2010 – Page 15 – Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music

July 18: Bartolomé de las Casas, Friar and Missionary to the Indies, 1566

July 18, 2010gcoffice15 Comments

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About this commemoration

Las Casas was born in Seville in 1484. He studied both theology and
law at the University of Salamanca.

As a reward for his participation in various expeditions, Las Casas left
for Hispaniola in 1502. He was given an encomienda, a royal land
grant populated with native peoples of the Indies. He soon began to
evangelize them; he was ordained priest in 1510 at Santo Domingo.
On December of 1511, the Dominican Antonio de Montesinos
preached a fiery sermon implicating the colonists in the genocide of
the native Indians. Las Casas gave up his rights to the encomienda
and in his own preaching urged other Spanish colonists should do
likewise. Continuing his demand for change, he returned to Spain in
1515 to plead for justice from the Spanish government. The powerful
archbishop of Toledo, who named him “Protector of the Indies,” took
up his cause.

His passionate defense of the Indians before the Spanish Parliament
persuaded the emperor, Charles V, to accept Las Casas’s project of
founding “towns of free Indians”: communities of both Spaniards
and Indians who would jointly create a new civilization in America.
The location selected for the new colony was in the northern part of
present-day Venezuela. Although the initial attempts were a bitter
failure, Las Casas’s work seemed to be crowned with success when
Charles V signed the so-called New Laws (1542), that required the
Spanish colonists to set free the Indians after the span of a single
generation. Las Casas renounced his bishopric of Chiapas, Mexico,
returned to Spain in 1547, and became a prolific writer. His A
Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies (1552), exposes the
oppression inflicted upon the peoples of the Indies. Although filled
with inaccuracies, it is his most famous work.

Las Casas lived his convictions with such zeal that he often seemed
intolerant of others, but is remembered as a tireless advocate for
justice for those oppressed by colonialism. Las Casas died in Madrid
on July 18, 1566.

Collects

I Eternal God, we offer thanks for the witness of Bartolomé
de las Casas, whose deep love for thy people caused him to
refuse absolution to those who would not free their Indian
slaves. Help us, inspired by his example, to work and
pray for the freeing of all enslaved people of our world,
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who liveth and
reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.

II Eternal God, we give you thanks for the witness of
Bartolomé de las Casas, whose deep love for your people
caused him to refuse absolution to those who would not
free their Indian slaves. Help us, inspired by his example,
to work and pray for the freeing of all enslaved people of
our world, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for
ever and ever. Amen.

Lessons
Isaiah 59:14–20
Philemon 8–16
Matthew 10:26–31

Psalm 52

Preface of Baptism

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Links related to Bartolomé de las Casas

Website dedicated to information about las Casas

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July 17: William White, Bishop of Pennsylvania, 1836

July 17, 2010gcoffice12 Comments

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About this commemoration:

William White was born in Philadelphia, March 24, 1747, and was educated at the college of that city, graduating in 1765. In 1770 he went to England, was ordained deacon on December 23, and priest on April 25, 1772. On his return home, he became assistant minister of Christ and St. Peter’s, 1772–1779, and rector from that year until his death, July 17, 1836. He also served as chaplain of the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1789, and then of the United States Senate until 1800. Chosen unanimously as first Bishop of Pennsylvania, September 14, 1786, he went to England again, with Samuel Provoost, Bishop-elect of New York; and the two men were consecrated in Lambeth Chapel on Septuagesima Sunday, February 4, 1787, by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishops of Bath and Wells and of Peterborough.

Bishop White was the chief architect of the Constitution of the American Episcopal Church and the wise overseer of its life during
the first generation of its history. He was the Presiding Bishop at its
organizing General Convention in 1789 and again from 1795 until his death. He was a theologian of no mean ability, and among his proteges, in whose formation he had a large hand, were such leaders of a new generation as John Henry Hobart, Jackson Kemper, and William Augustus Muhlenberg. White’s gifts of statesmanship and reconciling moderation steered the American Church through the first decades of its independent life. His influence in his native city made him its “first citizen.” To few men has the epithet “venerable” been more aptly applied.

