Trinity Church Welcomes All through its "Big Red Doors" with Tibetan prayer flags flying in the wind. It would be hard to find a more diverse group of believers, used-to-be believers, and sort-of believers. Many of us were born into other religions and denominations, and have found ourselves to be part of the inclusiveness of God's love.

Remembering 9/11

In honor of all those souls lost on September 11th, and all the souls lost since, student and author Taylor Plimpton wrote the essay Remembering 9/11 at One World Observatory. You can read it here.

Creation Season

Creation Time in the Season of Pentecost begins the Sunday before Labor Day and ends on Reformation Sunday. It is not a church season, but a period in which congregations celebrate the fact that creation is an integral part of the whole Christian year.

A letter from Bishop-elect Carlye Hughes

August 15, 2018

Bishop-elect Carlye Hughes, her husband David Smedley, and their dog Abbey.

Dear Companions on the Journey,

What a great delight it is to write to you from the Bishop’s Residence. After many weeks of handing off projects, farewell meals, packing, driving, driving, and more driving, we are finally here. We have been warmly welcomed by the Transition Committee and are settling into life here.

Since you called me to be the XI Bishop of Newark, David and I have been thinking of you. Your hopes, dreams, worries, and concerns have been on our minds. We kept you in our prayers, in our conversation, in our laughter, and in our gratitude. Talking, praying, and thinking of you became an everyday part of our lives this summer.

We felt the blessing of your prayers for us and for the people, clergy, and staff at Trinity - Fort Worth. The knowledge of so many people and parishes in this diocese praying for Trinity was a comfort and affirmation to my beloved congregation. Our transition continues, but we live among you now, and our communal life has begun.

The next few weeks will be focused on preparing for the Ordination and Consecration Service on September 22. I am very grateful for the many people involved in preparation for this significant event in my life and in the life of the diocese. Alongside all the preparations, the most important thing I will do in the coming weeks is to begin getting to know you.

I am certain that many items/issues will demand our attention in the next few weeks. Still, it is the relationship we have with God and with each other that shape us into the people God intends us to be. These vital elements of communal faith life will always draw my attention and I hope they will draw yours too.

I thank God for each of you, for your congregations, for the honor and privilege of joining you in ministry. God is already busy in our midst and I am excited to see what God will continue to do with us.

Grace and peace,

Carlye+

August 30 - St Tarcisius of Rome -The Invisible Companion (Patron of Children who are bullied)

The legend of St Tarcisius of Rome is one of the most memorable of the early child martyrs and we would probably know him a lot better if his feast did not fall on the Assumption of the Mother of God, August 15th. Tarcisius was a young boy thought to be anywhere from the age of 10-14 years old, who lived in the third century during the persecutions of Emperor Valerian. Because the early Christians were forced to hide in the Roman catacombs, and have their services beneath the ground, someone, usually a Deacon would be required to take the Eucharist from Mass and carry it to the Christians in prison. One day, for whatever reason, a Deacon was unavailable and so little Tarcisius was asked to carry the Eucharist to the prisoners. While he was on his way a group of Roman boys grew curious about what the child was carrying. They stopped him and demanded to see what he held so close to himself. Tarcisius refused to let the bullies touch the Eucharist and they began to beat him until he fell face down, protecting the Eucharist, and was ultimately beaten to death. A Roman soldier is said to have stopped the boys, who ran off and then he carried Tarcisius away, the child still holding tight to his Lord. For this reason he is a patron of altar servers and children who today, more than ever, experience bullying. There is a novel called “Fabiola : The Church of the Catacombs” written by Cardinal Wiseman in 1854, which makes use of actual young martyrs as characters, like Sts. Agnes, Emmerentiana, Sebastian and Pancratius. This novel greatly influenced my childhood, and introduced me to these young people who were so extraordinarily courageous.

We all have and hold Christ inside our hearts and souls . St Tarcisius help us to hold Him close during these dark times and let His light shine out with great brilliance and courage from us all.

