Seasons and Observances

The Episcopal Church observes liturgical seasons and commemorates various saints and important people in the church's history.  The following is information about the current liturgical season and the observances for the month of January 2010.  We are currently in liturgical year "C" and office cycle "2."  Observances are taken from Lesser Feasts and Fasts, 2003.  While all observances are listed, please note that most observances that fall on a Sunday are either omitted or moved to the next available day.

Season of Epiphany

The Epiphany season (from the Greek for “manifestation”) begins on January 6, the day of  The Epiphany.  Its length depends on the date of Easter.  It can be up to nine weeks in length and commemorates the manifestation of Christ as a divine being and His ministry to mankind.  The liturgical colors are white and gold for through the first Sunday and green thereafter.

February 1
Brigid (Bride) (Omitted for 2009)

Next to Patrick, Brigid is the most beloved of Irish saints. Born at Fauchart about the middle of the fifth century, she may have met Patrick as a young girl. She was said to be the daughter of Dubhthach, poet laureate of King Loeghaire, and was reared in a Druid household. She decided early in life to dedicate her life to God alone as a Christian. She received a nun's veil from Bishop Macaile of Westmeath. Gathering around her a group of women, Brigid, in 470, founded a nunnery at Kildare, a place whose name meant "Church of the Oak". To secure the sacraments, Brigid persuaded the anchorite Conlacd to receive episcopal ordination and to bring his community of monks to Kildare, thus establishing the only known Irish double monastery of men and women. Many stories are told of Brigid's concern for the poor and needy. When a leper woman asked for milk she was healed also of her infirmity. Two blind men were given their sight. Best known is the tale that tells of Brigid's taming of a wolf at the request of a local chieftain whose pet dog had been killed accidentally by a peasant. The Gaelic name given to the oyster-catching bird, galle-brigade, attests to her affinity for birds. Her feast day itself, February 1, was long held sacred as Imbolg, the Celtic festival of Spring. Brigid died about 523 at Kildare. Brigid, also known as Bride, was very popular both in Scotland and England, where many churches have been dedicated to her. 

February 2
The Presentation of Our Lord

This Feast is sometimes known as the Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin, and  sometimes as Candlemas. In the Eastern Church it has been called the Meeting of Christ with Simeon. Such a variety of names is sufficient testimony to the wealth of spiritual meaning that generations of Christians have discovered in this small incident. The title, "The Presentation," reminds us of the Jewish law (Exodus 12:2; 22:29) that every firstborn son had to be dedicated to God in memory of the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt, when the firstborn sons of the Egyptians died and those of Israel were spared. When Mary placed her small son into the arms of Simeon, it was the meeting of the Old and New Dispensations. The old sacrifices, the burnt offerings and oblations, were done away; a new and perfect offering had come into the temple. God had provided himself a lamb for the burnt-offering (Genesis 22:8), his only Son. The offering was to be made once for all on the cross. At every Eucharist those who are in Christ recall that sinless offering and unite "themselves, their souls and bodies" with the self-oblation of their Lord and Savior. 

February 3
Anskar - Archbishop of Hamburg, Missionary to Denmark & Sweden, 865

Anskar (Latinized as Ansgarius) was one of those valiant Christians of whom it might be said, "These shall plant the seed, but others shall reap the harvest." As Archbishop of Hamburg, he was papal legate for missionary work among the Scandinavians. Anskar was born in Corbie, France, in 801, and educated in the outstanding monastic school there. His teaching skill led him to be chosen master of a new monastery school, sent out by Corbie, in Saxon Germany. His strongest call, however, was to be a missionary. When King Harald of Denmark sought missionaries for that country in 826, Anskar was one of those selected. Anskar established a school and mission in Denmark, working conscientiously but unsuccessfully to convert and evangelize. He was not totally discouraged. Shortly afterward (about 829), he was called to Sweden and eagerly accepted. Meager aid both from the monastery and the emperor frustrated his efforts.  While still a young man, Anskar was consecrated Archbishop of Hamburg in 831, and continued his work among the Scandinavians until 848, when he retired to the See of Bremen. The seeds of his efforts were not to bear fruit until over one hundred years later, when Viking devastation, weakness in the Frankish Church, and the lowest ebb of missionary enthusiasm, came to an end. The rich harvest of conversion was three generations away. Nevertheless, Anskar is looked upon by Scandinavians as their apostle. 

