunity toexpand Byzantine influence, and the task was entrusted to Cyril and Methodius. Theirfirst work seems to have been the training of assistants.

In 863 they began the task of translating the Bible into the languagenow known as Old Church Slavonic and traveled to Great Moravia to promote it.They enjoyed considerable success in this endeavor. However, they came intoconflict with German ecclesiastics who opposed their efforts to create aspecifically Slavic liturgy. It is impossible to determine with certainty whatportions of the Bible the brothers translated. The New Testament and the psalmsseem to have been the first, followed by other lessons from the Old Testament.The Translatio speaks only of a version of the gospels by Cyril, and theVita Methodii only of the evangelium Slovenicum, though otherliturgical selections may also have been translated.

No one knows for sure which liturgy, that of Rome or that ofConstantinople, they took as a source. They may well have used the Roman, assuggested by liturgical fragments which adhere closely to the Latin type. TheGlagolitic alphabet, which was based on the Greek uncial writing of the 9^thcentury, has been traditionally attributed to Cyril’s work. That fact has beenconfirmed explicitly by the papal letter Industriaetuae (880) approving the use of Old Church Slavonic, which says that thealphabet was “invented by Constantine the Philosopher.” It is unclear, however,whether Cyril himself was the originator of the eponymous Cyrillic alphabet.More probably, it was invented by later followers of Cyril and Methodius. In 867 Pope Nicholas I invited the brothers to Rome.

Their evangelizing mission in Moravia had by this time become the focusof a dispute with Theotmar, the archbishop of Salzburg and bishop of Passau,who claimed ecclesiastical control of the same territory and wished to see ituse the Latin liturgy exclusively. Traveling with the relics of St. Clement anda retinue of disciples, they were warmly received in Rome on their arrival in868. The brothers were praised for their learning and cultivated for theirinfluence in Constantinople. Their project in Moravia found support from PopeAdrian II, who formally authorized the use of the new Slavic liturgy.

Cyril fell ill late in 868, retired to a monastery, and after fiftydays of illness died on 14 February 869. The Translatio asserts that hewas made a bishop before his death, but there is little credible evidence forthis. Over time, Cyrillic eventually spread through much of the Slavic world tobecome the standard alphabet in the Orthodox Slavic countries. Their evangelizingefforts also paved the way for the spread of Christianity throughout easternEurope.

Cyril was canonized as a saint by the eastern church, and the RomanCatholic Church canonized him in 1880 along with Methodius. The two brothersare known as the “Apostles of the Slavs” and are highly regarded by Catholicand Orthodox Christians. Cyril’s feast day is celebrated on 14 February(Catholic and Anglican) or 11 May (Orthodox). The two brothers were declared “Patronsof Europe” in 1980.

Modestus of Sardinia

2012-02-12T06:59:00.001-06:00

February 12

Modestus, deacon and martyr, a native of Sardinia,killed in 304.

Modestus was tortured on the rack and then burned alive by order ofDiocletian (emperor 284-305). His relics were brought to Benevento in southernItaly around 785 and buried in a church named after him.

Murder capital of the USA

2012-02-09T12:53:00.003-06:00

Murdered in the New Orleans area this week (a light week!):

2/3 James Gould 29 M shot Orleans

Please pray for him, his murderer, and theirfamilies.

Apollonia of Alexandria

2012-02-09T06:17:00.000-06:00

February 9

Apollonia, deacon and virgin, martyred by fire atAlexandria on 9 February 249.

This 14^th century woodcarving depicts Apollonia with her insignia, a tooth held by a forceps.

Apollonia, an oldwoman, was a leader among the Christians in Alexandria in Egypt. The account ofher martyrdom comes from Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria (247-265), in a letterpreserved by Eusebius. Under the persecution of Decius (emperor249-251), during an anti-Christian uprising caused by a pagan prophecy,the mob seized Apollonia. They battered her jaw until all her teeth wereknocked out. Pushed to renounce her faith, Apollonia chose instead to die on apyre. She is the patron saint of dentists and toothache victims.

Primus and Donatus of Lavallum

2012-02-09T06:14:00.004-06:00

February 9

Primus and Donatus,deacons and martyrs, put to death by Donatist heretics for resisting thetakeover of a catholic church at Lavallum in northwest Africa in 362.

Stephen of Grandmont

2012-02-08T09:15:00.002-06:00

February 8

Stephen of Grandmont, deacon, hermit, and founder of the(Benedictine) Order of Grandmont at Muret, near Toulouse in what is nowsouthwestern France, died in 1124.

The early life of Stephen, born in 1046 in Thiers, in theAuvergne region of France, is uncertain due to historical inaccuracies in themedieval biography of the saint. Nonetheless, his undertaking of consecratedlife as a hermit is related in moving and convincing detail. Having built asmall hermitage on the mountain of Muret, Stephen vowed to God: “I, Stephen,renounce the devil and all his pomps, and offer myself to God the Father, Son,and Holy Spirit, the one true God in three Persons.” He also prayed to theBlessed Virgin Mary, declaring, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, I commend my body,soul, and senses to your Son and to you.” Thereafter, Stephen spent the nextforty-eight years of his life in this wilderness, devoting himself to prayerand penitential self-denial. When on one occasion two papal legates visitedhim, they asked whether he was a monk, a hermit, or a canon. He replied, “I ama sinner.” Other men intending to imitate Stephen came to join him, so that thehermitage of Muret grew into a monastic community and a new religiouscongregation that would later be known as the Order of Grandmont. He refused ordination as a priest to remaina deacon.

Luke of Emesa

2012-02-06T06:15:00.000-06:00

February 6

Luke, deacon and martyr, with bishop Silvanus ofEmesa in Phoenicia (now Lebanon) and reader Mucius, martyred under Maximianafter long imprisonment, in 312.

Celerius of Carthage

2012-02-03T07:04:00.003-06:00

February 3

Celerinus of Carthage, deacon and confessor, died of naturalcauses about 250.

Celerinus is revered for his sufferings while imprisoned inRome by Decius (emperor 249-251). He was freed and returned to Carthage, whereCyprian ordained him a deacon.

Murder capital of the USA

2012-02-02T08:40:00.001-06:00

Murdered this week in the New Orleans area:

1/26 Brian Williams 32 M shot Orleans
1/27 Ricky Randolph 29 M shot Orleans
1/28 Patrick Lloyd 21 M shot Orleans
1/28 Major Bonner 25 M shot Orleans
1/31 Chris Williams 27 M shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their murderers, and their families.

Caesarius of Angoulême

2012-01-29T07:01:00.000-06:00

January 29

Caesarius of Angoulême, deacon under Ausonius, the first bishop ofAngoulême (originally Iculisma)in southwestern France, died ofnatural causes in first century.

The Trinity in the Old Testament

2012-01-28T10:52:00.001-06:00

Andrei Rublev's icon of the Old Testament Trinity

The reading at morning prayer today, from Genesis 18:1-16, tells the story of three "men" (angels, whom Christians interpret as the Holy Trinity), who visit Abraham and Sarah at the oaks of Mamre (see the tree in the icon).

Murder capital of the USA

2012-01-26T14:00:00.002-06:00

It never ends.

Murdered this week in the New Orleans area:

1/18 Joseph Harris 28 M shot Orleans
1/20 Antonio Miller 21 M shot Orleans
1/23 name withheld 37 F shot Orleans
1/24 Mike Ainsworth 44 M shot Orleans (in a quiet neighborhood of Algiers Point while trying to stop the highjacking of a car)
1/26 name withheld 26 M shot Orleans
1/26 unidentified ? M shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

Xenia of Milassa

2012-01-24T07:16:00.001-06:00

January 24

Xenia (originally Eusebia), deaconess and nun of Milassa in Asia Minor, died in 450.

Xenia, known in early life as Eusebia, was the only daughter of a Romansenator. From her youth she loved God, and wished to avoid a marriage that hadbeen arranged for her. She secretly left her parents’ home with two servantsand set sail on a ship. She met the head of the monastery of the holy apostleAndrew in Milassa, a town of Caria (Asia Minor). She asked him to take her andher companions to Milassa. She also changed her name, calling herself Xenia(“stranger” or “foreigner” in Greek).

Xenia drew many souls to Christ. At Milassa, she bought land, built achurch dedicated to St. Stephen, and founded a women’s monastery. Soon afterthis, bishop Paul of Milassa made Xenia a deaconess. She helped everyone—forthe destitute, she was a benefactress; for the grief-stricken, a comforter; forsinners, a guide to repentance. She possessed a deep humility, accountingherself the worst and most sinful of all. She was guided in her ascetic deedsby the counsels of the Palestinian ascetic, Euthymius.

Xenia died in 450 while praying. During her funeral, aluminous wreath of stars surrounding a radiant cross appeared in the sky overthe monastery. This sign accompanied the body of the saint when it was carriedinto the city and remained there until her burial. Many of the sick receivedhealing after touching Xenia’s relics.

Yona Kanamuzeyi of Nyamata

2012-01-23T06:48:00.001-06:00

January 23

Yona Kanamuzeyi, deacon and martyr, killed in Rwanda on 23January 1964.

Yona Kanamuzeyi wasa deacon in the town of Nyamata in Rwanda, south of the capital, Kigali. He hadbeen asked to aid refugees fleeing ethnic violence. As a child of a Hutu-Tutsimarriage, his work of providing sanctuary earned him the label “Tutsisympathizer.” As Meg Guillebaud, a missionary, recounts: Five soldiers in a jeepcame and took Yona away for questioning in the middle of the night on 23 January1964. Two others were also in custody. Yona grabbed his diary and the keys totheir church. The jeep stopped suddenly alongside a river. Yona scribbled inhis diary: “We are going to heaven.” Yona questioned his fellow prisoners abouttheir own salvation. Then they all sang, “There is a happy land, far, far away.”Soldiers took Yona into the bush, and gunfire was heard. The soldiers returned “amazed”that Yona sang as he walked along to his death. Minutes later, they releasedthe other two prisoners. Years later, the dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral inLondon inscribed his name in the cathedral’s book of modern martyrs.

The 1838 Scottish hymn“There Is a Happy Land,” sung by Yona and his companions:

There is a happyland, far, far away,

Where saints inglory stand, bright, bright as day.

Oh, how they sweetlysing, worthy is our Savior King,

Loud let His praisesring, praise, praise for aye.

Come to that happyland, come, come away;

Why will ye doubtingstand, why still delay?

Oh, we shall happybe, when from sin and sorrow free,

Lord, we shall livewith Thee, blest, blest for aye.

Bright, in thathappy land, beams every eye;

Kept by a Father’shand, love cannot die.

Oh, then to gloryrun; be a crown and kingdom won;

And, bright, abovethe sun, we reign for aye.

Parmenas

2012-01-23T06:45:00.003-06:00

January 23

Parmenas, one of the seven ordained by the apostles(Acts 6:5), according to tradition martyred at Philippi in Macedonia, about 98[also July 28].

Vincent of Saragossa

2012-01-22T07:12:00.000-06:00

January 22

Vincent of Saragossa, deacon and martyr, tortured to death at Valentia(now Valencia in Spain) on 22 January 304.

A ravenguards the body of Vincent

Vincent was born at Osca and lived in Caesaraugusta (now Huesca and Zaragoza, Saragossa inEnglish, both in the Aragonregion of northern Spain). He served as the deacon and secretary of Valerius,bishop of Caesaraugusta. Because Valerius stuttered badly, Vincent often preached for him.

During a persecution they were arrested in Valentia by the prefectDacian, threatened with torture and death, and pressured to renounce theirfaith. According to legend, Vincent said to his bishop, “Father, if you orderme, I will speak.” Valerius replied, “Son, as I have committed you to dispensethe word of God, so I now charge you to answer in vindication of the faithwhich we defend.” Like many martyrs in the early hagiographic literature, Vincentsucceeded in converting his jailer. Though offered release if he would consignscripture to the fire, Vincent refused, was tortured on a gridiron (a detailperhaps adapted from the martyrdom of Laurence), and died. Valerius was exiled.

Dacian tried todestroy Vincent’s body by leaving it naked in a marsh. A raven guarded thebody, driving away a bird of prey and a wolf. The prefect then threw the bodyinto the sea. Although a heavy stone had been attached to it, the body did notsink but moved with the tide and came to rest on the beach. There it was burieduntil the Christians could build a tomb. Later, when the persecution was over,a church was built and the bones of Vincent were buried at the foot of thealtar.

