HOLY MEN & HOLY WOMEN

BY NORM EWERS

CYRIL (ca.313-386) Bishop of Jerusalem

Cyril of Jerusalem was a distinguished theologian of the early Church. He is a venerated saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. Cyril was ordained deacon about 335; and priest about eight years later. About 349 he succeeded Saint Maximus in the See of Jerusalem.

Cyril is the one we have to thank for the development of catachetical instruction and liturgical observance during Lent and Holy Week. His famous twenty-three Catachetical Lectures were probably written between 348 and 350 when he was still a Presbyter. They contain instructions on the principal topics of Christian faith and practice and full of a warm pastoral love and care for the catechumens to which they were delivered. The last five of his lectures dealt with Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist in which he maintained the bread and wine were not mere elements but the body and blood of Christ.

It is likely that it was Cyril who instituted the observance of Palm Sunday and Holy Week during the latter years of his episcopate. Pilgrims, impressed by Cyril’s Easter practices, returned to their homes to influence the development of Holy Week observances throughout the entire Church. Cyril’s thought greatly enriched the observance of Holy in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.

Cyril’s episcopacy ws not without its troubles, however. He was caught up in the conflict between those (like him) who supported the Nicene Creed and those (like his superior, the Metropolitan Acacius of Caesarea) who supported Arianism, (which held that Jesus Christ was a “created being” less than God). Between 358 and 367 Cyril was deposed into exile three times for his Nicene practices. In 381 the First Council of Constantinople, however, expressly confirmed Cyril’s jurisdiction over Jerusalem. And, the Emperor Gratian returned Cyril to his Jerusalem Episcopate for the last time where he remained until his death in Jerusalem March 18, 386.

The life of Saint Cyril will be celebrated at the regular 12 Noon Holy Eucharist with Healing, Thursday, March 18, 2010

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MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546)

Priest, Scholar, Reformer

Martin Luther was born November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Saxony the eldest son of an affluent German family. He was a bright child who received the classical education typical of his time. He planned to be a lawyer but changed his mid near the end of his university studies, influenced by the religious revival then sweeping through Europe. He decided to seek a life in holy orders and in 1507 was ordained a priest. In 1512 Luther received the doctor of divinity degree and shortly thereafter was installed as a professor of biblical studies at the new University of Wittenberg.

In 1516 Martin Luther was enjoying the life of an immensely popular humanist professor. His course of lectures on the Bible brought him fame as a teacher. He also was a district vicar and preached daily in the parish church. Things were about to change, however.

At that time it was the doctrine of the church that only such faith as is active in charity and good works can justify man. The benefits of good works could be obtained by donating money to the church. This same year Pope Leo X sent his papal commissioner for indulgences to Wittenberg to sell indulgences, (a “good work” that would excuse a donor’s former sins) to raise money to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Luther objected vehemently to this practice. He insisted that forgiveness was God’s alone to grant, that those who claimed indulgences absolved sinful donors from all punishments were in error.
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On October 31, 1517 Luther wrote the Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg protesting the sale of indulgences as a scholarly objection to this church practice. Attached to this letter was his “Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” which came to be known as The 95 Theses Thesis 86, which asked, “Why does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Croesus, build this basilica of St. Peter with the money of poor believers rather than his own money?” was particularly objectionable to the church hierarchy. As it was the practice of the university to advertise matters subject to scholarly debate Luther’s theses were posted on the door of All Saints Church for all to read. They were an instant sensation.

Luther’s Theses were condemned by the church hierarchy as heretical and Luther was ordered to recant, which he stoutly refused to do on several occasions. They were quickly translated into French and English and through the miracle Gutenberg’s new printing press, circulated throughout Europe. They were also seized upon by other disaffected laity and clergy and taken in directions never intended by the conservative Luther, who intended only correct certain practices of the church, not withdraw from it completely.

The Pope declared Martin Luther a heretic and on January 3, 1521 excommunicated him. The Diet of Worms ordered his arrest which, if carried out, would surely have resulted in trial, conviction and death. He was rescued from this fate, however, by Elector Frederick of Saxony who spirited him to his castle at Wartburg where he remained hidden for ten months. During this time Luther translated the New Testament from Latin to German .and poured out doctrinal and polemic writings. In March 1522 Luther returned to Wittenberg during a period of unrest to successfully defend core Christian values and ease a tense situation.