Collects

I O Lord, who in a time of turmoil and confusion didst
raise up thy servant William White, and didst endow him
with wisdom, patience, and a reconciling temper, that he
might lead thy Church into ways of stability and peace:
Hear our prayer, we beseech thee, and give us wise and
faithful leaders, that through their ministry thy people
may be blessed and thy will be done; through Jesus Christ
our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

II O Lord, in a time of turmoil and confusion you raised
up your servant William White, and endowed him with
wisdom, patience, and a reconciling temper, that he might
lead your Church into ways of stability and peace: Hear
our prayer, and give us wise and faithful leaders, that
through their ministry your people may be blessed and
your will be done; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for
ever and ever. Amen.

Lessons
Jeremiah 3:15–19
1 Timothy 3:1–10
John 21:15–17

Psalm 92:1–4,11–14

Preface of a Saint (1)

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July 16: “The Righteous Gentiles”

July 16, 2010gcoffice19 Comments

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About this commemoration

During the Second World War, thousands of Christians and persons
of faith made valiant sacrifices, often at the risk of their own lives, to
save Jews from the Holocaust. These “righteous gentiles” are honored
for courageous action in the face of Hitler’s reign of terror.
Raoul Wallenberg (Lutheran) was a Swedish humanitarian and diplomat
whose great resourcefulness saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during
the Nazi occupation. He issued them Swedish passports so that they
could escape and housed many in Swedish government property in
Budapest, thereby protecting them on the basis of diplomatic immunity.
Hiram Bingham IV (Episcopalian) was an American diplomat in
France during the early years of the Nazi occupation. He violated
State Department protocol by arranging escape routes for persecuted
Jews and often provided the most wanted with safe haven in his own
home. When transferred to Argentina, he devoted considerable effort
to tracking the movements of Nazi war criminals.

Carl Lutz (Evangelical) was a Swiss diplomat in Budapest who also
worked to save the lives of many Hungarian Jews. Although deeply
involved in this endeavor at every level, he is most remembered for
negotiating with the Nazis for safe passage from Hungary to Palestine
for more than 10,000 Jews.

Chiune Sugihara (Orthodox), while serving as Japanese Consul in
Lithuania, rescued thousands of Jews by providing them with travel
credentials so they could escape. In doing so, he violated official
diplomatic policy and was removed from his country’s foreign service.
He lived the rest of his life in disgrace.

André Trocmé (Reformed) and his wife, Magda, were French
Christians who saved the lives of several thousand Jews in France
during the Nazi occupation. He was the pastor in Le Chambon-sur-
Lignon and, together with people in neighboring communities, he
created a safe haven for many refugees from the Nazi terror.
These faithful servants, together with more than 23,000 others verified to
date, are honored at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial overlooking
Jerusalem, and celebrated there as “the righteous among the nations.”

Collects

I God of the Covenant and Lord of the Exodus, who by the
hand of Moses didst deliver thy chosen people from cruel
enslavement: We offer thanks for Raoul Wallenberg and all
those Righteous Gentiles who with compassion, courage
and resourcefulness rescued thousands of thy children
from certain death. Grant that, in the power of thy Spirit,
we may protect the innocent of every race and creed in the
Name of Jesus Christ, strong Deliverer of us all; who with
thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, now
and for ever. Amen.

II God of the Covenant and Lord of the Exodus, by the hand
of Moses you delivered your chosen people from cruel
enslavement: We give you thanks for Raoul Wallenberg
and all those Righteous Gentiles who with compassion,
courage and resourcefulness rescued thousands of your
children from certain death. Grant that, in the power of
your Spirit, we may protect the innocent of every race and
creed in the Name of Jesus Christ, strong Deliverer of us
all; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.

Lessons
Joshua 2:1–21
Colossians 3:1–4
John 19:10–15

Psalm 11

Preface of a Saint (2)

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July 14: Samson Occum, Witness to the Faith in New England, 1792

July 14, 2010gcoffice17 Comments

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About this commemoration

Samson Occum, the first ordained Native American minister, was born
a member of the Mohegan nation near New London, Connecticut
in 1723. By the age of sixteen, Occum has been exposed to the
evangelical preaching of the Great Awakening. In 1743 he began
studying theology at the school of congregational minister Eleazar
Wheelock, later founder of Dartmouth College.

Occum did mission work among the Native Americans in New
England and Montauk, Long Island. In 1759, he was ordained a
Presbyterian minister. In 1766, at the behest of Eleazar Wheelock,
Occum went to England, where he was to raise money for Wheelock’s
Indian charity school. He preached extensively for over a year,
traveling across England, and raising over eleven thousand pounds
from wealthy patrons including King George III. When he returned
from England, however, his family, supposedly under the care of
Wheelock, was found destitute, and the school for which he had
labored moved to Hanover, New Hampshire, where it became
Dartmouth College. The funds he had raised had been put toward the
education of Englishman rather than of Native Americans.

