Gracious God, reveal to thy church the depths of thy love; that, like thy servant Catherine of Genoa, we might give ourselves in loving service, knowing that we have been perfectly loved by thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates Catherine of Genoa, Mystic and Nurse, 1510 https://t.co/31PDuksZIN

Image: Catherine of Genoa depicted in The Mother of Sorrows window (Harry Clarke, 1926), now in @NGIreland. Photos: Sailko, CC BY 3.0; CC BY 4.0 via https://t.co/MtmziQYxPc pic.twitter.com/mehoftHmWw

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) September 15, 2022

Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (‘Holyrood day in harvest’, as it was sometimes called in the Middle Ages), so here’s a fourteenth-century translation of the Crux Fidelis, a verse of the sixth-century hymn Pange Lingua:

…Steadfast cross, among all others
Thou art a tree great of price;
In branch and flower such another
I know not of, in wood nor copse.
Sweet be the nails, and sweet be the tree,
And sweeter be the burden that hangs upon thee.

…This verse is used in the liturgy several times through the course of the year, and at different seasons its poetry will resonate in subtly different ways. This tree is like no other, and it bears at once both flower and fruit; what kind of tree you picture as you sing this verse will depend on what your eyes are seeing in the world around you. The hymn is sung in the spring, on Good Friday and at the cross’ first feast in May, and at that time of year the image of a flowering tree evokes blossom and the spring of new life; and it’s sung again at this feast in the autumn, when trees are laden with fruit (their own ‘burden’), and the image instead speaks of fruitfulness, sustenance, the abundance of divine gift. Imagery of Christ as the ‘fruit’ of the cross is common in the liturgy of Holy Cross Day, perhaps in part because of the time of year when it falls. One purpose for the image is to draw a contrast with the fruit of the tree in Eden, to link the sin and the redemption, the sickness and the remedy: as one medieval antiphon puts it, ‘Through the tree we were made slaves, and through the Holy Cross we are made free. The fruit of the tree seduced us; the Son of God redeemed us.’

The manuscript in which this little English translation of Crux Fidelis is preserved belongs to Merton College, Oxford….

Read it all.

14 September is 'Holyrood Day in harvest', the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. A medieval poem to the Holy Cross, steadfast at the still point of the turning world: https://t.co/4GPLwUH3hE pic.twitter.com/DxIRZ3kjxj

— Eleanor Parker (@ClerkofOxford) September 14, 2022

There is a danger that we consign Elizabeth and what she represents of embodied faithfulness to the angels and to history and go forward on our atomised way as a society and a Church into an ever more individualist future, where the only mutual belonging is in our separate identity groups. Instead, let us use that sense of common loss to forge ever-stronger bonds between neighbours, classes, cultures, and nations, and resist the forces that seek to pull us apart. As King Charles said in his first speech, we must instead “help … to bring the marginal to the centre ground”; the needs of Lazarus must be at the heart of our attention. We need strong neighbourhoods and parishes to resist the pressures of globalisation, of racism and hate. The virtues and the faith of the late Queen, far from being old-fashioned and superseded, are what we need for our future, which will only be sustainable if we can co-operate, act sacrificially, and show steadfastness and loyalty.

So we clergy can wear our white vestments of hope with integrity, for in laying Elizabeth to rest and acknowledging the religious resources upon which she drew, we can affirm the value of a Christian monarchy as offering a world of many faiths and cultures a moral umbrella, in which we can imagine together a better world of real justice, peace, and co-operation.

May she rest in peace and rise in glory. And may her faithfulness inspire and steady us in the years to come.

Read it all.

"In laying Elizabeth to rest and acknowledging the religious resources upon which she drew, we can affirm the value of a Christian monarchy as offering a world of many faiths and cultures a moral umbrella." – Alison Milbank https://t.co/WnEAMOzIJD

— Ryan Haecker (@RyanHaecker) September 13, 2022

Moreover, they have put fetters on our feet and have bound your blessed limbs and the temples of God with disgraceful chains. . . . To men who are dedicated to God and attesting their faith with religious courage, such things are ornaments, not chains; nor do they bind the feet of the Christians for infamy but glorify them for a crown. . . .