Martin Luther denied the infallible authority of the pope, mandatory confessions, the treatment of the Mass as a sacrifice read in Latin and not as a gift read in German, the unbreakable vows taken by monks and nuns and urged other reforms including the right of priests to marry. He also clashed with other reformers on matters of church doctrine. On June 13, 1525, at age 41, Martin Luther married 26 year-old Katherine von Boal a nun he helped escape from a Cistercian convent. She bore him 6 children, four of whom lived to adulthood. Their home was a happy one that included several orphaned nieces and nephews, and poor students Luther supported. Luther continued through his lifetime to teach, preach and write, including translating the Old Testament from Latin into German. He died February 18, 1546 at age 62 while on a visit to Eisleben, his hometown. His body was taken to Wittenberg where it was buried in All Saints Church where his 95 theses are now inscribed on its bronze doors.

Luther’s spark that ignited the Reformation was arguably the second most important single event in the history of Christianity. The Reformation raged through northern Europe for 100 years; it shattered the united church of the Middle Ages; it resulted a 30 Years War, it strengthened the mercantile and industrial class while weakening that of the peasants, It established the divine right of kings and the subordination of church to state.

The life of Martin Luther will be celebrated at the regular Noon Holy Eucharist with Healing, Thursday, February 18, 2010.

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LEO THE GREAT (400-461)

Bishop of Rome

Born in Tuscany of an aristocratic family, at a time when the Western Roman Empire was in shambles, Leo, nevertheless received a good education and was ordained a deacon, responsible for looking after church possessions, managing the grain dole, and generally administering finances. His abilities earned him considerable respect.

In 440, Leo was unanimously elected Pope, the earliest pope of the Roman Catholic Church to receive the title “Great.” He is perhaps best remembered for having met Attila the Hun outside Rome in 452, and persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Western Europe. Leo is also a “Doctor of the Church.”

The significance of Leo’s pontificate lies in his assertion of the universal authority of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the doctrine of Petrine supremacy. Leo was an uncompromising foe of heresy. He forced the Pelagians (Original sin did not taint human nature from birth. Sinners are criminals who need pardon.) to abjure their errors before a synod. In 440, the Manicheans (Knowledge is the key to salvation), fleeing the Vandals, came to Rome. Leo proceeded against them by debating their representatives, burning their books and warning Roman Christians against them.

Leo had tremendous influence over the Council of Chalcedon (451) which found that “our Lord Jesus Christ (is) at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man…” (See BCP p. 864) The assembled bishops declared, “Peter has spoken through Leo.”

Leo’s letters and sermons reflect the many aspects of his career and personality including his great personal influence for good, and are invaluable historical sources. His rhythmic prose style, called cursus leonicus, influenced ecclesiastical language for centuries.

The life of Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome, will be celebrated at the regular Peace Mass, 7:30am, Tuesday, November 10, 2009

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DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER (c1847-1931)

Cheyenne Warrior, Deacon, Missionary

David Pendleton Oakerhater was born in the Indian Territory (later the State of Oklahoma), the second of three sons of Sleeping Wolf and Wah Nach. His Indian name was O-kuh-ha-tuh (Sun Dancer) and he was raised as a traditional Cheyenne boy.

At age 14 Sun Dancer became a Cheyenne warrior who fought against the United States government with warriors of other tribes to protect their land from settlers, buffalo poachers and horse thieves. He distinguished himself for bravery and leadership as an officer in an elite corps of Cheyenne fighters.

At the conclusion of the Red River War of 1874-1875 which pacified the last Native American militants in the Indian Territory, Sun Dancer and twenty-seven other warrior leaders surrendered at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. They were charged with inciting rebellion and imprisoned under brutal conditions in a disused military prison in Florida. There, they were fortunate to fall under the charge of Captain Richard Henry Pratt, a compassionate Army officer who risked his career because he believed that Native Americans were deserving of support and respect, and could be assimilated as full members of society. He fostered their education, the learning of the English language and the improvement of and release from their confinement.

Captain Pratt’s example and that of other concerned Christians moved the young warrior to transform his leadership into a lifelong ministry of peace. Sun Dancer and three other prisoners went north to study for the ministry. In 1878 he was baptized in Syracuse, New York and took the name David Pendleton Oakerhater. In 1881 David was ordained to the deaconate.

Soon after his ordination David returned to Oklahoma were he became known as “God’s Warrior” and said to his people “I come back…to tell you to go with me now in this new road, a war that makes all for peace.” He was instrumental in founding schools and missions and continued his ministry of service, education and pastoral care until his death on August 31, 1931, often in the face of church hierarchy apathy and governmental resistance. He was married twice and had five children most of whom died young.

The life of David Pendleton Oakerhater will be celebrated at the 7:30am Peace Mass, Tuesday, September 1, 2009.