Following a disagreement with the colonial government of Connecticut
over a lack of compensation for lands they had sold, Occum and many
other Mohegans moved to Oneida territory in upstate New York.
There, he and his companions founded the Brothertown Community.
In his day, Occum was renowned for his eloquence and spiritual
wisdom, and his work among the Mohegans of Connecticut, many of
whom became Christians under this guidance, which helped them to
avoid later relocation.

Collects

I God, the Great Spirit, whose breath givest life to the world
and whose voice thundereth in the wind: We give thee
thanks for thy servant Samson Occum, strong preacher
and teacher among the Mohegan people; and we pray that
we, cherishing his example, may love learning and by love
build up the communities into which thou sendest us, and
on all our paths walk in beauty with Jesus Christ; who
with thee and the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.

II God, Great Spirit, whose breath gives life to the world
and whose voice thunders in the wind: We thank you
for your servant Samson Occum, strong preacher and
teacher among the Mohegan people; and we pray that
we, cherishing his example, may love learning and by love
build up the communities into which you send us, and on
all our paths walk in beauty with Jesus Christ; who with
you and the Holy Spirit, is alive and reigns, one God, now
and for ever. Amen.

Lessons
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 14:20–27
Acts 10:30–38
Luke 8:16–21

Psalm 29

Preface of Baptism

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Samson Occum-Related Links

More information about Occum and links to some of his works

The Mohegan Tribe heritage page

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July 13: Conrad Weiser, Witness to Peace and Reconciliation, 1760

July 13, 2010gcoffice26 Comments

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Conrad Weiser was an eighteenth century American diplomat who

worked for peace and reconciliation between the European settlers and

the native peoples of Pennsylvania. Of Lutheran descent, he was the

father-in-law of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (October 7).

Born in Germany in 1696, he immigrated to the United States as a

child. At 17, Weiser went to live among the Mohawks in New York

in order to learn their language and culture. He later made his way to

southeastern Pennsylvania where he learned customs and language of

the Iroquois.

Weiser eventually settled in the area that is now Reading,

Pennsylvania. He designed the layout of the city of Reading, is

numbered among the founders of Berks County, and served a long

tenure as the local judge. Like many people of his time, he had to

work at a variety of occupations in order to care for his family:

farmer, tanner, merchant, and real estate speculator. For a time Weiser

was enamored with the Seventh Day Baptist movement and took up

residence at Ephrata Cloister.

His knowledge of the Iroquois language and his natural diplomatic

gifts made him invaluable during the years of the settlement. He

negotiated land deeds and other treaties not only between Native

Americans and European settlers, he also did diplomatic work

between the various tribes of Native Americans and was often, but

not always, successful in keeping the peace among them. He advised

William Penn and Benjamin Franklin on matters related to Native

Americans and played an important role in keeping the Iroquois

sympathetic to the British cause during the French and Indian Wars.

At the time of Weiser’s death, an Iroquois leader was heard to remark,

“We are at a great loss and sit in darkness…as since his death we

cannot so well understand one another.”

Collects

I Almighty God, of thy grace thou didst endue Conrad

Weiser with the gift of diplomacy, the insight to

understand two different cultures and interpret each to the

other with clarity and honesty: As we strive to be faithful

to our vocation to commend thy kingdom, help us to

proclaim the Gospel to the many cultures around us, that

by thy Holy Spirit we may be effective ambassadors for

our Savior Jesus Christ; who with thee and the same Holy

Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

I Almighty God, of your grace you gave Conrad Weiser the

gift of diplomacy, the insight to understand two different

cultures and interpret each to the other with clarity and

honesty: As we strive to be faithful to our vocation to

commend your kingdom, help us to proclaim the Gospel

to the many cultures around us, that by your Holy Spirit

we may be effective ambassadors for our Savior Jesus

Christ; who with you and the same Holy Spirit lives and

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

Lessons

Job 5:8–9,20–27

2 Corinthians 5:16–20

John 16:33–17:5

Psalm 122

Preface of the Epiphany

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Conrad Weiser-Related Links

Conrad Weiser Homstead

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July 12: Nathan Söderblom, Archbishop of Uppsala and Ecumenist, 1931

July 12, 2010gcoffice6 Comments

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About this commemoration

Born in Sweden in 1866, Söderblom attended the University of
Uppsala and was ordained a priest in the (Lutheran) Church of
Sweden in 1893. From 1894-1901, he served as Pastor of the Swedish
Lutheran community in Paris, during which time he took his doctorate
in theology at the Sorbonne. He returned to Uppsala in 1902 to teach
and lead the School of Theology at the university. He was a highly
respected scholar and teacher, a prolific writer, and an early proponent
of the study of comparative religions.