Let cruelty, either ignorant or malignant, hold you here in its bonds and chains as long as it will, from this earth and from these sufferings you shall speedily come to the kingdom of heaven. The body is not cherished in the mines with couch and cushions, but it is cherished with the refreshment and solace of Christ. . . . Your limbs unbathed, are foul and disfigured with filth and dirt: but within they are spiritually cleansed. . . . There the bread is scarce; but man liveth not by bread alone, but by the word of God. Shivering, you want clothing; but he who puts on Christ is both abundantly clothed and adorned. . . .

—Read it all.

“No one can have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother.”

St. Cyprian pic.twitter.com/aOc3Obb16x

— Parousia (@Thewarning9) September 6, 2022

Almighty God, who didst give to thy servant Cyprian boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of the same our Lord Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today the Episcopal Church celebrates Cyprian of Carthage, Bishop and Martyr, 258 https://t.co/Sc1E5woQ7C

Image: Window in St Cyprian's Clarence Gate. Photo by Lawrence OP (CC BY-NC 2.0), via Flickr pic.twitter.com/HxVmqHtZA4

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) September 13, 2022

The striking and appropriate terms in which the prophet Isaiah depicts the character and offices of the Messiah, have procured for him, by way of eminence, the title of the Evangelical Prophet. He exhibits a glowing but faithful picture of the character of Christ, and all the humiliating and all the triumphant events of his life. In the chapter which contains my text, the prophet has dipped his pencil in the softest colours, and draws a portrait of the Saviour, which, while it conveys to us the most exalted ideas of his character, is calculated to awaken our tenderest and liveliest sympathy.

Let us then contemplate the character of Christ, as delineated by the prophet under the emblem of “a lamb brought to the slaughter,” that our penitence may be awakened, our gratitude enlivened, and our souls warmed with the ardent emotions of love and duty.

Under the character of a “lamb brought to the slaughter,” we are led to consider,

The innocence of Christ;

His tenderness and compassion;

His patience;

And, finally, to consider him as the victim for our sins.

Read it all.

Revive thy Church, Lord God of hosts, whensoever it doth fall into complacency and sloth, by raising up devoted leaders, like thy servant John Henry Hobart whom we remember this day; and grant that their faith and vigor of mind may awaken thy people to thy message and their mission; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates John Henry Hobart, Bishop of New York, 1830

Hobart was the 3rd Episcopal Bishop of New York (1816-30) & helped promote the extension of the Episcopal Church in Central and Western New York. pic.twitter.com/HCZYnRLpvS

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) September 12, 2019

Almighty and everlasting God, we thank thee for thy servant Alexander Crummell, whom thou didst call to preach the Gospel to those who were far off and to those who were near. Raise up, we beseech thee, in this and every land evangelists and heralds of thy kingdom, that thy Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Portrait of Alexander Crummell (1819-98) in the President’s Lodge of Queens’ College Cambridge.
“A leading figure in the movement for black rights, [he] was active in that cause at different times in the United States, Britain and Africa.”
Mr Crummell sailed to England in 1847… pic.twitter.com/WLWSRPF8th

— Mohamed A. El-Erian (@elerianm) November 5, 2020

We give thee thanks and praise, O God of compassion, for the heroic witness of the Martyrs of Memphis, who, in a time of plague and pestilence, were steadfast in their care for the sick and dying, and loved not their own lives, even unto death; Inspire in us a like love and commitment to those in need, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ; who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

9 – . &

Almighty God, you have surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses: Grant that we, encouraged by the good example of your servants St. Constance and her Companions, the Martyrs of Memphis, may… pic.twitter.com/rqDqlHXZn2

— The Seabury Society (@SeaburySociety) September 9, 2020

It is with profound sadness that I join the nation, the Commonwealth and the world in mourning the death of Her Late Majesty The Queen. My prayers are with The King and the Royal Family. May God draw near them and comfort them in the days, weeks and months ahead.

As we grieve together, we know that, in losing our beloved Queen, we have lost the person whose steadfast loyalty, service and humility has helped us make sense of who we are through decades of extraordinary change in our world, nation and society.

As deep as our grief runs, even deeper is our gratitude for Her Late Majesty’s extraordinary dedication to the United Kingdom, her Realms and the Commonwealth. Through times of war and hardship, through seasons of upheaval and change, and through moments of joy and celebration, we have been sustained by Her Late Majesty’s faith in what and who we are called to be.