February 4
Cornelius the Centurion

All that we know about Cornelius is contained in the Acts of the Apostles (chapters 10-11 ). He was the first Gentile converted to the Christian faith, along with his household. A centurion was commander of a company of one hundred men in the Roman army, responsible for their discipline, both on the field of battle and in camp. A centurion was a Roman citizen, a military career man, well-paid, and generally noted for courage and competence. Some centurions, such as Cornelius, and those whom we know about from the Gospel narratives, were men of deep religious piety. The author of Acts considered Cornelius' conversion very momentous for the future of Christianity. He records that it occurred as the result of divine intervention and revelation, and as a response to the preaching of Peter the chief apostle. The experience of Cornelius' household was regarded as comparable to a new Pentecost, and it was a primary precedent for the momentous decision of the apostolic council, held in Jerusalem a few years later, to admit Gentiles to full and equal partnership with Jewish converts in the household of faith. According to tradition, Cornelius was the second Bishop of Caesarea, the metropolitan see of Palestine. Undoubtedly, Cornelius and his household formed the nucleus of the first Church in this important city, a Church that was gathered by Philip the Evangelist (Acts 8:40 and 21:8). 

February 5
The Martyrs of Japan

The introduction of Christianity into Japan in the sixteenth century, first by the Jesuits under Francis Xavier, and then by the Franciscans, has left exciting records of heroism and self-sacrifice in the annals of Christian missionary endeavor. It has been estimated that by the end of that century there were about 300,000 baptized believers in Japan. Unfortunately, these initial successes were compromised by rivalries among the religious orders; and the interplay of colonial politics, both within Japan and between Japan and the Spanish and Portuguese. After a half century of ambiguous support by some of the powerful Tokugawa shoguns, the Christian enterprise suffered cruel persecution and suppression. The first victims were six Franciscan friars and twenty of their converts, who were crucified at Nagasaki, February 5, 1597. By 1630, what was left of Christianity in Japan was driven underground. Yet it is remarkable that two hundred and fifty years later there were found many men and women, without priests, who had preserved through the generations a vestige of Christian faith. 

February 13
Absalom Jones - Priest, 1818

Absalom Jones was born a house slave in 1746 in Delaware. He taught himself to read out of the New Testament, among other books.  At twenty, he married another slave, and purchased her freedom with his earnings  in 1784.   In 1787, Black Christians organized the Free African Society, the first organized Afro-American society, and Absalom Jones and Richard Allen were elected overseers. Members of the Society paid monthly dues for the benefit of those in need. The Society established communication with similar Black groups in other cities and began to build a church, which was dedicated on July 17, 1794. The African Church applied for membership in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.  In October 1794 it was admitted as St. Thomas African Episcopal Church. Bishop White ordained Jones as deacon in 1795 and as priest on September 21, 1802 .  His constant visiting and mild manner that made him beloved by his own flock and by the community. St. Thomas Church grew to over 500 members during its first year. Known as "the Black Bishop of the Episcopal Church," Jones was an example of persistent faith in God and in the Church as God's instrument. 

February 14
Cyril and Methodius - Monk and Bishop, Missionaries to the Slavs, 869, 885

Cyril and Methodius, brothers born in Thessalonika, are honored as apostles to the southern Slavs and as the founders of Slavic literary culture. Cyril was a student of philosophy and a deacon, who eventually became a missionary monastic. Methodius was first the governor of a Slavic colony, then turned to the monastic life, and was later elected abbot of a monastery in Constantinople. In 862, the King of Moravia asked for missionaries who would teach his people in their native language. Since both Cyril and Methodius knew Slavonic, and both were learned men the Patriarch chose them to lead the mission. As part of his task among the Moravians, Cyril invented an alphabet to transcribe the native tongue, probably the "glagolithic," in which Slavo-Roman liturgical books in Russian and Serbian are still written. The so-called "cyrillic" alphabet is thought to have been originated by Cyril's followers. Pressures by the German clergy, who opposed the brothers' teaching, preaching, and writing in Slavonic, and the lack of a bishop to ordain new priests for their people, caused the two brothers to seek foreign help. They found a warm welcome at Rome from Pope Adrian the Second, who determined to ordain both men bishops and approved the Slavonic liturgy. Cyril died in Rome and was buried there. Methodius, now a bishop, returned to Moravia as Metropolitan of Sirmium. Methodius completed a Slavonic translation of the Bible and of Byzantine ecclesiastical law, while continuing his missionary activities. At his funeral, celebrated in Greek, Latin, and Slavonic, "the people came together in huge numbers . . . for Methodius had been all things to all people that he might lead them all to heaven." 