To the surprise and dismay of many, he was appointed Archbishop
of Uppsala in 1914. It had been centuries since the senior bishops of
the Swedish Church had been passed over for the appointment, and
particularly notable since Söderblom was not a bishop. He served as
Archbishop of Uppsala until his death in 1931.

Söderblom took a great interest in the early liturgical renewal
movement among Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans. This
coincided with his deep commitment to the unity of the churches
of Christ and his passion for ecumenical advancement. In 1925 he
invited to Stockholm Episcopalian/Anglican, Reformed, Lutheran, and
Orthodox leaders and together they formed the Universal Christian
Council on Life and Work. Because of his effort and his tireless
advocacy of Christian unity, Söderblom is numbered among the
ecumenists whose efforts led eventually to the formation of the World
Council of Churches in 1948. He was a close friend and ecumenical
ally of Bishop George Bell (October 3). It was Söderblom’s advocacy
for church unity as a means toward world peace that earned him the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1930.

Archbishop Söderblom saw a profound connection between liturgical
worship, personal prayer, and social justice. A rich cohesion of these
elements was, in his mind, the foundation of a Christian commitment
well lived.

Collects

I Almighty God, we bless thy Name for the life and work
of Nathan Söderblom, Archbishop of Uppsala, who
helped to inspire the modern liturgical revival and worked
tirelessly for cooperation among Christians. Inspire us by
his example, that we may ever strive for the renewal of
thy Church in life and worship, for the glory of thy Name;
who with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit livest and
reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

II Almighty God, we bless your Name for the life and work
of Nathan Söderblom, Archbishop of Uppsala, who
helped to inspire the modern liturgical revival and worked
tirelessly for cooperation among Christians. Inspire us
by his example, that we may ever strive for the renewal
of your Church in life and worship, for the glory of your
Name; who with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit lives and
reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lessons

2 Kings 22:3–13
1 Corinthians 1:10–18
John 13:31–35

Psalm 133

Preface of Apostles

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July 11: Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino, c. 540

July 11, 2010gcoffice5 Comments

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About this commemoration

Benedict is generally accounted the father of western monasticism. He was born about 480, at Nursia in central Italy, and was educated at Rome. The style of life he found there disgusted him. Rome at this time was overrun by various barbarian tribes; the period was one of considerable political instability, a breakdown of western society, and the beginnings of barbarian kingdoms. Benedict’s disapproval of the manners and morals of Rome led him to a vocation of monastic seclusion. He withdrew to a hillside cave above Lake Subiaco, about forty miles west of Rome, where there was already at least one other monk. Gradually, a community grew up around Benedict. Sometime between 525 and 530, he moved south with some of his disciples to Monte Cassino, midway between Rome and Naples, where he established another community, and, about 540, composed his monastic Rule. He does not appear to have been ordained or to have contemplated the founding of an “order.” He died sometime

between 540 and 550 and was buried in the same grave as his sister, Scholastica.

No personality or text in the history of monasticism, it has been said, has occasioned more studies than Benedict and his rule. The major problem for historians is the question of how much of the rule is original. This is closely related to the question of the date of another, very similar but anonymous, rule for monks, known as the “Rule of the Master,” which may antedate Benedict’s Rule by ten years. This does not detract from the fact that Benedict’s firm but reasonable rule has been the basic source document from which most later monastic rules were derived. Its average day provides for a little over four hours to be spent in liturgical prayer, a little over five hours in spiritual reading, about six hours of work, one hour for eating, and about eight hours of sleep.

The entire Psalter is to be recited in the Divine Office once every week. At profession, the new monk takes vows of “stability, amendment of life, and obedience.” Pope Gregory the Great wrote Benedict’s “Life” in the second book of his Dialogues. He adopted Benedict’s monasticism as an instrument of evangelization when in 596 he sent Augustine and his companions to convert the Anglo-Saxon people. In the Anglican Communion today, the rules of many religious orders are influenced by Benedict’s rule.