In the darkest days of the Coronavirus pandemic, The Late Queen spoke powerfully of the light that no darkness can overcome….

Read it all.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has written to Anglican Primates following the news that Queen Elizabeth II has died.https://t.co/QQ7YZKBwmy

— Anglican Communion News Service (@AnglicanNews) September 8, 2022

Father in heaven, by whose grace the virgin mother of thy incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping thy word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to thy will; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

John Garcia de Miranda (1677-1749), The Nativity of the Virgin
oil on canvas
Prado pic.twitter.com/kBg9cEPUR7

— Marzena (@Marzena99557145) September 8, 2022

Blessed God, whose Son Jesus knelt to serve his disciples: We honor thee for the witness of thy servant Elie Naud; and pray that we, with him, may proclaim Christ in service to those deemed by the world to be littlest and least, following Jesus, who came not to be ministered to but to minister; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, to whom be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Died #OTD in 1722: Elias Neau, commemorated as a Huguenot Witness to the Faith by the Episcopal Church

A French Protestant who went to sea at a young age, he became an English denizen while a Boston merchant, before moving to New York

Élie Neau icon in https://t.co/GcBGDy033A pic.twitter.com/yac8PwwIFz

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) September 7, 2022

(Via email–KSH)

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

To file under “we-should’ve-seen-that-coming”…

…(On September 1, 2022)..the Episcopal Church and The Episcopal Church in South Carolina filed a Petition for Reconsideration and Rehearing with the South Carolina Supreme Court asking the Court to reverse their ruling regarding the property rights of two parishes whose rights they had affirmed in their August 17 ruling.

Those parishes are: Old St Andrew’s, Charleston, and the Church of the Holy Cross, Stateburg.

Please join me in praying the Court will deny this final effort and, once and for all, put this case to rest.

Additionally, The Church of the Good Shepherd, Charleston, whose property rights the Court denied in their August 17 ruling, filed a Petition for Rehearing asking the Court to reconsider that ruling.

We’ll pray that the Court will reverse that earlier ruling and affirm the property rights of Good Shepherd.

With me, you are likely tired of the back-and-forth and wondering if this will ever end. It will. Someday, in the not too distant future, I trust these matters will be behind us, and we will move forward—whatever the outcome—into ministry without this distraction. Until then, we do well to heed St Paul’s advice to: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer.” (Rom 12.12) Never losing sight of the fact that, “…you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” That truth can never change.

Blessings,

–The Rt Revd Chip Edgar is bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina

Imagine yourself seated at a fashionable London dinner party in 1789.

The women are wearing hoops several feet wide, their hair dressed nearly as high and adorned with fruit or feathers. In between hips and hair, bosoms overspill. The men sport powdered hair, ruffled shirts, embroidered waistcoats, wool stockings, and buckled shoes. Politeness and manners reign around a table laden with delicate, savory dishes.

As guests wait for the after-dinner wine to arrive, a handsome but demure woman pulls a pamphlet from the folds of her dress. “Have you ever seen the inside of a slave ship?” she asks the natty gentleman seated next to her. She proceeds to spread open a print depicting the cargo hold of the Brookes slave ship. With meticulous detail, the print shows African slaves laid like sardines on the ship’s decks, each in a space so narrow, they can’t lay their arms at their sides. The print will become the most haunting image of the transatlantic slave trade””as well as a key rhetorical device used to stop it.

The woman sharing it is Hannah More.

Read it all.

Portrait of abolitionist poet Hannah More from the @bristolmuseum collection discussed in @BencePolly presentation "Memory and Materiality: the unknown story of Te Whiti, A Maori chief from Hauraki, North Island, New Zealand" To find out more https://t.co/f1WkfyxACq pic.twitter.com/akoVoUbYiX

— Memory Studies SW Research Cluster (@MemoryStudiesSW) May 26, 2022

Almighty God, whose only-begotten Son led captivity captive: Multiply among us faithful witnesses like thy servant Hannah More, who will fight for all who are oppressed or held in bondage; and bring us all, we pray, into the glorious liberty that thou hast promised to all thy children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Another important female birthday to celebrate: writer and philanthropist Hannah Moore was born #OTD in 1745. This is @bristolmuseum's charming portrait of her by Frances Reynolds (sister of Joshua). pic.twitter.com/Bo4VMlCEvE