Amen

- Fr Bill McNichols, 15 August 2018

August 31- Aidan, 651, and Cuthbert, 687, Bishops of Lindisfarne

Aidan provides us with a strong example that actions often speak louder than words and the best kind of Christian evangelism is that which proceeds from godly and charitable living. Trained at Iona, Scotland, Aidan was already revered as a compassionate and learned monk when King Oswald of Northumbria invited him to help with the evangelization of Northern England.

Aidan joyfully responded and began the work by founding a monastery on the island of Lindisfarne. This monastery soon became a center for missionary and charitable activities throughout England and Scotland. The monks of Lindisfarne followed the old Celtic rites and practices, but Aidan had traveled widely on the continent and was able to familiarize them with the practices of the Roman Church, thus preparing his people for things to come. Aidan trained a whole generation of Christian leaders for the English church. Included among them were numerous bishops and saints. Perhaps the highest compliment paid to Aidan was that of the Venerable Bede ( May 25) who wrote that Aidan "taught no otherwise than he and his followers lived; for he neither sought nor loved anything of this world, but delighted in distributing to the poor whatsoever was given him by the kings or rich men of the world." A man of large stature and unusual physical prowess, Cuthbert seemed destined from his youth for leadership. He, however, was always concerned that his spiritual leadership match his physical endowments. Prior to accepting a call to become Bishop of Lindisfarne, he spent eight years in prayer and meditation on the cold and isolated island of Farne. Cuthbert’s episcopate was brief but highly significant. It was occasioned by plague, war, and schism. He spent much time caring for and healing the sick and preaching against the superstitious use of charms and amulets. In the midst of war, Bishop Cuthbert went fearlessly among his people, ministering to the wounded and inspiring hope in the survivors. He worked toward the reconciliation of those Celtic Christians who were dissatisfied with the liturgical and political changes being effected by the Roman Church in Britain. Cuthbert led many men to salvation in Christ and contributed significantly to the Christianization of the North Country of England. Holy living to Cuthbert meant a life of service. As the historian Bede put it, "He was aflame with the fire of divine charity; and to give counsel and help to the weak he considered equal to an act of prayer—knowing that he who said, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God’ also said, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor.’"

September 1 - St. Giles

His early history, as given in the Legenda Aurea, he withdrew deep into the forest near Nîmes, where in the greatest solitude he spent many years, his sole companion being a deer, or red deer, who in some stories sustained him on her milk. Giles ate a vegetarian diet. This retreat was finally discovered by the king's hunters, who had pursued the hind to its place of refuge. An arrow shot at the deer wounded the saint instead, who afterwards became a patron of cripples. The king, who by legend was Wamba, an anachronistic Visigoth, but who must have been (at least in the original story) a Frank due to the historical setting, conceived a high esteem for the hermit, whose humility rejected all honors save some disciples, and built him a monastery in his valley, Saint-Gilles-du-Gard. Here he died in the early part of the 8th century, with the highest repute for sanctity and miracles. He is patron saint of disabled, beggars, cancer, breastfeeding, mental illness, horses and spur-makers.

September 2 - The Martyrs of New Guinea, 1942

New Guinea was the scene of much suffering, especially among Christians there when the Japanese invaded in 1942. Many European clergy and missionaries of other denominations had been withdrawn, had chosen to leave, or been forced to leave before the invasion. The Anglican Bishop of New Guinea, Philip Strong, issued this compelling message to his clergy: “We must endeavor to carry on our work…God expects this of us. The church at home, which sent us out, will surely expect it of us. The universal church expects it of us…The people whom we serve expect it of us. We could never hold up our faces again if, for our own safety, we all forsook him and fled, when the shadows of the passion began to gather around him in his spiritual and mystical body, the Church in Papua.” They stayed. Almost immediately there were arrests. Eight missionaries and two lay people were executed. It was only the beginning of suffering and persecution which the young church in New Guinea endured. It was the testing which proved the mettle of that young and vigorous part of Christ’s Body.