Collects

I Almighty and everlasting God, whose precepts are the

wisdom of a loving Father: Give us grace, following the

teaching and example of thy servant Benedict, to walk

with loving and willing hearts in the school of the Lord’s

service; let thine ears be open unto our prayers; and

prosper with thy blessing the work of our hands; through

Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee

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

II Almighty and everlasting God, your precepts are the

wisdom of a loving Father: Give us grace, following the

teaching and example of your servant Benedict, to walk

with loving and willing hearts in the school of the Lord’s

service; let your ears be open to our prayers; and prosper

with your blessing the work of our hands; through Jesus

Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the

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

Lessons

Proverbs 2:1–9

Philippians 2:12–16

Luke 14:27–33

Psalm 119:129–136

Preface of a Saint (2)

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Links Related to Benedict of Nursia

Order of St. Benedict

St. Gregory’s Abbey, Three Rivers, Michigan

Friends of St. Benedict

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July 6: John Hus, Prophetic Witness and Martyr, 1415

July 6, 2010gcoffice19 Comments

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About this commemoration

John Hus (1372-1415) was a Czech priest who became leader of the Czech reform movement, which called for a return to scripture and living out of the word of God in one’s life. As preacher at Bethlehem Chapel in Prague, he talked to the people in their native language. Hundreds gathered every day to hear his call for personal and institutional reform.

Clerics he had offended had him exiled from Prague, but he continued his ministry through the written word. Hus took the radical step of appealing directly to Christ rather than to the hierarchy for the justification of his stance. When the Council of Constance opened in 1414, Hus traveled there hoping to clear his name of charges of heresy. Hus had been given a pledge of safe conduct from the emperor, but his enemies persuaded council officials to imprison him on the grounds that “promises made to heretics need not be kept.” Although several leaders of the Council of Constance were in favor of moderate church reform, the council’s prime objective was the resolution of the Great Western Schism, which had produced three rival popes at the same time. The council therefore tried to secure a speedy recantation and submission from Hus. He maintained that the charges against him were false or twisted versions of his teachings, and he could not recant opinions he had never held. Faced with an ultimatum to recant or die, Hus chose the latter. As he approached the stake on July 6, 1415, he refused a last attempt to get him to recant and said: “The principal intention of my preaching and of all my other acts or writings was solely that I might turn men from sin. And in that truth of the Gospel that I wrote, taught, and preached in accordance with the sayings and expositions of the holy doctors, I am willing gladly to die today.”

His death did not end the movement, and the Czech reformation continued. Hus’ rousing assertion “Truth will conquer!” is the motto of the Czech Republic today.

Collects

I Faithful God, who didst give John Hus the courage to

confess thy truth and recall thy Church to the image

of Christ: Enable us, inspired by his example, to bear

witness against corruption and never cease to pray for

our enemies, that we may prove faithful followers of our

Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and

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

II Faithful God, you gave John Hus the courage to confess

your truth and recall your Church to the image of Christ:

Enable us, inspired by his example, to bear witness against

corruption and never cease to pray for our enemies, that

we may prove faithful followers of our Savior Jesus Christ;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one

God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lessons

Job 22:21–30

Revelation 3:1–6

Matthew 23:34–39

Psalm 119:113–120

Preface of All Saints

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July 2: Walter Rauschenbusch, Washington Gladden, and Jacob Riis, Prophetic Witnesses, 1918, 1918, 1914

July 2, 2010gcoffice14 Comments

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About these commemorations:

Born the son of a German preacher in upstate New York, Walter Rauschenbusch’s childhood was steeped in traditional Protestant doctrine and biblical literalism. While attending Rochester Theological Seminary, he came to believe that Jesus died “to substitute love for selfishness as the basis of human society.” For Rauschenbusch, the Kingdom of God was “not a matter of getting individuals to heaven, but of transforming life on earth into the harmony of heaven.”

In works such as Theology for the Social Gospel (1917), Rauschenbusch enumerated the “social sins” which Jesus bore on the cross, including the combination of greed and political power, militarism, and class contempt. In 1892, he and some friends formed the Brotherhood of the Kingdom, a group whose mission was to open the eyes of the church to the reality of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Like Rauschenbusch, Washington Gladden’s ministry was dedicated to the realization of the Kingdom of God in this world. Gladden was the acting religious editor of the New York Independent, in which he exposed corruption in the New York political system. Gladden was the first American clergyman to approve of and support labor unions. In his capacity as Vice President of the American Missionary Association, he traveled to Atlanta where he met W.E.B. Dubois and he became an early opponent of segregation.