The earliest accountof Vincent’s martyrdom is in a carmen (lyric poem) written byPrudentius, (348-aft. 405), who wrote a series of such poems, Peristephanon(Crowns of Martyrdom), on Hispanic and Roman martyrs, including Laurence andVincent. See “The Poems of Prudentius,” trans. Sr. M. Clement Eagan, CCVI, in The Fathers of the Church, vol. 43 (Washington:Catholic University of America Press, 1962).

Augurius and Eulogius of Tarraco

2012-01-21T07:09:00.002-06:00

January 21

Augurius and Eulogius,deacons and martyrs, with bishop Fructuosus of Tarraco (now Tarragoña innortheastern Spain), martyred by burning on 21 January 259.

According to the Acta: Thebishop and his two deacons were arrested on Sunday, 16 January, just as theywere going to bed. The bishop asked for permission to put on his shoes, afterwhich he cheerfully followed the arresting guards. In prison they spent theirtime in fervent prayer, full of joy at the prospect of the crown prepared for them.Fructuosus blessed those who visited him and on Monday baptized a catechumennamed Rogatianus. On Wednesday they kept the usual fast of the stations until 3p.m.

A few days later, on Friday, 21 January, the three were brought beforethe governor. Their examination was short and to the point: the prisonersaffirmed their worship of one God and were sentenced to be burned to death.Officers were posted to prevent any demonstration because even the pagans lovedFructuosus for his virtues. The Christians accompanied them with sorrowtempered with joy. The faithful offered Fructuosus a cup of wine, which herefused because, since it was only 10 in the morning, it was too early to breakthe fast. Even with the guards at the gate of the amphitheater, some of theChristians were able to get close. The bishop’s reader, Augustalis, with tearsasked permission to remove his bishop’s shoes. Felix, a Christian soldier,stepped in and asked the bishop for his prayers.

Fructuosus replied so that all could hear, “I am bound to bear in mindthe whole universal church from East to West. Remain always in the bosom of thecatholic church, and you will have a share in my prayers.” He added words ofcomfort to his flock. As the flames enveloped them and burned through theirbonds, “they stretched forth their arms in token of the Lord’s victory, prayingto him till they gave up their souls.”

The account of their examination is authentic. Tradition adds thatBabylas and Mygdone, two Christian servants of the governor, saw the heavensopen and the saints carried up with crowns on their heads. By night thefaithful came and each took some part of the martyrs’ bodies to their own home,but heaven admonished them and each returned the relics to a single grave. Inart the three martyrs are portrayed as a bishop and two deacons singing ontheir funeral pyre. They are venerated at Tarragoña and in Africa.

Murder capital of the USA

2012-01-19T10:12:00.000-06:00

Our race for "Murder Queen of the Western Isles" continues without rest. Here are last week's murders in the New Orleans area (Orleans and Jefferson Parishes):

1/12 Reyland Berry 60 M shot Orleans
1/12 Keishuane Keppard 20 F shot Orleans
1/12 Troy Leslie 37 M shot Orleans
1/12 Kerry Johnson 41 M shot Orleans
1/16 Albert Springer 61 M shot Jefferson
1/17 Gerald Barnes Jr. 21 M shot Orleans
1/18 Gerald Andry 49 M shot Orleans
1/18 unidentified M shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their murderers, and their families. BTW, I wonder if Keishuane Keppard is related to the early jazz cornetist Freddie Keppard (1890-1933), a Creole who grew up in downtown New Orleans.

Hugo Gorovoka of Miravovo

2012-01-18T06:48:00.002-06:00

January 18

HugoGorovoka, deacon and native missionary at Miravovo,Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands, died in 1918.

Charlotte Boyd of New York

2012-01-17T06:50:00.005-06:00

January 17

Charlotte Boyd, deaconess at St. Bartholomew and Ascensionin New York, died 17 January 1965.

CharlotteBoyd was born in 1872. She was set apart as deaconess on 6 May 1901. Herprimary ministry was to the St. Bartholomew Girls’ Club. She also was directorof the summer home and farm St. Bartholomew’s sponsored in Pawling, NewYork. During World War I, Deaconess Boyd oversaw the work of St. Bartholomew’sRed Cross Chapter, dispensing 48,500 hand-wrapped surgical dressings and 1,659hand-knitted garments to American troops in France and Belgium. When asked whatpart of her training was most influential in her life as a deaconess, Boydreplied: “To have known Dr. [William Reed] Huntington and to have felt hisinfluence has been the greatest inspiration.” Boyd left St. Bartholomew’s in1931 and, after a trip to England, took up her work at Ascension in Manhattan.She retired in 1957 after 56 years of active church work and died on 17 January1965 in Quebec, Canada, where she lived with her sister. She was 92 at the timeof her death. [research of Deacon Geri Swanson]

Marianus of Rome

2012-01-17T06:49:00.000-06:00

January 17

Marianus, deacon and martyr, with presbyter Diodorusand others, killed at Rome in 284.

In Rome under Numerian (emperor 282-284), a group ofChristians including Diodorus and Marianus were found praying in the catacombson the anniversary of an earlier martyrdom. The Roman authorities sealed themin the crypt alive. Diodorus and Marianus were canonized, and a church waslater built above the sandpit. The two martyrs were particularly popular in fourthcentury Rome, and their names appear in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum(Martyrology of Jerome).

Murder capital of the USA

2012-01-14T07:36:00.002-06:00

Murders in the past week in the New Orleans area:

1/6 Keian Ester 11 M shot Jefferson
1/7 Michael Johnson 21 M shot Orleans
1/7 Willie McClure 47 M shot Orleans
1/7 Eric Robinson 41 M shot/burned Orleans
1/8 Joseph Evans 41 M shot Orleans
1/8 Joseph Elliot 17 M shot Orleans
1/10 Tiffany Frey 36 F shot Jefferson
1/10 Lamar Ellis 21 M shot Orleans

The first two weeks of 2012 have been extremely violent in New Orleans. In addition to the murders, on January 11 nine people were shot (but survived) in four different shootings.

Please pray for the victims, their families, and their murderers. Of your charity, also pray for the police, the city administration, and our neighborhood leaders to find a solution to the violence.

Charles Dodgson of Christ Church

2012-01-14T06:58:00.003-06:00

January 14

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (pen name Lewis Carroll), deacon, author, mathematician, logician, andphotographer, died on 14 January 1898.

Born on 27 January 1832 into the large family of an Anglican priest,Charles Dodgson grew up in Cheshire and Yorkshire and was educated at Rugby andChrist Church, Oxford. As a requirement of his residency at Christ Church, hewas ordained an Anglican deacon on 22 December 1861 but declined to become apriest.

After a new dean, Henry Liddell, arrived at Christ Church in 1856,Dodgson became close friends with Liddell’s wife, Lorina, and theirchildren, particularly the three sisters Lorina, Edith, and Alice Liddell. On arowing expedition with the sisters, on 4 July 1862, Dodgson invented theoutline of the story that eventually became his first and largest commercialsuccess. Having told the story and been begged by Alice Liddell to write itdown, Dodgson eventually (after much delay) presented her with a handwritten,illustrated manuscript entitled Alice's Adventures Under Ground inNovember 1864. The work was finally published as Alice's Adventures inWonderland in 1865 under the name Lewis Carroll. The overwhelmingcommercial success of the book changed Dodgson’s life in many ways. The fame ofhis alter ego “Lewis Carroll” soon spread around the world. He was inundatedwith fan mail and with sometimes unwanted attention. When Lewis Carroll met Queen Victoria, whohad loved his Alice books, she asked him to be sure to send her a copy of hisnext book. Her disappointment was apparently profound when it turned outto be a treatise on an obscure aspect of applied mathematics.

Over the remaining twenty years of his life, despitewealth and fame, his existence changed little. He continued to teach at ChristChurch until 1881 and remained in residence there until his death. He died on14 January 1898 at his sisters’ home, “The Chestnuts” in Guildford, ofpneumonia following influenza. He is buried in Guildford at the Mount Cemetery.

Hermylus of Singidunum

2012-01-13T06:25:00.001-06:00

January 13

Hermylus, deacon and martyr of Singidunum (presentBelgrade, capital of Serbia), with his servant Stratonicus, killed in theBalkans in 315.

They were martyred by drowning in the Danube at Singidunum.

Tatiana of Rome

2012-01-12T07:10:00.002-06:00

January 12

Tatiana, deacon and martyr, beheaded at Rome on 12January about 225.

Tatiana came from aneminent Roman family and was educated in the Christian faith. When she reachedadulthood, she became indifferent to riches and earthly blessings and came tolove the spiritual way of life. She renounced wedded life and was made a deaconof the Roman Church. In this role she diligently tended the sick, visitedjails, helped the needy, and constantly tried to please God with prayers andgood deeds.

During the reign of Alexander Severus (222-235), under the Roman citymayor Ulypian, around the year 225, Tatiana became a martyr for professing herlove of Jesus Christ. The emperor’s mother Mammaea was a Christian, but theemperor was wavering and indecisive. He kept statues of Christ, Apollo, Abraham,and Orpheus in his palace, and his chief assistants persecuted Christianswithout his orders.

According to an ancient narrative, when they brought out Tatiana fortorture, she prayed to God for her torturers. Their eyes were opened, and theysaw four angels around the martyr. Seeing this, eight of them believed inChrist, for which they were tortured and slain. Tatiana was thrown into thearena at the Coliseum, to be torn apart by a lion for the amusement of thespectators. Instead she caressed the lion. The tormentors continued to torture Tatiana.They whipped her, cut off parts of her body, and scraped her with irons. Disfiguredand bloody, Tatiana was thrown into the dungeon that evening so that the nextday they could resume with different tortures.

In the night God sent angels to the dungeon toencourage Tatiana and heal her wounds so that each morning she appeared beforethe torturers completely healed. They cut off her hair, thinking that sorceryor magical power was concealed there. Finally, they beheaded both Tatiana andher father. According to the witness of Deacon Zocim in 1420, Tatiana’s headwas at Perivlepto in Constantinople.

Theosebia of Nyssa

2012-01-10T08:53:00.002-06:00

January 10

Theosebia, deacon, wife or sister of Gregory of Nyssa,died about 387.

Theosebia andGregory of Nyssa

Theosebia’s life and identification are ambiguous; her dates of birthand death are uncertain (she died probably after 381). She is thought to haveplayed an important role in the church in Nyssa, where she was called diakonissa.Gregory the Theologian (Nazianzuz) wrote a letter of condolence on her death toGregory of Nyssa in which he mentioned “your sister Theosebia” and “trueconsort of a priest.” There lies the ambiguity of her identification. Somehistorians suppose Theosebia was the wife of Gregory of Nyssa. Others supposeshe was one of his sisters like Macrina the Younger; if so, then Theosebia wasthe sister of Basil the Great as well. Others imagined that she was the wife ofGregory Nazianzuz, although there is no evidence that he was ever married.

Nicanor, one of the Seven

2012-01-10T08:50:00.001-06:00

January 10

Nicanor, deacon and martyr, one of the sevenordained by the apostles (Acts 6:5), according to tradition killed in Cyprus, about76 [also July 28].

Harriet Bedell of the Miccosukee

2012-01-08T06:22:00.003-06:00

January 7

Harriet Mary Bedell, deaconess and missionary among theSeminoles and Miccosukee in southern Florida, died on 8 January 1969.

HarrietBedell in her garden in Florida

Born in 1875 in Buffalo, New York, Harriet Bedell became a teacher withmany young Indian students. In the winter of 1905-06, she attended a meeting ather church to hear a missionary speak of the need for more workers in China tospread the word of the Lord. Determined to become a missionary, she gave up herjob to train as an Episcopal deaconess in New York City. At the end of her yearof training, she elected to study nursing for a year in her home town ofBuffalo. At the end of this schooling, in 1907, she was appointed an apprenticedeaconess and sent to the Whirlwind Mission in Oklahoma to minister among theCheyenne (assisting Oakerhater, see Aug. 31).

She threw herself into her work and gradually gained the love and trustof her people. She was adopted into the tribe and given the name of Vicsehia,which means Bird Woman, because she sang, hummed, and whistled constantly whileshe worked. Harriet devoted herself to the Cheyenne until she contractedtuberculosis and was sent to Colorado to recover. There she attended a healingservice and became free of symptoms, which she called a miracle. Instead ofreturning to Oklahoma, in 1916 she was sent to Alaska, where she worked formany years among the native peoples. In 1922 she journeyed to Portland, Oregon,to be ordained a deaconess in the Episcopal Church, returning to her mission inAlaska.