September 3 - Prudence Crandall (September 3, 1803 - January 28, 1890)

A schoolteacher raised as a Quaker, she stirred controversy with her education of African-American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut. Her private school, opened in the fall of 1831, was boycotted when she admitted a 17-year-old African-American female student in the autumn of 1833;[4] resulting in what is widely regarded as the first integrated classroom in the United States.

September 4 - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

September 4 - Paul Jones (25 November 1880 – 4 September 1941)

Paul Jones was the Episcopal Bishop of Utah (1916–1918), a socialist, and a prominent pacifist. He was forced to resign his see in April 1918 because of his outspoken opposition to World War I. Although in 1929 he was chosen as temporary bishop of Southern Ohio while the next incumbent was being selected, he never again held a permanent diocese. In 1933, presiding bishop James DeWolf Perry restored Jones's seat, but not his vote, in the House of Bishops.

Jones spent the rest of his life advocating for black civil rights, social reform and economic justice. He served as a chaplain at Antioch College and was instrumental in founding the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Episcopal Peace Fellowship. Just prior to his death, he helped resettle Jews displaced by the Nazis and advocated a more understanding US relationship with Japan.

September 5 - Labor Day

Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the country.

Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. "Labor Day" was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. In 1887, Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, thirty U.S. states officially celebrated Labor Day.

Canada's Labour Day is also celebrated on the first Monday of September.

Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are out of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

September 5 - Gregorio Aglipay Cruz y Labayan (Latin: Gregorius Aglipay; 5 May 1860 – 1 September 1940)

a former Catholic priest who became the first head of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, an independent Catholic sect in the form of a national church in the Philippines.

Known for inciting patriotic rebellion among the Filipino clergy, he was also a political activist who became acquainted with Isabelo de los Reyes, who would start an Indepndent Christian Filipino Church named after Aglipay in 1902.

Aglipay was previously excommunicated by Archbishop Bernardino Norzaleda y Villa of Manila in May 1899, upon the expressed permission of Pope Leo XIII. Aglipay later joined Freemasonry in May 1918. Aglipay later married Pilar Jamias y Ver from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte in 1939 and then died one year later. Followers of Aglipay through the church colloquially sometimes refer to their membership as Aglipayans.

September 8 - The Nativity of Mary

Scripture does not record Mary's birth. The earliest known writing regarding Mary's birth is found in the Protoevangelium of James (5:2), which is an apocryphal writing from the late second century, where her parents are said to have been Saint Anne and Saint Joachim.The birth of Mary is narrated in the Quran with references to her father, after whom the chapter is named ('The Family of Imran') as well as her mother. The wife of Imran prayed to God to fulfil her desire and vowed, if her prayer was accepted, that her child would be dedicated to the service of God. She prayed for her child to remain protected from Satan (Shay?an) and Muslim tradition records a hadith, which states that the only children born without the "touch of Satan," were Mary and Jesus. The winegrowers in France called this feast "Our Lady of the Grape Harvest". The best grapes are brought to the local church to be blessed and then some bunches are attached to hands of the statue of Mary. A festive meal which includes the new grapes is part of this day.

September 9-11 - Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The Biblical name for this holiday is called Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets according to the correct biblical calendar of the 1st and 2nd temple period, not Rosh Hashanah. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im ("Days of Awe") which usually occur in the early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. Rosh Hashanah is a two-day celebration, which begins on the first day of Tishrei. The day is believed to be the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of humanity's role in God's world. Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the shofar (a hollowed-out ram's horn) and eating symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey to evoke a "sweet new year".

September 9 - Constance and her Companions

Late in the summer of 1878 yellow fever struck Memphis, Tennessee, killing thousands. The Episcopal cathedral, St. Mary’s, and its adjacent Church Home were in the center of the most infected area and became shelters for victims. The cathedral staff and the Sisters of St. Mary, who operated the Church Home, faced enormous burdens in caring for the sick and dying. Sisters on retreat in Peekskill, New York, when the epidemic broke out, instead of keeping a safe distance, rushed back to Memphis.