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WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE (1836-1918)

Priest, Theologian, Professor

William Porcher DuBose was probably the most original and creative thinker the American Episcopal Church has ever produced.

He was born into a wealthy and cultured Huguenot family. He grew up on his family’s 2,500 acre plantation near Winnsboro, South Carolina. He began his education at Mount Zion College in Winnsboro.

At age 15 he entered the South Carolina Military College (The Citadel). By his final year (1855) he was the ranking cadet officer and the Assistant Professor of English. It was at the Citadel that he had a “conversion experience” he described as “a light shone about me and a Presence filled the room. At the same time, ineffable joy and peace took possession of me which it is impossible to either express or explain.”

In 1856 DuBose entered the University of Virginia, graduating in 1859 with a Master of Arts degree. At UVA he acquired a fluency in Greek and other languages that helped him lay the foundation for understanding the New Testament Upon graduation, he entered the diocesan seminary at Camden, South Carolina. It was during DuBose’s seminary studies that the American Civil War broke out.

DuBose signed up with South Carolina’s Holcombe Legion. At the Battle of Second Manassas he was wounded twice. For a portion of 1862 Dubose was a prisoner of war. In December 1862 he was wounded once more. In 1863 he married Anne Barnwell Peronneau, Through family friends and church contacts, he obtained a commission as a Chaplain in the Confederate Army and joined Keneshaw’s Brigade in Greeneville, Tennessee.

After the war, DuBose served at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church near Winnsboro. While there, he also taught Greek at nearby Mt. Zion College. From 1871-1893 Dubose served at the University of the South as Chaplain and Professor of Moral Science and Evidences of the Christian Religion. He helped establish the School of Theology and served at its Dean from 1894 to 1908. Anne Barnwell DuBose died in 1878.

He later married Maria Louise Rucks Yerger.Doctrine and life were always in close relationship for DuBose. From 1870-1912 he wrote six books and over forty published articles probing the inner meaning of the Gospels, the Epistles of Paul, and the Epistle to the Hebrew. His writings made him respected, not only in his own country, but also in England and France. By his own account they reflected the great religious movements of the nineteenth century; the Tractarianism of Oxford; the liberalism of F.D. Maurice; the scholarship of the Germans, and the evangelical spirit that was so pervasive at the time.

The life of William Porcher DuBose will be celebrated at the regular Peace Mass; 7:30am,Tuesday, August 18, 2009.

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WILLIAM WILBERFORCE (1759-1833)

British politician, philanthropist, Evangelical Anglican

William Wilberforce was born into an affluent family in Hull, Yorkshire.

He was educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge. Hs political career began in 1780 when he became an independent member of Parliament for Yorkshire.

In 1784 he underwent a conversion experience and became an Evangelical Anglican, resulting in major changes to his lifestyle and a lifelong concern for reform. In 1787 he came into contact with a group of anti-slave-trade activists. He took on the cause of abolition and became one of the leading English abolitionists.

For 26 years he headed the parliamentary campaign against British slave trade until passage of the Slave Trade act of 1807. In later years Wilberforce supported the campaign for the complete abolition of slavery that resulted in the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act that abolished slavery in most of the British Empire
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William Wilberforce was such a formidable power for good that his countrymen came to recognize in a man of heroic greatness. Upon his death in 1833 he was buried in Westminster Abbey close to his friend William Pitt. His life will be celebrated at the regular noon Eucharist with Healing, Thursday, July 30, 2009

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COLUMBA (521-597)
Abbot of Iona

Columba was an outstanding figure aong Gaelic missionary monks and is credited with introducing Christianity to the Scottish Picts during the early Medieval Period.

Columba was born December 7, 521 in County Donegal, Ireland. As a young man he entered the monastic life and was ordained to the presbytery in 551. He studied under Saint Finian at Clonard Abbey on the River Boyne where, in the Sixth Century, some of the most significant names in the history of Irish Christianity studied. Columba was one of twelve of Finian’s students who became known as the Apostles of Ireland.

Sometime around 560 Columba became involved in a dispute with Finian over possession of a Psalter he was copying. The dispute eventually led, in 561, to the Battle of Cid Dreimhne where many men were killed. A synod of clerics and scholars threatened Colmba with excommunication for these deaths but relented when Saint Brendan of Birr spoke on his behalf and permitted him to go into voluntary exile as a missionary.

In 563 Columba and twelve companions landed in Britain on the southern tip of Kintyre peninsula where they were kindly received. They moved further up the west coast of Scotland and Columba was granted land on the island of Iona. There, he established his celebrate monastery. He and his companions set about converting the Picts and founding other monasteries. Iona became a center of learning in the region and a school for missionaries. As a respected holy man, Columba also played an important diplomatic role among the Scottish clans.