In 1932 while she was enjoying her first sabbatical with her family inBuffalo, the bishop of New York asked her to visit the chain of missions inFlorida to recruit church workers. On this trip she first encountered theMiccosukee tribe. She was appalled at the condition of the local Seminoles, whowere wrestling alligators and making a display of themselves for thetourists. With the backing of Bishop Wing in Miami and the Collier Corporationin Everglades (now Everglades City), Bedell set up the Glade Cross Mission to ministerto local people and native Americans. This feisty little woman ventured outinto the Everglades swamp by canoe and on foot to visit remote villages, whereshe worked with the local medicine man to improve conditions and combatdisease. She established the tradition of providing a Christmas celebration forthe Indians with a feast of good food, small presents, and a brief religiousservice. Locally in Everglades City, and on nearby Marco Island, the deaconessheld Sunday School classes, taught the girls to sew, and preached to theprisoners in the county jail. She attended social functions and became afixture in the community.

The tribe adopted her and gave her the name Inkoshopie, woman who prays.Bedell borrowed on her salary and made an arrangement with the CollierCorporation to finance sales of Indian craft, including beadwork, clothing,pottery, carving, and leatherwork. With the proceeds, she repaid the loans andgave the Indians company script which they could spend at the store inEverglades. Bedell was tireless in persistent efforts for her people, travelingas far as Washington to prevent Japanese imitations of the craft work fromentering the country, and to New York to sell Indian items to large departmentstores. She continued to do this work after her retirement, augmenting hermeager income with loans from the Colliers, who eventually deeded over to herthe small dwelling she occupied in Everglades. Every Christmas she arranged anenormous party with feasting and entertainment and gifts for all the Indiansand children from Everglades.

In September 1960 Harriet was forced to evacuate her home when hurricaneDonna struck. The storm leveled her property, destroying her typewriter, sewingmachine, children’s books, and gifts set aside for the upcoming holidaycelebration. The bishop insisted that Harriet finally give up her active lifeat 85, and she moved to the Bishop Gray Inn in Davenport, Florida, a home forretired Episcopalians. Refusing to be idle, she planned and taught Sundayschool, worked in the infirmary, and gave speeches to recruit mission workers. Ahuge birthday party was thrown for her when she turned 90, and Coronet magazinefeatured an article about her. She died there on 8 January 1969, just short ofher 94^th birthday.

Her story has appeared in many newspapers and magazines, and threebooks have been written about her: William and Ellen Hartley, A Woman Set Apart (New York, 1953); ElizabethScott Ames, Deaconess of the Everglades(Cortland, NY, 1995); and Marya Repko, Angelof the Swamp (Everglades City, FL, 2009). General Convention in 2009 addedher to the Episcopal calendar of saints.

Dominika of Carthage

2012-01-08T06:18:00.003-06:00

January 8

Dominika of Carthage, deacon and abbess in Alexandria andConstantinople, died late fourth century.

She lived in the year 374, in the reign of Theodosius the Great.

Theophilus of Libya

2012-01-08T06:17:00.000-06:00

January 8

Theophilus, deacon and martyr in Libya, with the laymanHelladius, date of death unknown.

For preaching the gospel, they were tortured and thrown into a furnace.

Murder capital of the USA

2012-01-07T07:27:00.002-06:00

Murdered in the New Orleans area in the past week:

1/1 Harry Howard 34 M shot Orleans
1/2 Al Williams 33 M shot Jefferson
1/3 Percy Pruitt 19 M shot Orleans
1/4 name withheld 34 M shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

Clerus of Antioch

2012-01-07T07:03:00.003-06:00

January 7

Clerus of Antioch, deacon and martyr, killed at Antioch inSyria in 300.

For having professed faith in Christ, he was tortured seven times, keptin prison a long while, and finally beheaded.

Akhila of Pechersk

2012-01-04T06:38:00.000-06:00

January 4
Akhila, deacon and monk ofPechersk, in the Farther Caves at Kiev in the Ukraine, died in fourteenth century.

Daniel of Padua

2012-01-03T07:21:00.000-06:00

January 3

Daniel of Padua, deacon and martyr, killed in what is now northeasternItaly in 168.

Said to be of Jewish descent, Daniel aided Prosdocimus, the firstbishop of Padua, in the evangelization of the area around Padua. His body wasdiscovered centuries later and solemnly enshrined 3 Jan 1064 in the church ofSanta Sofia in Padua.

Murder capital of the USA

2011-12-31T07:16:00.003-06:00

Those murdered in the New Orleans area in the past week:

12/22 Moses Frish 29 M shot Orleans
12/26 Brandon Butler 24M shot Orleans
12/26 William Holmes 40 M shot Orleans
12/27 unidentified ? M shot Orleans
12/28 Janet Shelley-Hillary 61 F suicide Orleans
12/29 Orlando Goines 23 M strangled Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

P.S. New Orleans ended 2011 with a total of 199 murders. May God grant peace to this city under internal seige.

Domitian of Ancyra

2011-12-28T06:37:00.002-06:00

December 28

Domitian, deacon and martyr, with presbyter Eutychius, killedfor defending the faith, at Ancyra in Galatia (modern Ankara, the capital ofTurkey), date unknown.

Stephen the Deacon

2011-12-26T06:36:00.003-06:00

December 26

Stephen the Deacon, first martyr, died about the year 34.

Icon at St. Stephen’sEpiscopal Church, Cohasset, Massachusetts

Stephen suffered martyrdom in Jerusalem about the year 34. He is rememberedas the first Christian martyr (the protomartyr) and as one of the first seven deacons.The latter tradition is an early one. In the year 185, Irenaeus in his treatiseAgainst Heresies (Book III, ch. XII,10) refers to “Stephen, who was chosen the first deacon by the apostles.” Allthat we know of his life is found in Acts 6:1—8:3.

According to legend, Stephen was a Jew living in the Hellenicprovinces, related to the apostle Paul. The Holy Spirit worked powerfullythrough his faith, enabling him to perform many miracles and always to defeat thosewho disputed with him. Some in their hatred lied about Stephen to the people.But Stephen with his illumined face reminded the people of the miracles God hadworked through him and even rebuked the crowd for killing the innocent Christ.

Thepeople were enraged by what they thought was blasphemy and “gnashed their teeth”at Stephen. It was then that he saw his Christ in the heavens and declared thisto the people. Hearing this, the crowd took him outside the city and stoned himto death, with his kinsman Saul (later Paul) holding their coats while they killedhim. Far off on a hill stood the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist, whowitnessed this first martyrdom and prayed for Stephen while he was beingstoned. This occurred about a year after the first Pentecost.

Those who stoned Stephen left his body at the foothill of the city fortwo days to be eaten by dogs. On the second night, Gamaliel—teacher of Paul andBarnabas—came and moved the body to his own land in Capharganda. Nicodemus, whodied while weeping at this grave, was also buried there along with Gamaliel’sgodson Abibus and Gamaliel himself.

After many years Stephen’s burial place was forgotten,until 415 when Gamaliel appeared three times to Lucian, priest at Capharganda.He revealed to Lucian the place of the burial and everything about it. Lucianreceived the blessing of the patriarch to exhume the saints from their gravewhere a strong, sweet fragrance filled the cave. Stephen’s relics weretranslated to Zion and honorably buried, and many of the sick were healed byhis relics. The other three relics were placed inside a church atop the cave ona hill. Eventually, his relics were translated to Constantinople.

Murder capital

2011-12-22T11:29:00.003-06:00

Despite the optimism of my previous post, here are those murdered in the New Orleans area in the past week or so:

12/14 Dominick Kent 17 M shot Orleans
12/16 Corey Thompson 17 M shot Orleans
12/18 Keira Holmes 2 Female shot Orleans
12/19 Charles Anderson III 26 M shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

A tribute to my home town

2011-12-22T11:24:00.004-06:00

"Leaving New Orleans also frightened me considerably. Outside of the city limits the heart of darkness, the true wasteland begins."

--Ignatius J. Reilly in A Confederacy of Dunces

Timothy of Morocco

2011-12-19T06:23:00.000-06:00

December 19

Timothy, deacon and martyr, burnt alive in Morocco, Africa,about 250.

After enduring a harsh imprisonment for his faith inChrist, Timothy was thrown into the fire.

Abbacum of Trnava

2011-12-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

December 17

Abbacum (Habakkuk), deaconand martyr of Serbia, with abbot Paisius, impaled by Turks on 17 December 1814.

Paisius was abbot of the monastery of Trnava nearCacak in Serbia, and Habakkuk his companion and deacon. Both of them wereimpaled on stakes by the Turks on Kalemegdan in Belgrade. Before the execution,dragging his spike through the streets of Belgrade, Habakkuk sang in praise ofGod. When his mother begged him to save his life by accepting Islam, he thankedher for her motherhood but not for her advice, quoted the great figures of theOld Testament who suffered for God, and looked forward to his own martyrdom.

Murder capital

2011-12-15T11:46:00.001-06:00

Murdered in the past week in the New Orleans area:

12/7 Michael Taylor 16 M shot Jefferson
12/11 Kalumba Cheneau 22 M shot Orleans
12/11 Craig Scott 37 M shot Jefferson
12/11 Timothy Lemon 24 M shot Jefferson
12/14 Terrance Barber 27 M shot Orleans
12/14 Jamal Phillips 28 M shot Orleans
12/14 name withheld 17 M shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

Susanna of Palestine

2011-12-15T06:44:00.005-06:00

December 15

Susanna, deacon and martyr in Palestine, archimandrite, died inthe third century.

Justus Van Houten, SSF

2011-12-13T06:03:00.003-06:00

December 13

Justus Richard Van Houten, SSF, deacon and advocate for those on theedge of society, died of pneumonia at Kompiai in Papua New Guinea, on 13December 2006.

Brother Justus with missionaries Bonnie Weppler (left) and JenniferWheeler (right), in Papua New Guinea in July 2006. (from theweb site Volunteers in Mission of the Anglican Church of Canada)

Justus Van Houten was born on 6 October 1948 in Staunton, Virginia.After serving in the Army in Vietnam, he came home in 1973 with a desire tobecome a Franciscan friar. At that time he felt that the vocation of friar wasincompatible with the vocation of deacon (although Francis of Assisi had been adeacon). In the early 1980s, after ten years as a friar, he changed his mindand with the support of his brothers was ordained at the annual chapter of theSociety of St. Francis (SSF) on 26 May 1986, as the society’s first deaconfriar. For his first two years as deacon, Brother Justus worked for the SanFrancisco Night Ministry, spending Saturday nights in the streets, bars andcoffee shops, and other places where people hang out. He helped and befriendedrobbed tourists, stranded people, patients who had lost their medication,recovering alcoholics, and potential suicides.

Later, in 1993, he was elected Minister General of the AmericanProvince of SSF, and in 1993-1995 he also served as president of the NorthAmerican Association for the Diaconate. After a long sabbatical, he joined the Franciscanbrothers in Papua New Guinea. At the time of his illness and sudden death on 13December 2006, he was serving as principal and lecturer in liturgy, sacramentaltheology, and church history at Newton Theological College in Popondetta, PapuaNew Guinea.

Alan Wali, a student, recalled his final days:

Our actual day of leaving or left Newton College for visiting myDiocese and particularly my Parish (Koinambe) was on Wednesday 6th December. Hehad just arrived from Port Moresby a day before we began our trip. Afterleaving Newton College I found out that he had hard cough and a sore throat. Heactually mentioned to me that he had hard cough and a sore throat after hisrecent trips from New Zealand and coming to and from Port Moresby for theCollege Council Meeting.

However, we left Popondetta on the 6th December for Mt. Hagen. We hadto fly from Girna to Port Moresby, changed the flight and we caught anotherflight to Mt. Hagen. We stayed two nights and a day in Hagen. The cough andsore throat in him doesn’t change. During our staying in Hagen we were givenThe Mepang Missionary home to overnight there two nights.

While we were in Hagen on Thursday I showed him the city in actuallytaking a walk, just around the central part of the city or township only forsight viewing, because this is his first time to the Province (WHP) and theHighlands.

On the 8th December, we flew by MAF to Koinambe, where we met TheParish Priest (Fr. Nicholas Kaam), all the church leaders and the Christiansfully dressed in customs and welcomed us from the airstrip to the Parish Hallfor refreshment and rest.

There were lots of greetings and joy with tears from the Christians inreceiving us. We rested the whole day after arrival on Friday at the Parish. Westayed with the Parish priest for three days, which were: Friday, Saturday andSunday.