Sister Constance was the first of the nuns to be stricken. As she died on September 9, her last words were “Alleluia, Hosanna,” simple words of praise remembered and inscribed on the cathedral’s high altar. Sister Constance’s companions in service to the sick and dying, Sisters Thecla and Ruth, soon followed her to the grave, as did Sister Frances, headmistress of the Church Home. She had nursed some thirty children at one time and had watched twenty-two die. The Rev. Louis Schuyler, a chaplain to the Sisters of St. Mary, also died of the fever, as did Canon Charles Parsons. Parsons was blessed with a vision of heaven as he lay dying and his last words were, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” On this day we honor those who gladly risked their own lives in order to save the lives of many and to assuage the final suffering of others. (attachment)

September 10 - Alexander Crummell

Born in 1819, Alexander Crummell struggled against American racism all his life. When he applied for candidacy for holy orders in New York he was rejected and he was denied admittance to the General Theological Seminary because of his race. Eventually he was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Massachusetts but was refused a seat at the diocesan convention. He went to England and earned a degree from Cambridge University and then set out as a missionary to Liberia. He was an ardent and tireless evangelist and exerted enormous energy in the building up of the Episcopal Church there.

When he returned to the United States after the Civil War, he went to work organizing black Episcopal congregations to provide worship, education, and social services to their people. He became the rector of St. Luke’s Church in Washington, D.C., but his influence was felt throughout our land. Southern Episcopal bishops proposed the organization of a black missionary district; a separate, non-geographical jurisdiction. Crummell organized opposition to this idea and won the day. He was a founder of the Union of Black Episcopalians. His faith in God and his love for his people was inexhaustible and his loyalty to the Episcopal Church was unconditional.

September 11 - Henry "Harry" Thacker Burleigh (December 2, 1866 – September 12, 1949)

A baritone, Henry Thacker Burleigh was an African-American classical composer, arranger, and professional singer. He was the first black composer to be instrumental in the development of a characteristically American music and he helped to make black music available to classically trained artists both by introducing them to the music and by arranging the music in a more classical format.

September 11 Al-Hijra/Muharram

Al-Hijra/Muharram is the day that marks the beginning of a new Islamic calendar year, and is the day on which the year count is incremented. The first day of the year is observed on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. The first Islamic year begins in 622 AD with the emigration of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijra.

September 13 - John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, 407

In an influential, prosperous, and sophisticated city at the apex of international power, it is rarely popular to advocate restraint, self-control, and responsible living. When the leaders of mighty Constantinople elected John Chrysostom to be Patriarch of the city, they thought they had elected a holy man who would bless and affirm them in their way of living. They were only half right.

Chrysostom’s powerful sermons in the great cathedral, Santa (Hagia) Sophia, soon became like a cauldron of scalding water thrown in the faces of the rich and proud citizens of Constantinople. His example of piety, charity, and simple living was an embarrassment to many. Eventually, through the intrigue of a vain and powerful lady, Eudoxia, and a jealous and corrupt clergyman, Theophilus, John was exiled. He died as a prisoner on a forced march into the Caucasus Mountains in winter, a martyr for righteousness in a society bent on lust. However, his preaching and exemplary living had so touched the hearts of many that sweeping reforms were soon instituted and life in the great city was profoundly changed for a generation or more.

September 14 - Holy Cross Day

This feast is called in Greek ("Raising Aloft of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross") and in Latin Exaltatio Sanctae Crucis. In English, it is called The Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the official translation of the Roman Missal, while the 1973 translation called it The Triumph of the Cross. In some parts of the Anglican Communion the feast is called Holy Cross Day, a name also used by Lutherans. The celebration is also sometimes called Feast of the Glorious Cross.

According to legends that spread widely, the True Cross was discovered in 326 by Saint Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, during a pilgrimage she made to Jerusalem. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was then built at the site of the discovery, by order of Helena and Constantine. The church was dedicated nine years later, with a portion of the cross placed inside it. Other legends explain that in 614, that portion of the cross was carried away from the church by the Persians, and remained missing until it was recaptured by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius in 628. Initially taken to Constantinople, the cross was returned to the church the following year.