February 15
Thomas Bray - Priest and Missionary, 1730 (Omitted for 2009)

In 1696, Thomas Bray, an English country parson, was invited by the Bishop of London to be responsible for the oversight of Church work in the colony of Maryland. Three years later, as the Bishop's Commissary, he sailed to America for his first, and only, visitation. Though he spent only two and a half months in Maryland, Bray was deeply concerned about the neglected state of the American churches, and the great need for the education of clergymen, lay people, and children. At a general visitation of the clergy at Annapolis, before his return to England, he emphasized the need for the instruction of children, and insisted that no clergyman be given a charge unless he had a good report from the ship he came over in. His understanding of, and concern for, Native Americans and Blacks were far ahead of his time. He founded thirty-nine lending libraries in America, as well as numerous schools. He raised money for missionary work and influenced young English priests to go to America. Bray tried hard to have a bishop consecrated for America, but failed. His greatest contributions were the founding of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, both of which are still effectively in operation after two and a half centuries of work all over the world. 

The Season of Lent

The Season of Lent begins forty days before Easter on Ash Wednesday.  Lent is a time for contemplation of our weakness and sinful nature.  It serves to remind us how God in His love has provided a way for our redemption.  Frequently additional weekly services are scheduled, such as The Stations of the Cross, so that we may spend more time in prayerful contemplation and worship.  The custom of “giving up” something for Lent recalls Christ’s fast in the wilderness and His giving up His mortal life for our sins.  A new custom that has become popular is to emphasize increased spiritual devotion and to do some “good” acts in addition to what you normally do for others.  The liturgical colors for Lent are violet or purple. 

February 17
Ash Wednesday

On Ash Wednesday it is the custom to be marked on the forehead with ashes made from burnt palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.  The ashes remind us of our own mortality by the words that are said when we are marked: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.”

The observances below may be  omitted for Lent

February 17
Janani Luwum Archbishop of Uganda, and Martyr, 1977

Janani Luwum was born in 1922 at Acholi in Uganda, near the Sudanese border. After his early years as a teacher and lay reader in Gulu, he was sent to St. Augustine's College, Canterbury. He was ordained priest in 1956 and returned to Uganda to assume responsibility for twenty‑four congregations. After several years of service that included work at a local theological college, Luwum returned to England on scholarship for further study at the London College of Divinity.  In 1969 Luwum became Bishop of Northern Uganda, where he was a faithful visitor to his parishes as well as a growing influence at international gatherings of the Anglican Communion. In 1974 he was elected Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, a Boga, Zaire. Luwum's new position brought him into direct contact and eventual confrontation with the Ugandan military dictator, Idi Amin, as the Archbishop sought to protect his people from the brutality of Amin's regime. In August of 1976 Makerere University was sacker by government troops. With Archbishop Luwum as their chair, the Christian leaders of the country drafted a strong memorandum of protest against officially sanctioned rape and murder.  In early February 1977 the Archbishop's residence was searched for arms by government security forces. On February 16 President Amin summoned Luwum to his palace. He went there, accompanied by other Anglican bishops and by the Roman Catholic cardinal arch' and a senior leader of the Muslim community. After being accuse of complicity in a plot to murder the President, most of the cleric were allowed to leave. However, Archbishop Luwum was ordered remain behind.  He was never seen alive again.  The following day the government announced that he had been killed automobile accident while resisting arrest. Only after some week; passed was his bullet‑riddled body released to his family for burial.  