On Saturday I took him around the station for sight viewing and visitedthe school, Parish itself and the health Centre. One thing we did while atKoinambe for this three days was visiting and praying for the patient at theHealth Centre. That reminds me of how Br. Justus love to serve and care for thesoul of others in the ministry he was called to serve.

On Sunday 10th December we had a very spectacular service. Late Br.Justus was told to take the Gospel reading and preached. In his preaching alldone in Pidgin, I can remember and recall one thing he mention in Pidgin that ‘YumiMas Redi Long Kambek Bilong Jesus Long Laip Bilong Yumi.’ This phrase in hispreaching in Pidgin meant that we must be prepare and ready for the Lord comingin our lives today. Anyway we ended the Sunday service with speeches, ‘bungka’and presentation of items. Then we stayed overnight the last night at theParish St. Johns the Baptist Parish at Koinambe.

On Monday 11th December we had to take our walk from Parish to Kompiaiwhich is another out station. We started the journey at 7.30 am and reached tothe village at 4.00 pm in the afternoon. Christians and the leaders both thechurch and the community welcomed us with refreshment and rest. After ourarrival at Kompiai I found out about his cough and sore throat that it gotworse.

On Tuesday morning I told him that we should stop at Kompiai and not togo further to Mengik, but he insisted and mentioned that we should finish thetrip. So, we went over to Mengik on the 12th December started the journey at7.30 am but it took us a while or a day before reaching the village. At Mengikhe cannot say or do anything because he was very tired and very weak after thewalk, not only that was the cause but also the hard cough and sore throat. Andeventually he was having a complication of breathing and the symptom of thecase grew worse and in the same night he had diarrhea. I have to nurse him allnight with the help from community up until Wednesday morning.

In the early hours on Wednesday I told the Christians to make astretcher so we will carry him to the near Health Centre, which is at Koinambe.So we carry him on the local made stretcher left at Mengik at 9.00 am and carryhim all the way and just reaching Kompiai my own family village Late BrotherJustus had passed away at 1.00 pm in front of my Christian community and me hisown student and his brother.

I would like to recall the last words from Late Br. Justus Van Houten. ‘Adammy brother, this is the end of my ministry in Christ. Our visiting here at yourParish is not a waste, but we fulfill the ministry that we are called to do inJesus, Thank you.’

Then as I have said he took the last breath and end of his life at 1.00pm at Kompiai, my own village.

After his death or he has passed away the Christians continually carrythe body all the way down to Koinambe for chopper lift to Mt. Hagen. Theinformation about his death gone through the VHF Radio to be air broadcast tothe Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea. We carry the body down to Koinambe andit took us one and half hour, and we finally put the body on the chopper lift.We arrived in Mt. Hagen at 5.00 pm and took the body straight to the morguewith the help from Diocesan Staff here at Mt. Hagen.

Now to be honest in my report about the instant death of Late BrotherJustus SSF is from the hard cough and the sore throat and as a result of thosethat final night at Mengik the problem grew bigger and also that night he haddiarrhea. His death was end with very high breathing symptoms, meaning that hehad pneumonia or what we call sort win in Pidgin.

[Alan Wali, “The Final Hours of Brother Justus,” http://aidanspiritatwork.blogspot.com/2006/12/final-hours-of-brother-justus-by-alan.html,31 Dec 2006]

On 8 July 2007 his funeral was celebrated at the friary at LittlePortion, Long Island, New York, and his ashes were buried in the garden.

Cyber-switching

2011-12-10T10:06:00.001-06:00

Those who use use my Internet sites (such as the weekly prayers of the people) have been wondering why my pages had vanished. A simple explanation! Cox Comunications has gone out of the web-hosting business, forcing me to switch to a new server. You can find my home page at www.oplater.net.

Abundius of Spoletto (or Seville)

2011-12-10T06:13:00.001-06:00

December 10

Abundius, deacon and martyr, with presbyter Carpophorus,martyred at either Spoleto in Italy, or Seville in Spain, in 300.

In the persecution of Diocletian (emperor 284-305), they were firstbeaten with clubs and then thrown into prison, where they were denied food anddrink. They were tortured for a second time on the rack and again cast intoprison for a long period. Finally, they were slain by the sword.

Murder capital

2011-12-08T10:52:00.001-06:00

Murder in New Orleans has drawn the attention of the New York Times, in an article today.

Those murdered in the past week or so are:

11/30 Jamar Buckley 26 M shot Orleans
11/30 Ray Anthony Maxwell 21 M shot Orleans
12/2 Roland Johnson 43 M shot Orleans
12/7 name withheld 16 M shot Jefferson

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

William West Skiles of Valle Crucis

2011-12-08T07:07:00.001-06:00

December 8

William West Skiles, deacon, farmer, missionary, and monk atValle Crucis, North Carolina, died 8 December 1862.

Grave ofWilliam West Skiles at Church of St. John the Baptist (photo by NicholasD’Amato)

William West Skiles was born 12 October 1807 on a farm in eastern NorthCarolina. Young Skiles grew up in an Episcopal family before there was adiocese or bishop. As a young adult he became a successful farmer and overseerof a lumber mill.

In 1842 Bishop Levi Silliman Ives of North Carolina decided to beginmission work in a wild area near Boone where two valleys cross. He bought twothousand acres and called the area Valle Crucis. Over the next several years, BishopIves established a mission to spread the gospel, teach agriculture, and trainclergy for the diocese.

In 1844 Skiles, 37 years old, known to be a simple, kind man and tohave sound practical judgment, was appointed to oversee the mission farms and livestockand to teach farming skills to boys enrolled in the school. In 1847 Bishop Ivesencouraged the mission to form itself into a religious community, the Order ofthe Holy Cross, taking vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, with the Rev.William G. French as superior. Skiles, impressed by the religious life of themission, took the vows and also prepared himself for holy orders. On 1 August 1847he was ordained to the diaconate. For two years the community flourished: prayerbook offices were said daily, there were eight men preparing for holy orders,missions were formed at Upper Watauga, Lower Watauga, and Valle Crucis.Mountain people were strengthened by the reverence of the liturgy and, unableto read, loved to hear the scriptures read aloud. A school was established toteach the children the catechism as well as reading and writing.

As successful as the mission was, and as sincere the devotion of thebrothers was, there was dissension within the diocese between the bishop andthose who believed rumors that the Valle Crucis community was a “hotbed ofRomanism” (the chief objection being the use of sacramental confession). In1849 the bishop dissolved the Valle Crucis religious community, and the diocesecut off all support. The superior and the brothers left, leaving only BrotherSkiles, the faithful deacon and shepherd, who would not abandon his scatteredflock. (In 1852, his health deteriorating, Ives resigned his office, sold theland, and became a Roman Catholic.)

For thirteen years Brother Skiles was the shepherd to the mountainpeople. He walked or rode on horseback, often in severe weather, to read andanswer letters for those unable to do either, to explain legal documents andsettle disputes, to pray with his beloved flock, and to teach them catechism.He continued to live in poverty, never married, and gave his obedience to hisbishop and the priests who came to administer the sacraments. The mountainpeople called him “Father Skiles.”

He delighted in the growth of the mission on the Lower Watauga Riverand wanted to help the faithful build their own chapel. With contributions oflabor, lumber, and small financial gifts, he designed and supervised theconstruction of a simple but architecturally beautiful chapel, dedicated to St.John the Baptist. On 22 August 1862, Bishop Thomas Atkinson consecrated thechapel, with Brother Skiles taking his part in the glorious liturgy. The desireof his heart had been granted, but failing health did not permit him to enterthis lovely chapel again. He died of cancer on 8 December 1862. He was buriednear the entrance to the Church of St. John the Baptist, overlooking theWatauga River. Moved in 1882 to a spot higher up the Watauga, the church stillstands and is used during the summer and for special services. In 1889 Skiles’body was moved to the new site.

In his tribute to Brother Skiles at the diocesan convention thefollowing spring, Bishop Atkinson stated, “He was loved and honored for hishumility, self-denial, diligence, affectionate temper towards his fellow men,and his unwearied zeal in the service of his Master.”

Susan FenimoreCooper wrote an account of his life and ministry, William West Skiles: A Sketch of Missionary Life at Valle Crucis inWestern North Carolina 1842-1862, published in 1890. The book is reproducedonline at http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/cooper_skiles1890/and may be purchased at the Valle Crucis Conference Center (http://www.highsouth.com/vallecrucis/pubs.htm).

Nicholas Ferrar of Little Gidding

2011-12-04T06:28:00.001-06:00

December 4

Nicholas Ferrar of Little Gidding, deacon, died 4 December 1637(Episcopal Church Dec. 1)

Oil portraitof Nicholas Ferrar

Born in 1592, Nicholas Ferrar was the founder of a religious communitythat lasted from 1626 to 1646. After Nicholas had been ordained a deacon, heand his family and a few friends retired to the deserted village of LittleGidding in Huntingdonshire, England, to devote themselves to a life of prayer,fasting, and almsgiving. They restored the abandoned church building and heldregular services there. They taught the neighborhood children and looked afterthe health and well-being of the people of the district. They prayed the dailyoffices of the Book of Common Prayer, including the recital every day of thecomplete Psalter. Day and night, there was always at least one member of thecommunity kneeling in prayer before the altar, that they might keep the command,“Pray without ceasing.” They wrote books and stories dealing with variousaspects of Christian faith and practice. They fasted with great rigor and inother ways embraced voluntary poverty, so that they might have as much money aspossible for the relief of the poor.

The community was founded in 1626 (when Nicholas was 34). He died in1637 (age 45), and in 1646 the community was broken up by the Puritans ofCromwell’s army. The memory of the community survived to inspire and influencelater undertakings in Christian communal living. One of T. S. Eliot’s FourQuartets is called “Little Gidding” (1942), in which he writes:

If you came thisway,

Taking any route,starting from anywhere,

At any time or atany season,

It would always bethe same: you would have to put off

Sense and notion.You are not here to verify,

Instruct yourself,or inform curiosity

Or carry report. Youare here to kneel

Where prayer hasbeen valid. And prayer is more

Than an order ofwords, the conscious occupation

Of the praying mind,or the sound of the voice praying.

And what the deadhad no speech for, when living,

They can tell you,being dead: the communication

Of the dead istongued with fire beyond the language of the living.

Here, theintersection of the timeless moment

Is England andnowhere. Never and always.

Marcellus of Rome

2011-12-02T06:39:00.001-06:00

December 2

Marcellus, deacon and martyr, with companions,beheaded at Rome in 254-259.

Marcellus and others were martyrs in Rome under Valerian. PresbyterEusebius, his deacon Marcellus, and Neon and Mary were beheaded. Adria and Hippolytuswere scourged to death. Paulina died in a torture-chamber. Maximus was throwninto the Tiber.

Murder capital

2011-12-01T10:20:00.001-06:00

Murdered in the New Orleans area during the past two weeks (Thanksgiving disrupted our survey):

11/17 Alfred Dixon, age 19, male, shot, Orleans
11/17 Carl Bridgewater, age 31, male, shot, Orleans
11/21 Elton Mathieu, age 19, male, shot, Orleans
11/23 Lester Foster, age 23, male, shot, Orleans
11/27 Leo Mitchell, age 26, male, shot, Orleans
11/27 Raymond Scarborough, age 17, male, shot, Orleans
11/27 Tommy Harrell, age 23, male, shot, Orleans
11/27 Deimani Titus, age 21, male, shot, Orleans
11/27 Brenting Dolliole, age 22, male, blunt trauma, Orleans
11/28 Shannon Tassin, age 30, male, shot, Jefferson
11/30 Unidentified, age 27, male, shot, Orleans
11/30 Name Withheld, age unknown, male, shot,Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

Sisinius of Rome

2011-11-29T05:54:00.001-06:00

November 29

Sisinius, deacon and martyr, with presbyterSaturninus, sentenced to hard labor and later martyred at Rome in 309.

Saturninus was a presbyter from Carthage whowent to Rome and was arrested with deacon Sisinius, during the persecutions ofMaximian (co-emperor 286-305). They were sentenced to hard labor and eitherdied during their ordeal or were tortured and then beheaded. Saturninus lived,was martyred, and was buried on the Via Saleria in Rome, although details arenot reliable.

Still relevant after 91 years

2011-11-24T09:15:00.001-06:00

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
THE SECOND COMING

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Jeffrey Ferguson of Maine

2011-11-23T06:18:00.001-06:00

November 23

Jeffrey Ferguson, deacon, prison minister, and communitynetworker in Maine, died 23 November 2004.