The date of the feast marks the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 335 This was a two-day festival: although the actual consecration of the church was on September 13, the cross itself was brought outside the church on September 14 so that the clergy and faithful could pray before the True Cross, and all could come forward to venerate it.

September 15 -Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr of Carthage, 258

Cyprian was a respected attorney of Carthage who converted to Christianity in middle age. He had been baptized only two years before he was consecrated Bishop of Carthage. When the Decian persecution broke out he fled under duress, but retained the respect of his flock, continuing to correspond with those who were riding out the persecution in the city. When the persecution subsided, Cyprian returned to rebuild the diocese carefully and firmly.

When a plague broke out in 252, he quickly mobilized the church to help those in need and spent countless hours personally ministering to the sick of the city. This did not prevent public opinion and the authorities from blaming the plague on the “impious Christians.” Soon there was another persecution, this time under the Emperor Valerian, and Bishop Cyprian chose to stay in the city. He was arrested and exiled for a time, then tried and finally executed. Cyprian wrote a number of short treatises on Christian living, all of which show a profound understanding of human nature. He was a moderate and compassionate pastor and an example to his flock.

James Chisholm-priest

The summer of 1855 brought a virulent yellow fever epidemic to low-lying parts of Virginia, and as the wealthy departed for higher ground, most of their pastors and physicians went with them. Consider who would have remained - slaves, especially field workers and laborers, the poor, anyone without transport or a place to go. The evacuation of Norfolk would have had a lot in common with the evacuation of New Orleans as Katrina approached.

James Chisholm was the (first) rector of St. John's, Portsmouth, and was apparently a shy and retiring person with no reputation for particular strength - either inwardly or outwardly. Unkind persons would have called him a milquetoast. As the epidemic spread he sent his family away but he elected to stay in Portsmouth to minister to those in need. He distributed food, nursed the sick, and provided what pastoral care he could, up to and including digging the graves for those he buried. As the epidemic was winding down, he himself fell ill and died, exhausted.

The world tends to be surprised when someone they think of as a weakling turns out to be a hero. Is it because there is so little faith in other people, or because no one expects courage in surprising places and people? Yet in the face of almost every crisis we see profound strength of character emerging. Amid the bad or even "normal" behavior of others, the ability of some human beings to love their neighbors sacrificially stands out. We are all created for that kind of love.

September 16 - Ninian, Bishop in Galloway, c. 430

Ninian, the son of a British chieftain, was a Christian. He was educated in Rome and was a friend of Martin of Tours. He resolved to convert the fierce tribes of southern Scotland to Christianity and eventually had some success in so doing. Ninian established a monastery at Whithorn called Candida Casa, “White House.” The abbey church came to be called St. Martin’s, after the friend of Ninian. The monastery at Whithorn became a center for missionary and charitable activities throughout that portion of southern Scotland commonly called Galloway.

September 17-20 - Ember Days

Ember days are four separate sets of three days within the same week — specifically, the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday — roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, that were formerly set aside for fasting and prayer. The Ember Days are known in Latin as the quattuor anni tempora (the "four seasons of the year").

September 17 - Hildegard of Bingen, 1179

One of the most fascinating figures of twelfth-century Europe, Hildegard was given to the church by her parents and was raised by an anchoress who became abbess of a convent. From childhood Hildegard was subject to supernatural religious experiences which she wrote about in works she called Scivias. At age thirty-eight she became the abbess of the community in which she was raised.