February 18
Martin Luther - Reformer, 1546

Martin Luther was born November 10, 1483. His intellectual abilities were evident early, and his father planned a career for him in law.  Luther's real interest lay elsewhere, however, and in 1505 he entered the  local Augustinian monastery. He was ordained a priest April 3, 1507.  In October 1512 Luther received his doctorate in theology, and shortly afterward he was installed as a professor of biblical studies at the University of Wittenberg.  His lectures on the Bible were popular, and within a few years he made the university a center for biblical humanism.  As a result of his theological and biblical studies he called into question the practice of selling indulgences.  On the eve of All Saints' Day, October 31, 1517, he posted on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg the notice of an academic debate on indulgences, listing 95 theses for discussion. As the effects of the theses became evident, the Pope called upon the Augustinian order to discipline their member. After a series of meetings, political maneuvers, and attempts at reconciliation, Luther, at a meeting with the papal legate in 1518, refused to recant.  Luther was excommunicated on January 3, 1521.  The Emperor Charles V summoned him to the meeting of the Imperial Diet at Worms.  There Luther resisted all efforts to make him recant, insisting that he had to be proved in error on the basis of Scripture. The Diet passed an edict calling for the arrest of Luther. Luther's own prince, the Elector Frederick of Saxony, however, had him spirited away and placed for safekeeping in his castle, the Wartburg.  Here Luther translated the New Testament into German and began the translation of the Old Testament. He then turned his attention to the organization of worship and education.  He introduced congregational singing of hymns, composing many himself, and issued model orders of services. He published his large and small catechisms for instruction in the faith. During the years from 1522 to his death, Luther wrote a prodigious quantity of books, letters, sermons and tracts. Luther died on February 18, 1546. 

February 23
Polycarp - Bishop and Martyr of Smyrna, 156

Polycarp was one of the leaders of the Church who carried on the tradition of the apostles through the troubled period of Gnostic heresies in the second century. According to Irenaeus,  Polycarp was a pupil of John, "the disciple of the Lord," and had been appointed a bishop by "apostles in Asia." An authentic account of the martyrdom of Polycarp on February 23 is also preserved. The account tells of Polycarp's courageous witness in the amphitheater at Smyrna. When the proconsul asked him to curse Christ, Polycarp said, "Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" The account reports that the magistrate was reluctant to kill the gentle and harmless old man, but his hand was forced by the mob.   Polycarp was burned at the stake.  Before his ordeal, he is reported to have looked up to heaven, and to have prayed: "Lord God Almighty, Father of your beloved and blessed child Jesus Christ, through whom we have received knowledge of you, God of angels and hosts and all creation, and of the whole race of the upright who live in your presence, I bless you that you have thought me worthy of this day and hour, to be numbered among the martyrs and share in the cup of Christ, for resurrection to eternal life, for soul and body in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit. Among them may I be accepted before you today, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, just as you, the faithful and true God, have prepared and foreshown and brought about. For this reason and for all things I praise you, I bless you, I glorify you, through the eternal heavenly high priest Jesus Christ, your beloved child, through whom be glory to you, with him and the Holy Spirit, now and for the ages to come. Amen." 

Friday, February 24
Saint Matthias the Apostle

In the nine days of waiting between Jesus' Ascension and the Day of Pentecost, the disciples remained together in prayer. During this time, Peter reminded them that the defection and death of Judas had left the fellowship of the Twelve with a vacancy. The Acts of the Apostles records Peter's proposal that "one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection" (Acts 1:22). Two men were nominated, Joseph called Barsabbas who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. After prayer, the disciples cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias who was then enrolled with the eleven. Nothing further is told of Matthias after his selection. According to tradition he was an exemplary Apostle, but we know nothing more. Matthias seems an appropriate example to Christians of one whose  faithful service is unheralded and unsung.

February 27
George Herbert - Priest, 1633

George Herbert is famous for his poems and his prose work. He is portrayed by his biographer Izaak Walton as a model of the saintly parish priest. Herbert was born in 1593, a member of an ancient family, a cousin of the Earl of Pembroke, and acquainted with King James the First and Prince (later King) Charles. Herbert had begun studying divinity in his early twenties, and in 1626 he took Holy Orders. King Charles provided him with a living as rector of the parishes of Fugglestone and Bemerton in 1630.  Herbert was unselfish in his devotion and service to others. Izaak Walton writes that many of the parishioners "let their plow rest when Mr. Herbert's saints-bell rung to prayers, that they might also offer their devotion to God with him." His words, "Nothing is little in God's service," have reminded Christians again and again that everything in daily life, small or great, may be a means of serving and worshipping God.

2010-02-01