Susan Knapp of New York and Japan

2011-11-20T06:24:00.001-06:00

November 20

Susan Trevor Knapp, deaconess and missionary to Japan, died inLos Angeles about 20 November 1941.

DeaconessSusan Knapp (with icon by Suzanne Schleck)

Susan Trevor Knapp was bornin 1862. She graduated from the New York Training School for Deaconesses in1894 and was consecrated deaconess at Grace Church, New York, in 1899 by BishopHenry Potter. In 1903 she was made dean of the school commonly called St. Faith’s. Shewas a leader in both the American and worldwide deaconess movement. Because ofa power struggle with the board of directors, Knapp was removed as dean in 1916and offered the position of house mother. She declined and spent the nexttwenty-two years as a missionary in Japan, teaching English and Bible studiesto Japanese and Korean college students. She returned to the United States in1939 when Japan began to expel foreign missioners. She died in Los Angelesabout 20 November 1941, shortly before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. [research of Deacon Geri Swanson]

Faustus of Alexandria

2011-11-19T17:45:00.001-06:00

November 19

Faustus, deacon and martyr of Alexandria in Egypt,killed 4^th century.

Faustus was the companion in exile of bishop Dionysius of Alexandria.He was killed in extreme old age.

Romanos of Caesarea

2011-11-18T06:25:00.001-06:00

November 18

Romanos of Caesarea, deacon and martyr, killed at Antioch inSyria in 303 or 304.

At the beginning of the Diocletian persecution (reigned 284-305),a deacon called Romanos of Caesarea in Palestine suffered martyrdom at Antioch.On the proclamation of Diocletian’s edict, Romanos strengthened the Christiansof Antioch and openly exhorted the weaker brothers and sisters, who were willingto offer heathen sacrifices, not to waver in the faith. He was taken prisoner,condemned to death by fire, and bound to the stake; however, as Galerius (reigned305-311) was then in Antioch, Romanos was brought before him. At the emperor’scommand his tongue was cut out. Tortured in various ways in prison, he wasfinally strangled.

Eusebius speaks of his martyrdom in De martyribus Palestin, c. ii. Prudentius (in Peristephanon, X in PL, LX, 444 sq.) relates other details andgives Romanos a companion in martyrdom, a Christian named Barulas. Severalhistorians, among them Baronius, consider that there were two martyrs namedRomanos at Antioch, although more likely there was only the one whom Eusebiusmentions. Prudentius introduced legendary features into his account, and hisconnection of the martyrdom of Barulas with that of Romanos is probablyarbitrary.

Murder capital

2011-11-17T11:13:00.001-06:00

Murdered this week in the New Orleans area:

11/10 Ralph Lomax 46 M blunt trauma Orleans
11/13 Elijah Grant 23 M shot Orleans
11/13 D'Anjay Nelson 16 M shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

Eugene of Florence

2011-11-17T07:13:00.001-06:00

November 17

Eugene, deacon at Florence under Zenobius, and adisciple of Ambrose of Milan, died in 422.

Zachaeus of Caesarea

2011-11-17T07:11:00.001-06:00

November 17

Zachaeus, deacon and martyr, with Alpheus, beheadedat Caesarea in Palestine in 303.

In the first year of Diocletian’s persecution, Zachaeus and Alpheusreceived capital punishment after having undergone many tortures.

Abidus of Edessa

2011-11-15T16:37:00.001-06:00

November 15

Abidus, deacon and martyr of Edessa in Syria(modern Urfa in Turkey), killed by burning in 322.

Vénérand of Evreux

2011-11-14T06:01:00.001-06:00

November 14

Vénérand of Evreux, deacon and martyr, with bishop Maximus,killed at Acquigny in Normandy in 275. [also May 25]

Vénérand was born at Troyes, where he witnessed to Christ undertorture. According to legend, he was killed by a spear in 275 at Acquigny near Louviers in Normandy.Since his relics were put in a chef (head),he may have been decapitated. Accompanying him in death was his bishop, Maximusof Evreux, also venerated as a saint.

Murder capital

2011-11-10T13:36:00.001-06:00

Murdered this week in the New Orleans area:

11/3 Damon Smothers 31 M shot (on 10/23) Orleans
11/8 Aham Price 18 M shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

Anianus of Antioch

2011-11-10T07:19:00.002-06:00

November 10

Anianus, deacon and martyr, with bishop Demetrius,Eustosius, and twenty companions, killed at Antioch in Syria, date unknown.

Jane Hall of New York

2011-11-04T09:25:00.002-05:00

November 4

Jane Hall, deaconess of the diocese of New York, died 24 November 1934.

Born in Philadelphiain 1850, Jane Hall attended the Deaconess School there. She arrived in New York at the age of 45 andremained in the metropolitan area until her death. In New York she served as deaconess at St.Mark’s Church and the Church of the Transfiguration, commonly known as “TheLittle Church Around the Corner,” where she developed her love of theater,which molded her life’s ministry.

In New York she madeher greatest contribution to the women working in the theatrical fields whenshe established the Three Arts Club, a place for struggling actresses to livewhile seeking work in the theater. Additionally she started the Professional Children’s School for childactors, which is still in existence, established the Roosevelt Memorial House,and was a founding member of the Episcopal Actors Guild. In her later years shelived in Montclair, New Jersey. Twofuneral services were held for Hall, one at St. Luke's in Montclair, the otherat Transfiguration in Manhattan. She was buried in North Laurel Hill Cemeteryin Philadelphia. [research of Geri Swanson]

Murder capital

2011-11-03T11:02:00.002-05:00

Murdered this week in the New Orleans area:

10/27 Nelson Smith 25 M shot Orleans
10/29 Piero Larrea 23 M hit and run Orleans
10/29 Darren Lastie 45 M shot Orleans
10/30 Bobby Basquine Jr 28 M shot Orleans
11/1 Albert Glover 25 M shot Orleans
11/1 Joshua Lewis 19 M shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

Aeithalas of Persia

2011-11-02T06:17:00.001-05:00

November 1

Aeithalas, deacon and martyr in Persia, with bishopAcepsimus of Naeson and presbyter Joseph, killed in 379.

The three Christians lived in Persia at the time of King ShapurII. Acepsimus was known for spreading the faith. After Shapur began hispersecution of Christians in Persia, all three were seized. Having enduredcruel imprisonment for three years, Acepsimus was beheaded, and his two companionswere stoned to death. Orthodox churches commemorate them together on 3November, but Aeithalas is sometimes also remembered on 1 September.

Hilary of Viterbo

2011-11-02T06:16:00.000-05:00

November 1

Hilary, deacon and martyr, with presbyterValentine, beheaded at Viterbo near Rome during the persecutions underDiocletian (reigned 284-305), in 304.

Caesarius the African

2011-11-02T06:14:00.003-05:00

November 1

Caesarius the African, deacon and martyr, with presbyter Julian,drowned at Terracina (a port on the Appian Way between Rome and Naples) in secondcentury.

Caesarius, a deacon from Africa visitingItaly, denounced the pagan custom of having one youth per year immolatehimself to the demons by jumping off a cliff in honor of the god Apollo. Thepriest of Apollo had him arrested and taken before the governor. He wassentenced to be sewn into a sack and thrown into the sea. He was martyredtogether with Julian, a local presbyter.

In the fourth century Valentinian (reigned 364-375) was cured at theshrine of Caesarius at Terracina. The emperor then decided to move the relicsof Caesarius to Rome. They were taken to a church on the Palatine Hill, andthey were later moved to a new church near the Appian Way which got the nameSan Cesareo in Palatio.

Tabra and Tabratha of Treviso

2011-10-30T07:23:00.000-05:00

October 30

Tabra and Tabratha, deacons and martyrs, withbishop Teonesto at Treviso (north of Venice), killed in 380.

According to accounts in the 10th and 11th centuries, thethree were stranded at sea on a defective ship. Finally disembarking in theGulf of Venice, they were killed by Arians. The names of the twodeacons appear to be feminine. If so, there were women deacons in northeastItaly near Aquileia at the end of the fourth century.

Murder capital

2011-10-27T14:15:00.000-05:00

Murdered in the New Orleans area this week:

10/18 Wilbert Decou 45 M stabbed Jefferson (missed last week)
10/20 Louis Dickerson 26 M shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

Clara Louise Schodts of Manhattan

2011-10-27T14:08:00.001-05:00

October 27

Clara Louise Schodts, deaconess in Manhattan, New York, died 27October 1941.

Clara Louise Schodtsentered St. Faith’s House in 1910. Originally from Peekskill, she trained as anurse, graduating from Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. She was head nurse inthe surgical department at Good Shepherd Dispensary on the Lower East Side foreleven years and was an active member of the St. Bartholomew’s Girls’ Club.Schodts was set apart as deaconess on 9 May 1902 at the age of 40 at theCathedral of St. John the Divine and accepted an assignment to St. Thomas’Mission in Manhattan. She lived at St. Thomas’House at 229 East 59^th Street during her tenure at St. Thomas’Parish. In 1913 Schodts organized the “Mothers’ Meeting” group at St. Thomas.The Sunday School at St. Thomas’ was also under her care. Deaconess Schodtsserved the people of St. Thomas until 1925, and in 1926 she accompaniedDeaconess Susan Knapp on a trip to Europe. On her return to the United States,Schodts moved to Astoria, Queens, N.Y. She later served at St. George’s Churchin Manhattan and at St. James on Madison Avenue. She was active in the AlumnaeAssociation of St. Faith’s, serving at various times as editor of the bulletin,board member, treasurer and president. While president of the AlumnaeAssociation, Schodts raised funds to establish the first scholarship to theschool. Schodts retired in 1935. She died on 27 October 1941, a few weeksbefore the passing of her mentor and friend, Deaconess Susan Trevor Knapp. [research of Deacon Geri Swanson]

Charles Sapibuana of the Solomon Islands

2011-10-24T06:06:00.002-05:00

October 24

Charles Sapibuana (known as Sapi), deacon and evangelist in the Solomon Islands, Melanesia, diedof influenza on 24 October 1885.

Sapibuana was born about 1854 in the village of Lango in Gaeta, on thesouth shore of Gela or Nggela (called Florida by Spanish explorers). AChristian teacher and evangelist among his own people, he was ordained deaconin 1882. While preparing for ordination to the priesthood, he took sick anddied on Norfolk Island. His story is told by Frances Awdry, In the Isles of the Sea: The Story of FiftyYears in Melanesia (London, 1902), 73-85 (http://anglicanhistory.org/oceania/awdry1902/14.html).

Severus of Heraclea

2011-10-22T06:28:00.000-05:00

October 22

Severus, deacon and martyr, with bishop Philip ofHeraclea and presbyter Hermes, burned at the stake at Adrianopolis (now Edirne in northwestern Turkey) in 304.

The aged bishop Philip, Severus, and Hermes were arrestedunder Diocletian (reigned 284-305). Philip was ordered by the governor, Bassus,to hand over the church’s sacred vessels and books. Philip agreed to thevessels, but not to the scriptures. The bishop and his deacon were thenscourged and the wanted goods seized. Afterwards, they refused to make an actof worship to the emperors or to the goddess Fortune or to Heraclea’s name-deity,Hercules. Later there was a fruitless interrogation by Bassus’ successor,Justin, after which Philip was dragged back to jail by his feet. Together with Severusand Hermes, he was confined for seven months before all three were taken toAdrianopolis. Justin interviewed them twice again and had Philip beaten; hethen sentenced them to death by fire at Adrianopolis. Philip had been so badlybeaten that he had to be carried to the stake. Hermes, who was not much better,joked cheerfully and sent a last message to his son: “Tell them to pay backwhatever I owe, and to work hard for his living as I have done, and to behavewell to everybody.” When the fire was lit the martyrs praised and gave thanksto God until the smoke suffocated them. Severus followed them the next day.

Bishop Gray's letter opposing Proposition 26

2011-10-21T09:55:00.002-05:00

The following letter appears on the web site of the diocese of Mississippi.

Below is an open letter from Bishop Duncan M. Gray III regarding his opposition to Proposition 26, a proposed amendment to The Constitution of the State of Mississippi, which will appear on the ballot of the November 8, 2011 General Election.

My dear friends,

My deep reservations about abortion and the death penalty grow out of my abiding belief in the sanctity of human life and the arbitrary nature of these actions. I am not, however, a pacifist in regards to war. I do believe that some very serious moral decisions are not simply choices between good and evil, but rather in the case of two evils, choices between the lesser of two evils. Such is the complexity of human moral decision-making in a fallen world.

