For all the saints – a diary of sanctoral commemorations

One of the features of my near-defunct weblog, The Confessing Reader, was the posting of the commemorations of the saints in the sanctoral (saints’ days) calendars of the Churches of the Anglican Communion, along with some commemorations from the Lutheran Book of Worship.

This weblog will continue that function of The Confessing Reader.  For each commemoration, or “lesser feast” as The Episcopal Church’s sanctoral supplement to the Book of Common Prayer described them, I will post a brief biographical sketch, the collect for the commemoration, and the propers for the day (or a link to the Lectionary Page’s propers for the day).  For most of the posts, there will also be an icon, or an iconographic depiction, of the saint whom we are commemorating and for whom we are giving thanks that day.

While most of the entries will be sanctoral commemorations, I will also provide brief descriptions (and icons or other artwork) for those Feasts of our Lord that fall outside Sundays (such as the Holy Name of Jesus, the Epiphany, the Presentation of our Lord, the Annunciation, etc.).  My prayer is that this will provide a devotional help to enable us more nearly to realize what we confess in the Apostles’ Creed:  “I believe…in the communion of saints”.

Tomorrow being the First Sunday of Advent and the beginning of the new Church year, the first entry will be that for St Andrew on November 30.

O God, the King of saints, we praise and glorify your holy Name for all your servants who have finished their course in your faith and fear:  for the blessed Virgin Mary; for the holy patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs; and for all your other righteous servants, known to us and unknown; and we pray that, encouraged by their examples, aided by their prayers, and strengthened by their fellowship, we also may be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.