Though not a pastor like Rauschenbusch and Gladden, Jacob Riis’ “muckraker” journalism did much to awaken the nation to the plight of the urban poor. Born in Denmark in 1849, Riis arrived in New York City in 1870 as multitudes of immigrants flooded the city seeking work following the devastation of the Civil War. Riis found a job as a police reporter for the New York Tribune, and his work took him to the poorest, most crime-ridden parts of the city. Teaching himself photography, he combined word and image to display the devastating effects of poverty and crime on so many in New York. His work led future President Theodore Roosevelt, then City Police Commissioner, to close down the police-run poor houses in which Riis had struggled during his first months in New York.

Collects

I Loving God, who dost call us to do justice and love

kindness: we offer thanks for the witness of Walter

Rauschenbusch, Washington Gladden and Jacob Riis,

reformers of society; and we pray that, following their

examples of faithfulness to the Gospel, we may be ever

mindful of the suffering of those who are poor and work

diligently for the reform of our communities; through

Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and

reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

II Loving God, you call us to do justice and love kindness:

we thank you for the witness of Walter Rauschenbusch,

Washington Gladden and Jacob Riis, reformers of society;

and we pray that, following their examples of faithfulness

to the Gospel, we may be ever mindful of the suffering of

those who are poor and work diligently for the reform

of our communities; through Jesus Christ, who with you

and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and

ever. Amen.

Lessons

Isaiah 46:8–11, James 2:14–18 Matthew 7:7–12

Psalm 72:12–17

Preface of the Epiphany

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July 1: Harriet Beecher Stowe, Writer and Prophetic Witness, 1896

July 1, 2010gcoffice11 Comments

Welcome to the Holy Women, Holy Men blog! We invite you to read about this commemoration, use the collect and lessons in prayer, whether individually or in corporate worship, then tell us what you think. For more information about this project, click here.

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For more information about Harriet Beecher Stowe, you might visit:

http://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/

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About this commemoration:

Harriet Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811, and from an early age was influenced by the humanitarian efforts of her famous parents. Her father, Lyman Beecher, was known for his zealous preaching and involvement with the temperance movement, while her mother, Roxana Foote Beecher, ran a school for girls and publicly advocated for the intellectual development of women. Her sister Catharine led the women’s opposition against the Jackson administration’s Indian
Removal Bill.

Harriet Beecher Stowe was an outspoken critic of slavery, an institution that she believed to be fundamentally incompatible with the theology of her Calvinist upbringing. An author of many works, she is justly famous for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852), a sermonlike work that chronicled the life of a slave family in the south. In particular, it recounted the tragic consequences of slavery on families, consequences that were for Stowe to be counted as one of the worst evils of slavery. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the bestselling book of the nineteenth century, and was influential in both America and Britain.

Stowe’s book inspired anti-slavery movements in the North and provoked widespread anger in the South. Her work intensified the sectional conflicts that would eventually lead to the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, upon meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe, was alleged to have said, “So this is the little lady who started this great war!”

Stowe’s book, together with her public anti-slavery work, was largely responsible for bringing the evils of slavery to light not only in America, but in Britain, Europe, even Russia. Tolstoy greatly esteemed her work and her moral courage, heaping lavish praise on her. She was renowned then, as now, for her boldness and willingness to expose the harsh realities of slavery to the public eye.

Collects
I Gracious God, we offer thanks for the witness of Harriett
Beecher Stowe, whose fiction inspired thousands with
compassion for the shame and sufferings of enslaved
peoples, and who enriched her writings with the cadences
of The Book of Common Prayer. Help us, like her, to strive
for thy justice, that our eyes may see the glory of thy Son,
Jesus Christ, when he comes to reign with thee and the
Holy Spirit in reconciliation and peace, one God, now and
always. Amen.

II Gracious God, we thank you for the witness of Harriett
Beecher Stowe, whose fiction inspired thousands with
compassion for the shame and sufferings of enslaved
peoples, and who enriched her writings with the cadences
of The Book of Common Prayer. Help us, like her, to strive
for your justice, that our eyes may see the glory of your
Son, Jesus Christ, when he comes to reign with you and
the Holy Spirit in reconciliation and peace, one God, now
and always. Amen.

Lessons
Isaiah 26:7–13
1 Peter 3:8–12
Matthew 23:1–12

Psalm 94:16-23

Preface of Advent

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