I appreciate the intentions of those who have supported Proposition 26, what has been called the Personhood Amendment. I share their passion for the sanctity of human life. However, I am gravely concerned about the unintended consequences of this legislation. The moral nightmares of doctors no longer able to give preference to saving the life of the mother in such cases as an ectopic pregnancy and the uncertain impact on in-vitro fertilization are real. Thus, the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Medical Association has announced that it cannot support this legislation.

The legal nightmares arising from this legislation are also very real. The word “person” is used over 9,400 times in the Mississippi Annotated Code and the implications for mass confusion and decades of legal challenges over every use of the term are staggering.

For their own reasons, Roman Catholic bishops in several states, including Mississippi, have said they could not support this particular legislation.

While I recognize the complexities of such moral decisions and the need for each of us to make our own informed and prayerful choices, you need to know that I share the aforementioned concerns about the unintended consequences of this legislation. Thus, I cannot support Proposition 26 on the November 8th ballot in Mississippi.

Please feel free to share this letter with whomever you wish.

Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev. Duncan M. Gray III

Murder capital

2011-10-21T08:31:00.002-05:00

Murdered in the New Orleans area this week:

10/14 David Lewis 27 M shot Orleans
10/14 Kimberly Perry 32 F shot Orleans
10/14 Alcee Perry 34 M shot Orleans
10/14 name withheld 44 M hit and run Orleans
10/15 Curtis Matthews 61 M shot Orleans
10/16 Matthew Dupuy 23 M shot Jefferson
10/16 Brent Hachfeld 37 M blunt trauma Orleans
10/19 Martin Howard 26 M shot Orleans
10/19 Eugene Miller IV 35 M shot Orleans
10/19 Eric Cargo 29 M shot Orleans
10/19 John Henry Pace 53 M shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

Maximus of Aquila

2011-10-20T06:24:00.000-05:00

October 20

Maximus of Aquila, deacon and martyr, killed in 250.

Maximus was a native of Aquila (now L’Aquila, meaning “The Eagle”) inthe mountainous Abruzzo region of central Italy. During the persecutions ofDecius, Maximus submitted himself to the Roman authorities. Refusing to denythe faith, he was racked and tortured, then beaten with rods. The authorities thenthrew him from a cliff near Aquila. He is the patron saint of L’Aquila.

Mississippi letter

2011-10-16T15:14:00.002-05:00

As promised in the previous post, here is the Mississippi letter issued by several bishops:

February 25, 2011

Dear Members of the Mississippi StateLegislature and Governor Barbour:

As religious leaders of the state of Mississippi, we feel compelled to callattention to the moral dimensions of public policy and recommend laws thatuphold the God-given dignity and rights of every person, each of whom is madein the image and likeness of God. Every day in our congregations we see theconsequences of our country’s broken and outdated immigration system in theplight of families torn apart, exploited workers, and the debilitating fear ofdetection and arrest by authorities. Because we value family unity, justice,equity, compassion, and the humane treatment of all people, we are compelled tospeak out and ask that you not support SB 2179.

We believe the proposed law does nothing to fix ourcountry’s immigration system, which all sides of this debate agree is badlybroken, and instead only serves to further marginalize and demonizeundocumented immigrants in our state and disrupt families and communities. Thevast majority of undocumented immigrants in Mississippi[1],are good, hard working, family oriented, church going people who came here onlyto try and make a better life for themselves and their families through thesweat of their brows, like generations of immigrants before them. Instead ofpursuing state laws that will undoubtedly be ruled unconstitutional, we urgeyou to insist that our Congressional delegation work for a just andcomprehensive resolution to our country’s broken immigration system that wouldenhance security, strengthen our economy, and create a path to earnedlegalization for the over 11 million undocumented currently residing in theU.S.—most of whom have lived here more than ten years[2],contribute substantially to the growth of our economy, and have strongcommunity and family ties.

Proposed Bill’s PoliciesWould Cause Serious Social and Economic Problems

From a public policy standpoint this bill does not make goodlaw or good sense. This bill will divert law enforcement resources from itscore responsibilities-- to investigate and solve serious crimes, it will leadto violations of individuals’ liberty by requiring police to demand documentsfrom anyone they “suspect” is undocumented, and it will have devastatingeconomic impact on the state as immigrants (who are also consumers and taxpayers)[3]leave and certain industries who depend on their labor become unviable. A very troublingcomponent of this bill makes simple acts of Christian charity, such astransporting an undocumented immigrant to church or the hospital, a crime.

Faith Perspective

Why do we leaders of faith communities care so much aboutimmigrants and immigration policy? The Hebrew and Christian scriptures remindus time and again that God casts his tent among our most marginalized sistersand brothers, including immigrants: “When an alien resides with you in yourland, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall beto you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for youwere once aliens in the land of Egypt. I am the Lordyour God” (Leviticus 19:33-34).

In the New Testament, exile and homelessness mark the lifeof Jesus as well. As a child Jesus and the Holy Family must flee as refugees to

Egypt

.As an adult, Jesus is an itinerant preacher who travels throughout Galilee and Judea to spread his message: “Foxes have holes, and birdsof the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Mt:8-20). Jesus identified with migrants and other marginalized people in anintense and personal way, and taught that how we treat the immigrant in ourmidst is how we treat him: “…For I was hungry and you gave me food, I wasthirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomedme” (Mt: 25: 35). “Just as you did this to the least of these who are membersof my family, you did it to me“(Mt: 25:40).

We believe it is in our faith traditions where we can findcommon ground on immigration, which has sadly become a divisive and contentiousissue. We Mississippians are a people of faith-- a 2009 Gallup poll found that Mississippians are themost frequent churchgoers in the nation. To truly live our faith we cannotleave its basic precepts at the doorsteps of our churches, but rather seek toapply those teachings in our everyday lives, including the making of laws andpolicies that impact how we treat members of our communities—all of whom are ourbrothers and sisters in Christ.

Three core values of our faith traditions seem especiallygermane to the immigration debate: human dignity, family unity, and forgivenessand mercy.

1) Human Dignity For some, the illegality of the status ofundocumented immigrants is used as a means to end all discussion about thedebate. We must remember that first and foremost our faith traditions teach usthat undocumented immigrants are human beings with human dignity, dignity imbued by the Creator. They are not our enemies,but rather mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, who have come to thiscountry to work hard to create a better way of life for themselves and theirfamilies and through their labor have raised the standard of living of manyAmericans[4].

2) FamilyUnity The family is the most basic unit of society. It is the first placewhere children learn about themselves and their vocations in the wider world. Thefamily is also where young people first encounter God, form their consciences,and learn moral virtues. Wise public policies recognize that the well-being ofsociety depends upon strong, unified families. Laws and policies that lead tothe separation of children from their fathers or mothers harm us all.

3) Forgiveness The ability to forgive is the core ofwhat it means to take on the mind and heart of Christ. As a nation we have beencapable of many acts of profound forgiveness. As a state where would we bewithout the ability of Mississippians to forgive other Mississippians for greatsins from our past? It is well understood that undocumented immigrants broke alaw by entering the country without authorization-- a misdemeanor offense. Butfor what purpose and to what harm? To work hard to support their families,often times by accepting jobs that Americans do not want. This could not havebeen accomplished without the cooperation of millions of American employers,large and small. We must be willing to forgive undocumented immigrants forentering our country without permission and get beyond arguments that begin andend with their lack of legal status if we are ever to achieve a just resolutionof our country’s immigration crisis. The human and financial costs of thealternative, mass deportation of millions of immigrants, is unthinkable.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

What is leading states to propose such laws like SB 2179 isobvious: our immigration system is completely incapable of balancing ournation’s need for labor and the supply of that labor. As one faith leader hasobserved, “We have built a huge fence along our southern border, and haveposted in effect two signs next to each other. One reads, ‘No Trespassing”, andthe other reads ‘Help Wanted.’ “…As part of comprehensive immigration reform--which the leaders of all major faith traditions in this country support--undocumented immigrants would have to make restitution by paying fines, as wellas come up to date on income taxes, pass rigorous background checks, and learnEnglish and U.S. history. Comprehensive immigration reform would also require thatour borders be secured, that fair and effective worksite enforcement beimplemented, and that flexible legal limits be set on future immigration sothat we never again find ourselves in the crisis that now confronts us. Reformefforts that include “enforcement only” measures, such as S.B. 2179, will failto make meaningful change because they fail to address the reality thatmillions of human beings, many with U.S. citizen children, willcontinue to live in the shadows of American society.

Conclusion

Let Mississippi,which has so much to teach the nation about forgiveness, the importance offamily, and how to treat one another with dignity and respect, lead the way incalling for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level. Comprehensiveimmigration reform that secures our borders, guarantees fair and effectiveworksite enforcement, strengthens our economy, and provides a means for earnedlegalization would honor the values of human dignity, family unity, and mercyand forgiveness that our faith traditions demand of us. Let us come together toinsist that our Congressional delegation works for such a just and lastingsolution to our country’s broken immigration system, and reject immigrationlaws at the state level that only serve to divide us.

In peace,

Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, MississippiConference of the United Methodist Church
Bishop Duncan M. Gray, III, Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi
Bishop Joseph N. Latino, Catholic Diocese of Jackson
Bishop H. Julian Gordy, EvangelicalLutheran Churchin America,Southeastern Synod
Bishop Roger P. Morin, Catholic Diocese of Biloxi

[1]In 2010 Mississippi was home to45,000 undocumented immigrants- only 1.6% of the state’s total population-according to the Pew Hispanic Trust. See http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=133

[2] TheDepartment of Homeland Security estimates that 64% of unauthorized immigrantsin the

U.S.

as of January 2009 entered before January 1, 2000. See http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ois_ill_pe_2009.pdf

[3] If allunauthorized immigrants were removed from Mississippi, the state would lose $583million in economic activity, $259 million in gross state product, andapproximately 4,680 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment,according to a report by the Perryman Group. See http://americansforimmigrationreform.com/files/Impact_of_the_Undocumented_Workforce.pdf#page=69.

[4] Themajority of economists who study immigration conclude that immigration has apositive effect on the living standards of most Americans by boosting wages andlowering prices. See Ten Economic FactsAbout Immigration at www.hamiltonproject.org

Hanging out at meetings

2011-10-16T15:06:00.000-05:00

In my old age I can no longer do much, in the physical sense, but I can attend meetings. Last week I attended two that were pretty interesting.

On Wednesday four of usEpiscopal deacons attended an interfaith clergy meeting in East Jefferson on immigration legislation inLouisiana. The last Legislature passed two bills, both requiring employers to use the incompetent but poisonous E-Verify, and we are indanger of even stricter legislation based on the Alabama model. The speaker,Susan Weishar of the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University, shared with us a letter issued by severalbishops in Mississippi last February, including Duncan Gray.This is a remarkable letter (which I will copy in another post), which stresses cultural values common throughoutthe South—keeping families together, our immigrant past (all of us, even native peoples, cameoriginally from someplace else), our southern tradition of hospitality, and theBible on welcoming strangers. Several bishops in Alabama, including Henry Parsley, sued tooverturn the anti-immigration legislation there, with partial success. Actionplan: get key church people to talk to their legislators in opposition to suchlegislation here. We don’t want Louisiana to be the next Alabama. (And let this be a warning to other states, especially southern ones without many Latino voters.)

On Friday several deacons met with CecileTebo, the fiery-headed administrator of the NOPD Crisis Unit.

Cecile has a vision for use of the old Sara Mayo hospital, an abandoned and forsale (but still structurally sound) property on Jackson Ave. near the river.She wants it to be converted into a public mental health facility to replacethe loss of beds in recent years. To this end, some of us are helping her toset up a meeting with interfaith clergy in New Orleans. She also needs help from moneybags, politicans, and hospital administrators.

Interestingly, the site at 609 Jackson was previously, at the beginning of the20^th century, the Children’s Home, staffed by a community ofthree Episcopal nuns, the Sisters of Bethany. There is a photo of them in the hall atTrinity Church, where they brought the children and helped out on Sundays, andalso a stained-glass window of Mary and Martha of Bethany, dedicated to thenuns, in the stairwell at the back of the nave. One of our elderlyparishioners was raised at the home and remembers beingpresented by the sisters for confirmation at Trinity. I have asked the diocean historian to help straighten out the history of the sisters, the Children’s Home,and Sara Mayo (where I have heard they worked after about 1905). Did the home turn into a hospital, or were they a dual-purpose institution? I can't find much on the Internet.