— Dr Jenny Gaschke (@JennyGaschke) February 2, 2021

O God, by thy Holy Spirit thou dost give gifts to thy people so that they might faithfully serve thy Church and the world: We give praise to thee for the gifts of perseverance, teaching and wisdom made manifest in thy servant, Artemisia Bowden, whom thou didst call far from home for the sake of educating the daughters and granddaughters of former slaves in Texas. We give thanks to thee for thy blessing and prospering of her life’s work, and pray that, following her example, we may be ever mindful of the call to serve where thou dost send us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Spirit, liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

#BlackHistoryMonth | Honoring the life of Artemisia Bowden, daughter of a slave, who joined the St. Philip's Day School as administrator and teacher. Bowden is cited for the school's transformation from an industrial school, high school & later a junior college.#HBCU pic.twitter.com/sWnlgPjKEO

— HBCU Campaign Fund (@HBCUCampaign) February 5, 2022

O God, who hast taken to thyself the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of thine incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of thine eternal kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Muchas gracias querida Diana!#BuenJueves 🙏🏻

"The Virgin and Child (with Saint Mary Magdalen left, a female martyr right, and two angels)"
Giacomo Pacchiarotti (1474–c.1539), Italian
Christ Church, University of Oxford pic.twitter.com/BrKnVAZtxF

— Cris💗Art (@CristianeGLima) May 13, 2021

O God, whose days are without end, and whose mercies cannot be numbered: Make us, we beseech thee, like thy servant Jeremy Taylor, deeply sensible of the shortness and uncertainty of human life; and let thy Holy Spirit lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Today the Church of England celebrates Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down and Connor, Teacher of the Faith, 1667 https://t.co/iXyfJtCBA1

Image: Jeremy Taylor by William Faithorne, 1680, in the National Portrait Gallery pic.twitter.com/4pvTB48mhy

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) August 13, 2022

Life-giving God, who alone hast power over life and death, over health and sickness: Give power, wisdom, and gentleness to those who follow the example of thy servant Florence Nightingale, that they, bearing with them thy Presence, may not only heal but bless, and shine as lanterns of hope in the darkest hours of pain and fear; through Jesus Christ, the healer of body and soul, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

From Florence Nightingale, a British nurse and social reformer, the founder of modern nursing, nicknamed "The Lady with The Lamp" for her dedication when nursing wounded soldiers during the Crimean War, who died this day 112 years ago. pic.twitter.com/GF4gpbq4Ff

— A. Zaky (@zakyarin97) August 12, 2022

O God, whose blessed Son became poor that we through his poverty might be rich: Deliver us, we pray thee, from an inordinate love of this world, that, inspired by the devotion of thy servant Clare, we may serve thee with singleness of heart, and attain to the riches of the age to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever.

Today the Church of England celebrates Clare of Assisi, Founder of the Minoresses (Poor Clares), 1253 https://t.co/UaZjRifJv5

Image: Stained glass window in St Stephen's, Gloucester Road; Photo by Oxfordian Kissuth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia pic.twitter.com/VA9hzu0XOP

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) August 11, 2022

Almighty God, by whose grace and power thy servant Laurence didst triumph over suffering and didst despise death: Grant, we pray, that we, steadfast in service to the poor and outcast, may share with him in the joys of thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Pour out thy grace upon thy church, O God, that like thy servant Edith Stein we may always seek what is true, defend what is right, reprove what is evil, and forgive those who sin against us, even as thy Son hath commanded. All this we ask through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

The Episcopal Church also celebrates Edith Stein (Teresa Benedicta of the Cross), Philosopher, Monastic, and Martyr 1942 https://t.co/aV2LUikHii

Image: Icon in the Dominican church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City. Photo by Lawrence OP, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, via flickr pic.twitter.com/JJ7IpE1bsA

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) August 9, 2022

Almighty God, whose servant Dominic grew in knowledge of thy truth and formed an order of preachers to proclaim the good news of Christ: Give to all thy people a hunger for your Word and an urgent longing to share the Gospel, that the whole world may come to know thee as thou art revealed in thy Son Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Today the Church of England celebrates Dominic, Priest, Founder of the Order of Preachers, 1221 https://t.co/GGr4HzaTTJ

Image: Window in the chapel of the Dominican House of Studies, Washington DC showing Dominic sending out the friars. Photo by Lawrence OP, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. pic.twitter.com/xO8YF55a2U

