Monthly Archives: December 2011
A fuller and richer Calendar
In the November 2011 issue of The Apostle, the annual ministry report of the Anglican Church in North America, the Rt Revd Dr Ray Sutton, Chairman of the Ecumenical Relations Task Force for the ACNA, noted the relationships that are … Continue reading
Filed under General
John Wycliffe, Theologian and Reformer, 1384
John Wycliffe (also Wycliff or Wyclif), born c. 1330, was born in Yorkshire and educated at Oxford University. Fellow of Merton College in 1356 and Master of Balliol College circa 1360-1, he served a rector of Fillingham and later of … Continue reading
Filed under Commemorations
Sylvester, Bishop of Rome, 335
In the Roman Calendar and in the Calendar of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer this day is the commemoration of Sylvester, Bishop of Rome from 314 to 335. Little is known of Sylvester’s life and episcopate. He became bishop … Continue reading
Filed under Commemorations
Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Bishop in Western Africa, 1891
Born about the year 1809 into the Yoruba, as a boy of 13, Ajayi (or Adjai) was captured in a Falani attack and sold as a slave. The ship transporting him was arrested by the British Royal Navy and taken … Continue reading
Filed under Commemorations
Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr, 1170
Born in London of a wealthy Norman family, Thomas was educated at Merton Abbey and at Paris. He was a financial clerk for a while and then joined the curia of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, notable for the quality of … Continue reading
Filed under Commemorations
The Holy Innocents
Herod the Great, appointed ruler (ethnarch) of the Jews by the Romans in 40 BC, kept the peace in Palestine for 37 years. His ruthless control, coupled with genuine ability, has been recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus, who describes … Continue reading
Filed under Holy Days: Other Major Feasts
Celebrating Martyrs – in Christmastide?
Christmas is the yearly expectation of redemption and the proclamation of the consummation. Three feasts days came to be closely associated with Christmas: St Stephen, St John, and Holy Innocents. The ancient association of these martyr’s* days [and the later … Continue reading
Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist
John, the son of Zebedee, with his brother James, was called from being a fisherman to be a disciple and “fisher of men.” With Peter and James, he became one of the inner group of three disciples whom Jesus chose … Continue reading
Filed under Holy Days: Other Major Feasts
Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr
Very probably a Hellenistic Jew, Stephen was one of the “seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3), who were chosen by the apostles to relieve them of the administrative burden of waiting on … Continue reading
Filed under Holy Days: Other Major Feasts
Hodie Christus natus est
Hodie Christus natus est; hodie Salvator apparuit; hodie in terra canunt angeli, letantur archangeli; hodie exultent justi, dicentes: Gloria in excelsis Deo! Alleluia. On this day Christ was born for us; on this day the Saviour appeared to us; on … Continue reading
Filed under Hymns, Principal Feasts