Baldwin of Laon

2011-10-16T06:12:00.004-05:00

October 16

Baldwin (also called Balduinus, Baldunus, or Baudoin), archdeacon and martyr at Laonin Gaul (now in Picardy in northern France), killed about 670-680.

Baldwin was son of Salaberga and brother of abbessAnstrude of Laon. He was murdered by personal enemies who were angered by theseverity of his life—which they took as a rebuke to them.

Murder capital

2011-10-13T10:23:00.001-05:00

Murdered in the New Orleans area this week:

10/7 Kendrick Morris 20 M Shot Orleans
10/10 Kywanda Butcher 37 F Shot Orleans
10/10 Au'sha Butcher 13 M Shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their murderers, and their families.

Papylas of Pergamum

2011-10-13T07:23:00.002-05:00

October 13

Papylas, deacon and martyr, with bishop Carpus, killedat Pergamum in Asia Minor (now Bergama in Turkey) in 251.

Philip the Deacon

2011-10-11T07:24:00.005-05:00

October 11

Philip the Deacon, one of the seven ordained by the apostles, died1^st century.

Icons ofPhilip

All we know of Philip is what we are told in Acts 6:5, 8:4-40, and 21:7-9. He was one of the seven chosen to assist the apostles. Hewas the first to preach in Samaria, where he converted Simon Magus and then, onthe road from Jerusalem to Gaza, a eunuch who was chief treasurer of the Queenof Ethiopia. Philip preached in the coastal cities on the way to his home atCaesarea, and twenty-four years later Paul stayed at his home in Caesarea,where he still lived with his four unmarried daughters. A Greek tradition hashim become bishop of Tralles in Lydia. He was so successful in his preachingthat he was surnamed “the Evangelist,” which has sometimes caused him to beconfused with Philip the Apostle. [observed 11 October in Orthodox andEpiscopal churches, 6 June in Roman Catholic Church]

Poplia of Antioch

2011-10-09T07:02:00.000-05:00

October 9

Poplia of Antioch (or Publia),deacon and confessor, abbess, and music minister at Antioch, died about 363.

Poplia was married and gavebirth to a son, John, who became leader of the presbyters of Antioch. After herhusband died, she was ordained into the diaconate. After she had been ordaineda short time, persecution broke out under Julian the Apostate (reigned 360-363),and she was able to counsel many women and strengthen them in their faith. Shewas a gifted leader of women and the local church. During persecution she wastortured for refusing to relinquish her Christian beliefs.

Rusticus and Eleutherius of Paris

2011-10-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

October 9

Rusticus and Eleutherius,deacons (or one of them was, see below) and martyrs, beheaded at Paris withbishop Denis, about 258.

The first mention we have of these three martyrs comes in the sixthcentury in the writings of Gregory of Tours. Denis(or Dionysius as he is also called) is the most famous of the three. Born andraised in Italy, he was sent as a missionary to Gaul about 250 by Pope Clement,along with five other bishops. Denis made his base of missionary activity anisland in the Seine near the city of Lutetia Parisorium—what would becomeParis. For this reason he is known as the first bishop of Paris and the Apostleof France. There he was captured by the Parisians along with Rusticus andEleutherius. Later writers referred to these as Denis’ presbyter and deacon, orhis deacon and subdeacon, but we have no further information on them. After along imprisonment and several aborted executions, the three martyrs werebeheaded with a sword and their bodies were thrown into the river. Denis’ bodywas retrieved from the Seine by his converts and buried. The chapel built overhis tomb grew into the Abbaye de Saint-Denis, in what is now a northern suburbof Paris, where the kings of France were buried from the 10^thcentury until the Revolution.

Demetrius of Sirmium

2011-10-08T06:26:00.000-05:00

October 8

Demetrius (Dimitri),deacon and martyr, killed at Sirmium in Dalmatia (modern Sremska Mitrovicain Serbia), early 4^thcentury.

The Greeks called Demetrius a military martyr and “the Megalomartyr” (GreatMartyr). Early legends about Demetrius credit him with a military career. Hewas popular in the Middle Ages, and with St. George he was the patron of thecrusades.

Murder capital

2011-10-06T08:39:00.000-05:00

Murdered this week in the New Orleans metro area:

9/29 Jasper Branch III 35 M Shot Orleans
10/2 Alba Valladares 72 F Stabbed Orleans
10/3 Gregory Johnson 48 M Shot Orleans
10/4 Michael Jenkins 17 M Shot Orleans

Please pray for them, their families, and their murderers.

Ywe of Northumbria

2011-10-06T06:05:00.000-05:00

October 6

Ywe (also called Iwi, Ywi, and Iwigius), deacon and monk ofNorthumbria, died 690.

Ywe was a spiritual student of Cuthbert at Lindisfarne, who ordainedhim deacon. Following the Irish ideal of an exile for Christ, he took ship without bothering to ask itsdestination, planning to evangelize where it landed. The destination turned outto be Brittany, where he lived as a hermit and followed a ministry ofmiraculous healing. About 250 years later a group of Breton monks carrying therelics of Ywe arrived at Wilton abbey in southwest England. When they wereready to leave they found they could not move the relics. The relics had founda home at the abbey altar, and the monks were forced to leave them behind.

Firmatus of Antissiodorum

2011-10-05T07:46:00.003-05:00

October 5

Firmatus, deacon and martyr, with his sister thevirgin Flaviana, died together for their faith at Antissiodorum in Gaul (now Auxerrein the Bourgogne region of central France), date unknown.

They are listed in Martyrologium Hieronymianum (martyrology of Jerome), compiled in the late sixth century.

Francis of Assisi

2011-10-04T06:08:00.003-05:00

October 4

Francis of Assisi, deacon and founder of Order of Friars Minor,died 3 October 1226.

Detail from fresco by Cimabue, late 13^th century

Francis was born in 1182 in Assisi, Italy. His father was the richcloth merchant Pietro Bernardone, and his mother was Giovanna Pica. The boy wasnamed Giovanni at baptism, but when his father returned from France, where hehad been when the boy was born, he demanded that the name should be changed toFrancesco (little Frenchman or Frenchie), since his mother was from Provenceand he had been in France at the time of the birth. He had an easy life as achild and youth, spending money without care. He wanted to become a knight anda troubadour. At the age of 20, he took part in the 1202 war between Assisi andPerugia, and was captured after the battle of Collestrada. He spent a year as aprisoner in Perugia, before his father was able to ransom him. His health sufferedfrom the imprisonment, and he contracted a serious illness that would stay withhim until his death. After spending most of the year 1204 in bed, he joined thecampaign of Walter de Brienne, who was fighting in Puglia, in 1205. Planning tojoin the Fourth Crusade, he bought expensive equipment and rode off.

While on his way, he met a poor man, and being struck by pity heexchanged his expensive clothes for the man’s rags. At Spoleto, he fell illagain. While he was sick, he heard a voice ask, “Where are you going, Francis?”He explained where he was going, and the voice asked, “Tell me, who can takeyou the farthest, the Lord or the servant?” He answered “The Lord,” and wastold to return to Assisi, where he would be told what to do. Back in Assisi, helived more or less as before, but was not as joyful. Rather than spend timewith his carefree friends, he started going to a grotto outside Assisi, where hespent hours in prayer.

He went on a pilgrimage to Rome, where he met a leper with horrifyingdisfigurements. At first he felt fear and revulsion, but he overcame it quickly,and when the leper stretched out his hand to beg for money, Francis not onlygave him money but kissed his hand. Going to St. Peter’s tomb, he exchangedclothes with a beggar, and spent the rest of that day begging. He was stillunsure about what he was supposed to do, but visited the hospital and started caringfor the lepers.

In the autumn of 1205, he was back in Assisi, and prayed in the church ofSan Damiano. It was a poor church, where the priest could not even afford oilfor the lamp by the icon of Christ. While praying, he heard Christ speak to himthree times, from the crucifix which is now in Santa Chiara in Assisi, tellinghim to set his house in order. He took this literally, and took several rollsof cloth from his father’s store and sold them. He tried to give the money tothe priest at San Damiano, who refused to take them. He did however, acceptthat Francis could live there as an oblate.

His father was furious, and came for Francis, who had hidden. Afterpraying and fasting for days, he showed himself, and people said he looked as ifhe had gone insane. His father came, beat him senseless, and dragged him homein chains. He was locked in the house, but his mother set him free when thefather had left. His father again came for him at San Damiano and demanded thathe either return home or renounce his heritage and pay back the money. Francisgladly renounced his heritage, but claimed that the money belonged to God and thepoor. Being an oblate, he was under the authority of the bishop of Assisi.

His father brought the case to the bishop, Guido, and Francis was toldto return the money and trust in God. Again showing that he had a tendency totake things literally, he said that the clothes he wore also belonged to hisfather, and in front of the bishop and a large crowd he took them off and gavethem to his father. The bishop gave him a cloak that belonged to one of hisworkers, and Francis accepted it with gratitude, drawing a cross on it. He leftthe town to “marry Madam Poverty.” He wandered around, working at a monasteryand in the leper colony at Gubbio.

In 1206 he returned to Assisi, where everyone thought he was mad. Hebegged for alms to repair San Damiano, and did some of the work on the churchhimself. After doing the same thing for the church San Pietro, he went to thesmall chapel Portiuncula, formally called Santa Maria degli Angeli, whichbelonged to the Benedictine monastery of Monte Subacio. He repaired it himself,and settled down there.

On the feast of St. Matthew in 1208, he heard the gospel for that day, Matthew 10:7-19, in which thedisciples are told to go into the world bringing only one tunic, no shoes orstaff, no money in their belt, and no purse. It’s no surprise that he took thegospel literally; he gave away his shoes, belt, and staff, put on an undyedwoolen cloak held together with a rope, and went into the world as a beggar.This was the origin of the Franciscan habit.

Francis had by now started to attract attention, and some chose tofollow him. Bernardo da Quintavalle and Pietro Cattani were the first, andFrancis gave them the habit on 16 April 1208. The third to join was Egidius,who was given the habit on 23 April 1208. In 1209 he had 11 companions, and hedecided to write a brief rule. He was ordained as deacon around this time. Hewas never ordained to the priesthood; his humility prevented him from seekingthat for himself. In 1210, he went to Rome to seek the Holy Father’s approval forthe rule. Pope Innocent III at first thought it was too strict. But the nightbefore the audience, he had a dream in which the Lateran Basilica wascollapsing, and a single man came in and held it up. Recognizing Francis in hisdream, he approved the rule.

This first rule, known was RegulaPrima, is sadly lost to us. Francis and his followers were given thetonsure and formal permission to work as preachers. Francis gave his order thename Ordo Fratrum Minorum, or “Order of the Smallest Brothers.” The brotherslived in strict poverty, working and begging for alms. Any surplus was given tothe poor. By 1212 there were more than 100 Franciscans. In 1212 he founded afemale branch, named the Poor Clares after his friend Clare (Chiara) of Assisi.In 1221 the Third Order of Franciscans was founded to allow lay people, marriedand unmarried, to join the Order.

In 1212 Francis went east to preach to the Saracens in Syria. Aftershipwrecking, he landed at the coast of Dalmatia, and had to return as astowaway to Ancona. He preached in Italy for some time, and in 1213 he againtried to reach the Sarascens. This time he tried to reach Morocco throughSpain. He fell ill in Spain, and had to return. Others made the trip to Morocco,and the order had its first five martyrs there on 16 January 1220.

In 1217 what had begun more as a movement than an order held its firstgeneral chapter. The order was divided into provinces, and brethren were sentto other countries to preach. The lack of organization was taking its toll, andin 1219 Francis convened the second general chapter, at which 5,000 brethrenwere present.

In 1219 Francis joined the Fifth Crusade to preach to the Saracens. Hesailed to Damietta in Egypt, which was under siege by the crusaders. Hisillusions were soon stripped away; the crusaders were not as holy as he hadthought. He managed to get through the lines, and was presented to the sultan,Malek al-Kamel. Francis did not manage to convert the sultan, but securedbetter treatment of Christian prisoners and was given the privilege of hisorder being custodians of the Holy Sepulchre.

After a few months in the Holy Land, Francis returned to Italy. Whilehad had been away, the order had started changing. While the Franciscans had sofar lived in simple huts, they had now built a monastery of stone. Francisrefused to enter and sought shelter with the Dominicans. He felt that he hadbeen betrayed and went to Rome. The Holy Father, Pope Honorius III, appointedCardinal Ugolino as Protector of the Order in 1220. The cardinal was a closefriend of Francis and wanted the whole church to take advantage of Francis’ideas. He also wanted some of the brethren to become bishops, to lead the workfor reform in the church. Francis stepped down as General of the Order, and namedPietro Cattani as his Vicar.