She began to illustrate her Scivias and to share them with others. She attracted the attention of two of the most powerful men of her day: the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux (see August 20). She was invited to do preaching missions and traveled widely in northern Europe where she was gratefully received by princes and prelates. Hildegard’s writings covered an amazing range of subjects: natural science, medicine, and philosophy, as well as theology. She carried on brilliant correspondence with kings and queens, abbots, archbishops, and even popes. She was an accomplished musician and wrote some remarkable liturgical compositions. Some have considered her ahead of her time, a herald of the Renaissance, “the Sibyl of the Rhine.” She was a truly medieval character, the very personification of the age in which she lived. She was a strict moralist and her writings are full of denunciations of vices and appeals to purity. They are also replete with enigmatic prophecies of disaster. Miracles were attributed to her.

September 18 - Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).

The Day of Atonement with its scriptural provision as "a statute forever" (Lev. 23:31) is the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Through time-honored traditions, observers express humility and gratefulness for God's mercy.

September 20 - John Coleridge Patteson, Bishop of Melanesia, and his Companions, Martyrs, 1871

All the Christian world was shocked to learn of the murder of Bishop John Patteson by the people of the Island of Nukapu in the South Pacific. Educated at Eton and at Oxford University, Patteson had rejected a promising and comfortable career in England and had given himself utterly to the task of civilizing and Christianizing the people of Polynesia and Melanesia. For nearly twenty years he had served patiently and unselfishly, founding schools, hospitals, and churches; teaching, preaching, and giving the sacraments to the natives of those lands. He also sought out and ministered to British settlers in those areas. He once presented the entire population of Pitcairn Island for confirmation, following the reconciliation of the Bounty mutineers with the British government. He was concerned about the wanton practice of slave raiding that went on in the islands and was working vigorously to stop it. Nukapu had recently been victimized by such raiders and that is why Patteson's missionary ship, The Southern Cross, anchored off that island on this day in 1871, and the bishop went ashore. He was killed that night by some of those whom he was trying to serve.

September 22 - Matthew, Tax Collector turn Disciple

Matthew was a 1st-century Galilean (presumably born in Galilee, which was not part of Judea or the Roman Iudaea province), the son of Alpheus. During the Roman occupation (which began in 63 BC with the conquest of Pompey), Matthew collected taxes from the Hebrew people for Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee. His tax office was located in Capernaum. Jews who became rich in such a fashion were despised and considered outcasts. However, as a tax collector he would have been literate in Aramaic and Greek After his call, Matthew invited Jesus home for a feast. On seeing this, the Scribes and the Pharisees criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. This prompted Jesus to answer, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Mark 2:17)

Prayer for changing of the seasons: Autumn

September 22 - Autumnal equinox

brings the fall season to the Northern Hemisphere at 10:29 P.M. EDT. The word equinox comes from the Latin words for "equal night." The fall and spring equinoxes are the only days of the year in which the Sun crosses the celestial equator. From here on out, the temperatures begin to drop and the days start to get shorter than the nights.

Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and Mid-Autumn Festival (better known as Moon Festival in the Chinese diaspora).

September 25 - Sergius, Abbot of Holy Trinity, Moscow, 1392

In Sergius's youth the Christians of Russia were suffering under the Tartar yoke, dominated and oppressed by these invaders. The Christian community was weak, divided, and confused. Under the vigorous leadership of Sergius and the monks of Holy Trinity monastery, they gained new hope. Sergius is best remembered as the beloved abbot who inspired Dmitri, Prince of Moscow, to resist Tartar domination. Equally important were his efforts to reform and revive the Russian Orthodox monasteries. He personally supervised the founding of more than forty new monasteries. Sergius is usually associated with the armed resistance to the Tartars, but he was also a great peacemaker. He was often successful in mediating disputes among princes, and on four occasions he averted civil war. Sergius was a man of deep faith and strong character. He was peasant-born, hearty, neighborly, and practical. He struggled to keep the communal spirit alive among his monks and among the Christian people of Russia. He taught, by word and deed, unselfish service to others, and absolute devotion to Christ as known in the Holy Eucharist.