Columba was a leading figure in revitalizing monasticism and bringing Celtic Christianity to Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. For over thirty years Columba studied, wrote hymns, transcribed books and directed the work of his monastery.

Columba died at his desk on June 9, 597 and is buried in the abbey he created. His life will be celebrated at the regular Peace Mass, 7:30 AM, Tuesday, June 9, 2009.

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DUNSTAN
(c. 909-988)
Archbishop of Canterbury
(960-978)

Dunstan was born in the Somerset village of Baltonsbury to a noble family with English royal and church connections. From an early age he showed an interest in the monastic life and the pursuit of learning. He is also reputed to have been a skilled craftsman in the working of metals. Legend has it that in an encounter with the devil he overpowered the devil and nailed a horseshoe to his foot, which became the basis of the belief that a horseshoe nailed over a doorway brings good luck and safety. Dunstan is the patron saint of blacksmiths, goldsmiths, locksmiths and musicians
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Dunstan became a monk at an early age and Abbot of Glastonbury in 943. He advanced up the church hierarchy under a succession of English rulers. His most important work began in 960 when King Edgar appointed him Archbishop of Canterbury and he became the king’s virtual Prime Minister.

He initiated a number of church reforms: Monks were required to live celibate lives in a spirit of self sacrifice, Simony, the practice of selling ecclesiastic office for money, was forbidden, Clerics had to be qualified before being appointed to office. Under his leadership clergy were better educated and disciplined, landed family interest in the church ended, former monasteries were restored, monastic life for women was revived, and liturgical worship became more ordered and elaborate.

As Prime Minister under a reform-minded king he saw monks replace the secular Canons in great cathedrals, the laws respected, trained police and a navy to protect England’s shores from Viking raiders. The kingdom was remarkably peaceful during this period.

Upon Edgar’s death in 975 reform came to an end. Reactionary nobles attacked the reformist monks. In 978 Edgar’s successor, Eadweard was assassinated. Under his successor, Ethelred-the-Unready, Dunstan’s influence at Court ended. At Ethlred’s coronation Dustan prophesied the misfortunes that shortly followed, and retired to Canterbury. He devoted the remaining ten years of his life to serving the spiritual well-being of his people. Dunstan died May 19, 988 and was buried in Canterbury Cathedral. The English people so revered him that shortly after his death they declared him their favorite Saint. The long-term effects of his tenth-century reforms resulted in two distinctly English institutions: the “monastic cathedral’ and “monk bishops.”

The life of Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, will be celebrated at the regular Tuesday Peace Mass, 7:30am., May 19, 2009.

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SAINT ANSELM (1033-1109)
Archbishop of Canterbury

Anselm, an Italian medieval philosopher, theologian, and church official who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109, was a giant of the Medieval Western Church. He is credited with being the father of scholasticism, the dominant form of Western theology and philosophy in the Middle Ages, which aimed to reconcile Christian theology with the Greek philosophy of Aristotle. Anselm was born in Aosta, Kingdom of Burgundy (northern Italy).

At age 15 he desired to enter a monastery but his unbearably harsh father refused to give his consent. In 1059 he left home, crossed the Alps and wandered through France and came to the Benedictine Abbey of Bec in Normandy. The next year he entered the abbey as a novice at age twenty-seven. In 1078 Anselm was elected Abbot.

Under Anselm’s jurisdiction, Bec became the first seat of learning in Europe, and he wrote the first of his works of philosophy, the Monologian and the Proslogion. During this fifteen year period the monastery flourished, and, after the Norman Conquest, acquired large properties in England. He visited these properties and was considered by many the natural successor to his former mentor, Lanfranc, as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Upon the death of Lanfranc, William II (William the Conqueror’s son) seized the possessions and revenues of the see and made no new appointment until in 1093, when becoming ill, he sought to make atonement and appointed Anselm Archbishop of Canterbury.

In exchange for retaining office, Anselm demanded certain conditions-return of the see’s possessions, acceptance of Anselm’s spiritual counsel and acknowledgement of Urban II as pope.

Anselm’s problems with William II over who was the head of the church in England continued into the reign of William’s successor, Henry I. In 1107, at the Concordat of London, the long dispute regarding investiture was resolved. Henry relinquished the right to invest bishops and abbots but reserved the custom of their having to do homage for the “temporalities” (the landed properties tied to the episcopate). He died April 21, 1109 and was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, Kent, England.

The life of Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, will be celebrated at the regular Peace Mass, 7:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 21, 2009.

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