In 1221 Francis made a revised rule, with the support of CardinalUgolino. It was more detailed than the first but similar in its insistence onpoverty and humility. At the third general chapter in May 1221, he presented itto the brethren. Many of them supported the new trends, including the newVicar, Elias of Cortona, who had governed the order since the recent death ofCattani. The chapter still accepted the rule, being reluctant to defy thefounder. The new rule was, however, not approved by the Pope and is thereforeknown as Regula non bullata. Francisrevised the rule again in 1223. Many of the brethren protested against the banon communal property, which they felt that it was impossible to live with. Somechanges were made to accommodate everyone, and Pope Honorius III approved thisrule—it became the Regula bullata. Francis was not completely happy withit, but could not have his will without breaking up the order.

Our knowledge that Francis was a deacon comes from his earliestbiographer, Thomas ofCelano, in an account of Christmas mass at Greccio in the Rieti Valley in 1223. There Francismade the first known Christmas crib, using real persons to play the parts. Thiswas a way for him to emphasize the poverty of Christ. Farmers who came tomidnight mass were impressed by him. As deacon he served in the mass and sangthe gospel with such inspiration that many cried openly. In 1224 he returned tosolitude, this time in the Appennines in Tuscany. He preached to the animals,and the birds are said to have listened quietly to him.

By this time Francis was weakened by illness and the harsh life he hadled. Only one brother, Leo, was allowed to visit him. Francis concentrated allhis remaining strength on becoming ever more like Christ, and he especiallymeditated over Christ’s wounds. On or near the feast of the Exaltation of theCross on 14 September 1224, he fell into ecstasy and received the stigmata, thewounds of Christ, from an angel. This is the first recorded case of stigmata.Because of his humble nature, he always tried to cover the wounds.

In the winter of 1224-1225 he managed to preach in Umbria and Marche.He gradually weakened more, in large part because of the stigmata. He was alsogoing blind at this time. In the spring of 1225 Cardinal Ugolino made him seethe Pope’s physicians in Rieti. On his way there, he visited Clare for the lasttime. While there, almost crazed by pain, he wrote the famous Canticumfratris solis, “The Canticle of Brother Sun,” which he set music to and taughtto the brethren. (Incidentally, the well-known prayer “Lord, make me aninstrument of your peace,” was not written by Francis; it appeared around thetime of the First World War.)

An operation for his eyes was a failure, and he weakened even more. Inthe spring of 1226 he was sent to Siena for treatment. But he no longer had anywill to live and longed more and more for death’s release. One night, sufferingterrible pain and being certain that he was dying, he dictated the documentknown as the Siena Testament. He was moved to a hermit’s hut, and there hedictated his last testament to Brother Elias. In the summer of 1226 he was atBagnara, and it was decided to carry him back to Assisi on a stretcher.

He was given a large escort—people already thought of him as a saint,and there was a real danger that he would be held back to secure relics. InAssisi he was taken to the bishop’s residence. Bishop Guido was away at thetime. He asked the doctors to tell him the truth, and was given no more thantwo weeks to live. Hearing this, he exclaimed: “Welcome, Sister Death!” Heasked to be taken to his old home in the chapel at Portiuncula. At a hilloutside Assisi, he gave his blessing to the town and to his brethren, and thenhe was carried to Portiuncula.

Francis asked the brethren to fetch Giacoma di Settesoli, a closefriend, who was to bring candles and a cloak for his funeral, and a cake thathe loved. She came by herself before the messenger could go. He then dictated afew lines for Clare and the sisters and asked the brethren to sing the verse ofthe Canticle of Brother Sun that praises death. He then asked for a loaf ofbread, which he broke and passed out as a sign of love and peace. According tohis own wish, he was placed in the floor of the small hut and covered by acloak lent to him by the guardian. He gave his admonitions to the brethren andgave instructions for the treatment of his mortal remains. The passion of ourLord from the gospel of John was read aloud, and Psalm 141 was sung. At sunriseon 3 October 1226, at the age of 45, he closed his eyes for the last time.

Francis had asked to be buried with the criminals at Colle d’Inferno,but on Sunday, 4 October, his body was carried to San Giorgio in Assisi and hewas buried there. The funeral cortege stopped outside San Damiano, so that St. Clareand the sisters could say their farewells. Twenty-one months later, he wascanonized by Pope Gregory IX, the former Cardinal Ugolino. His relics werehidden from grave robbers, and they were not rediscovered before 1818, in asubterranean crypt in the church San Francesco in Assisi. A richly decoratedmonument was erected over his tomb, but in 1932, in recognition of what hewould have wanted, it was removed and a simple monument was placed there. Thechapel Portiuncula has also been preserved; the church Santa Maria degli Angelihas been built around it.

Romanos the Melodist

2011-10-01T08:01:00.002-05:00

October 1

Romanos Melodos, deacon, hymn writer in Syria and thenConstantinople, died about 556.

Icons ofRomanos

Romanos, also known as Romanos theMelodist, was a hymn writer in Greek. He has been called “the Pindar ofrhythmic poetry.” From the scanty records of his life we know that he was bornto a Jewish family about 490 in Emesa (Hems) or Damascus in Syria and lived inConstantinople during the reign of Anastasius I (491-518). He converted from Judaism to OrthodoxChristianity and was ordained deacon. Having officiated as a deacon in the churchof the Resurrection at Beirut, he moved to Constantinople, where he wasattached to the churches of Blachernae and Cyrus.

According to legend, when he was asleep in the church of Cyrus, theVirgin appeared to him and commanded him to eat a scroll. On awaking (it wasChristmas Day), he immediately mounted the pulpit and sang his famous hymn onthe Nativity. Romanos is said to have composed more than 8,000 similar hymns orkontakia (from Greek κοντάκιον or scroll) celebrating the festivals ofthe ecclesiastical year, the lives of the saints, and other sacred subjects.These subjects include the death of a monk, the last judgment, the treachery ofJudas, and the martyrdom of St. Stephen. In the Russian Orthodox Church,Romanos is the patron saint of church singers.

Here is the prelude to his long (24-stanza) kontakion on the Nativityof Christ:

Today the Virgin gives birth to One who transcends all being,

and to One we cannot approach the earth offers a cave.

Angels and shepherds sing his glory,

for to us is born a child,

God in all eternity.

Murder capital

2011-09-29T07:16:00.002-05:00

Murdered in the New Orleans metro area this week:

9/23 Tamira Johnson 33 F Shot Orleans
9/24 Lester Allen 31 M Shot Orleans
9/25 Prentis Ronquillo 23 M Shot Orleans
9/25 unidentified ? M Shot Orleans

Please pray for the victims, their families, and their murderers.

Thomas Clarkson of London

2011-09-26T07:22:00.002-05:00

September 26

Thomas Clarkson, deacon, English campaigner for abolition ofslavery and the slave trade, died 26 September 1846.

Oil portraitof Thomas Clarkson

Thomas Clarkson was born in Wisbech, in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, in1760. He was educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge, and was afterwardsordained deacon. In 1785 Cambridge University held an essay competition withthe title: “Is it lawful to enslave the unconsenting?” Clarkson had notconsidered the matter before, but after carrying out considerable research onthe subject he submitted his essay. Clarkson won first prize and was asked toread his essay to the University Senate.

On his way home to London he had a spiritual experience. He laterdescribed how he had “a direct revelation from God ordering me to devote mylife to abolishing the trade.” Clarkson contacted Granville Sharp, who hadalready started a campaign to end the slave trade. In 1787 Clarkson and Sharpformed the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Of the twelve memberson the committee, nine were Quakers. Influential figures such as John Wesleyand Josiah Wedgwood gave their support to the campaign. Later they persuadedWilliam Wilberforce, MP for Hull, to be their spokesman in the House ofCommons.

Clarkson was given the responsibility of collecting information tosupport the abolition of the slave trade. This included interviewing 20,000sailors and obtaining equipment used on the slave ships such as iron handcuffs,leg shackles, thumb screws, instruments for forcing open slaves’ jaws, andbranding irons. In 1787 he published his pamphlet, A Summary View of theSlave Trade and of the Probable Consequences of Its Abolition. Clarkson wasa brilliant writer, and Jane Austen, who completelydisagreed with his views on slavery, was so impressed with his writing stylethat she claimed after reading one of his books that she was “in love with itsauthor.”

After the passing of the Abolition of the SlaveTrade Act in 1807, Clarkson published his book History of the Abolition ofthe African Slave Trade. Clarkson was not satisfied with the measurespassed by Parliament and joined with Thomas Fowell Buxton to form the Societyfor the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery. Clarkson had to wait until1833 before Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act, which gave all slavesin the British Empire their freedom. Clarksonretired to Ipswich, Suffolk, where he died on 26 September 1846.

Anna Alexander of Georgia

2011-09-24T07:03:00.001-05:00

September 24

Anna E. B. Alexander, deaconess and African-American teacher inthe diocese of Georgia, died 24 September 1947.

Anna Alexander(icon written by Louise Shipps)

Born about 1865, Anna Alexander was the first African-American setapart as a deaconess in the Episcopal Church. She worked in rural southeastGeorgia, in an area known as Pennick, in Glynn County, a community of formerslaves and poor whites. In the 1890s near Darien, she founded first the Churchof the Good Shepherd and then a school. There she taught young boys and girlsto read—according to legend, from the Book of Common Prayer and the Bible—in aone-room schoolhouse, which was later expanded to two rooms with a loft whereshe lived.

She ministered in Pennick for 53 years, being consecrated deaconess in1907. As part of her work in Glynn County, she helped make camps possible foryoung white members of the diocese, and they responded by building a cabin inher honor. The diocese segregated its black and white congregations in 1907,and the African-American congregations were not invited to another diocesanconvention until 1947, the year of her death.

Thyrsus of Smyrna

2011-09-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

September 24

Thyrsus of Smyrna, deacon and martyr, with presbyter Andochiusand merchant Felix, tortured and killed in Gaul in the second century.

Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna sent Andochius and Thyrsus to what is now Burgundyin central France. They settled in Augustodunun (now Autun), where theyconverted their host, a rich merchant named Felix. For teaching the gospel, allthree were scourged, suspended all day by their hands (tied behind theirbacks), and thrown into the fire, but the fire did not consume them. Finallytheir necks were broken with heavy bars, killing them. They were veneratedthroughout Gaul.

Murder capital

2011-09-22T09:30:00.001-05:00

Murdered this week in the New Orleans area:

2/20 Kamron Scott 1 M Neglect Jefferson (parents charged with murder just this week)
9/16 Leonard Jones 58 M Shot Orleans

Please pray for the victims, their families, and their murderers.

Susanna of Eleutheropolis

2011-09-19T06:57:00.000-05:00

September 19

Susanna, deacon and martyr, adult convert, martyredat Eleutheropolis in Palestine in 362.

Susanna grew up in Palestine as the daughter of Arthemius, a rich paganpriest, and Martha, a Hebrew woman. After their deaths, she was baptized as aChristian, freed her slaves, gave her property to the poor, and decided to liveas an ascetic. She cropped her hair, put on male clothing, took the name John, andpresented herself at a men’s monastery in Jerusalem. The monks assumed she wasa eunuch and accepted her.

Still disguised, Susanna eventually became superior of the community. Aftertwenty years in the monastery, a visiting nun fell in love with her and triedto win her affections. When this failed, the nun accused Susanna of seducingher. The local bishop, Kleopas of Eleutheropolis, was called in with twodeaconesses. Susanna revealed her gender to the deaconesses, and her name wascleared. The bishop was impressed with Susanna and brought her back to his cathedral.He ordained her a deaconess and appointed her abbess of a convent. She servedas spiritual elder for many years, served the poor, extended hospitality, andprayed for the healing of many.

During the persecution of Julian the Apostate she was arrested by theprefect Alexander and tortured for refusing to offer sacrifices to pagan gods.When her torturers realized that they could not break her faith, they threw herinto prison, where she died from her wounds and lack of food. (Eleutheropis, Greekfor “city of the free,” was a Roman city on the ancient road from Jerusalem toGaza.)

Abundantius of Rome

2011-09-16T07:01:00.002-05:00

September 16

Abundantius, deacon and martyr of Rome, arrested with presbyterAbundius for refusing to offer sacrifice to Hercules, tortured at Mammartineprison in Rome, and martyred by beheading, with Abundius and senator Marcianand his son John, in the persecution of Diocletian (reigned 284-305) about 304.