September 28 - Wenceslas

Wenceslas was raised a Christian by his grandmother St. Ludmila, but his ambitious mother, Drahomíra (Dragomir), a pagan, had her murdered and acted as regent herself, until Wenceslas came of age in 924 or 925. Her court intrigues and the wishes of the people to end the conflicts between Christian and non-Christian factions in Bohemia led Wenceslas to take the reins of government. As duke he was pious, reportedly taking the vow of virginity, and encouraged the work of German missionary priests in the Christianization of Bohemia. His zeal in spreading Christianity, however, antagonized his non-Christian opponents.

Faced with German invasions in 929, Wenceslas submitted to the German king Henry I the Fowler. His submission provoked some of the nobles to conspire against him, and they prompted his younger brother, Boleslav (Boleslaus), to murder him. Waylaid by Boleslav en route to mass, Wenceslas was killed at the church door. Frightened by the reports of miracles occurring at Wenceslas’ tomb, Boleslav had his remains transferred in 932 to the Church of St. Vitus, Prague, which became a great pilgrimage site during the medieval period. Wenceslas was regarded as Bohemia’s patron saint almost immediately after his assassination. His virtues are sung in the Christmas carol (19th century) “Good King Wenceslas.”

September 28 - Confucious

In 479 Kong Qiu Zhongni, better known in the West by his latinized name Confucius ("the master of the Kong family"), died in what is now the city of Qufu, China.

Confucius was born in China's Lu state into a family of high dignitaries. At the age of seventeen he became an officer in the Chinese mandarinate. He dedicated his life to fighting the spread of corruption and reforming the administration of public property according to the criteria of justice and order, which he considered to be qualities found in nature.

In his life and in his public discourses, Confucius called for social renewal beginning with the inner renewal of each person, which becomes possible when people combat all of the idols that distance them from the love of integrity and from harmony with one another.

Confucius believed in the gods of his ancestors, but unlike Lao-Tze, he did not invoke religion to support his work as a reformer. Instead, he relied on common sense and his understanding of human nature. His teaching had an enormous impact on Chinese culture, and remains one of the cornerstones of the world's most populous civilization. Confucius' message of peace, harmony and justice in the cosmos, to which he gave unceasing witness throughout his life, makes him one of the righteous among the nations.

September 29 - Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and All Angels

The word angel comes from the Greek angelos, and it means, literally, "messenger." Throughout the scriptures, angels are sent by God to deliver messages. In the created order, angels exist in the heavenly realm along with cherubim and seraphim. There is no hint in the Bible that people become angels, though popular culture sometimes holds this view.

On this feast day, we remember God's heavenly messengers. And we give thanks that we are able to join with them at each celebration of Holy Eucharist as we sing, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might." Angels remind us of our place in the created order, and they sometimes bear messages for us from God.

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September 30 - Jerome

Jerome is chiefly remembered as the translator of the most famous and widely used version of the Bible ever published, the Latin Vulgate. In the sixth century most people in Western Europe spoke Latin, yet there was not an accurate or complete Latin text of the Bible. Jerome translated the entire Bible into Latin from its original Hebrew and Greek. He translated the sacred text into the common language of his day, called "vulgar" Latin. In time this work came to be regarded as a classic, but when it was published it was the subject of considerable controversy. A native of Stridon, Italy, Jerome traveled widely and was educated in Rome, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria. He got involved in practically every important issue of his day and was one of the most vehement adversaries of the Arian and Pelagian heresies. His correspondence reflects a strong faith and a sound mind as well as a passion for truth and integrity. He settled finally in Bethlehem as the head of a monastic community. One of history's greatest scholars and translators became a great pastor. "Now," he said, "we have to translate the words of scripture into deeds!"


The Liturgical Seasons

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** This prayer is offer for Victims of Violence throughout of the world. Victims of verbal, physical, emotional, of hunger and thirst,economic abuse,warfare (especially Ukraine, Venezuela, parts of Africa, South America Asia and the Middle East, terrorist action, the death penalty, suicide, shootings (in our cities and neighborhoods), and other guise of violence. May their souls rest in peace and their families experience the Comfort of God. The Church bells will toll on Wednesdays @ 6:10pm.

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