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) August 8, 2022

We give thee thanks, O Lord, for the vision and skill of Albrecht Dürer, Matthias Grünewald and Lucas Cranach the Elder, whose artistic depictions helped the peoples of their age understand the full suffering and glory of thine incarnate Son; and we pray that their work may strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and the mystery of the Holy Trinity; who livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lamentation Over Christ, 1507 #albrechtdurer #durer https://t.co/8EwK0N1TFp pic.twitter.com/nBMll1lUvi

— Albrecht Durer (@artistdurer) August 3, 2022

Almighty God, who didst reveal the resurrection of thy Son to Joanna, Mary and Salome, as they faithfully came bearing myrrh to his tomb: Grant that we too may perceive the presence of the risen Lord in the midst of pain and fear, that we may go forth proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Today the Episcopal Church celebrates Joanna, Mary, and Salome, Myrrh-Bearing Women https://t.co/hDhvGd28pc

Image via https://t.co/YbNa0dFpNL pic.twitter.com/n8jmAuCSdC

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) August 3, 2020

Almighty God, who didst raise up thy servant Samuel Ferguson and inspire in him a missionary vision of thy Church in education and ministry: Stir up in us through his example a zeal for a Church, alive with thy Holy Word, reaching forth in love and service to all; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Merciful God, whose servant Joseph of Arimathaea with reverence and godly fear did prepare the body of our Lord and Savior for burial, and did lay it in his own tomb: Grant, we beseech thee, to us thy faithful people grace and courage to love and serve Jesus with sincere devotion all the days of our life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates Joseph of Arimathea https://t.co/3UOiS4KuK2

Image: Stained glass (1936) in the north window of St John the Baptist, Glastonbury (Photo by Peter Kowal https://t.co/V5g37L5jCM) pic.twitter.com/Q08eG7dzYQ

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) August 1, 2022

It was in 1787 that he first decided to put down a motion in the House of Commons about the slave trade. This nefarious traffic had been going on for three centuries, and the West Indian slave-owners were determined to oppose abolition to the end. Besides, Wilberforce was not a very prepossessing man. He was little and somewhat ugly, with poor eyesight and an upturned nose. When Boswell heard him speak, he pronounced him ‘a perfect shrimp’, but then had to concede that ‘presently the shrimp swelled into a whale.’ In 1789 Wilberforce said of the slave trade: “So enormous so dreadful, so irremediable did its wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for the abolition…. let the consequences be what they would, I from this time determined that I would never rest till I had effected its abolition.

So abolition bills (which related to the trade) and Foreign Trade Bills (which would prohibit the involvement of British ships in it) were debated in the commons in 1789, 1791, 1792,194, 1796 (by which time Abolition had become ‘the grand object of my parliamentary existence’), 1798 and 1799. Yet they all failed. The Foreign Slave Bill was not passed until 1806 and the Abolition of the Slave Trade Bill until 1807. This part of the campaign had taken eighteen years.

Next, soon after the conclusion of the Napoleonic wars, Wilberforce began to direct his energies to the abolition of slavery itself and the emancipation of the slaves. In 1823 the Anti-Slavery Society was formed. Twice that year and twice the following year, Wilberforce pleaded the slaves’ cause in the House of Commons. But in 1825 ill-health compelled him to resign as a member of parliament and to continue his campaign from outside. In 1831 he sent a message to the Anti-Slavery Society, in which he said, “Our motto must continue to be PERSEVERANCE. And ultimately I trust the Almighty will crown our efforts with success.” He did. In July 1833 the Abolition of Slavery Bill was passed in both Houses of Parliament, even though it included the undertaking to pay 20 million pounds in compensation to the slave-owners. ‘Thank God,’ wrote Wilberforce, that I have lived to witness a day in which England is willing to give 20 million pounds for the abolition of slavery.’ Three days later he died. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, in national recognition of his FORTY-FIVE YEARS of persevering struggle on behalf of African slaves.

— John R W Stott, Issues facing Christians Today (Basingstoke: Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 1984), p. 334

Died #onthisday 1833, knowing that the Slavery Abolition Act for which he had long campaigned was shortly to become law, William Wilberforce, MP for his native Hull 1780-4, and for Yorkshire 1784-1812 & Bramber 1812-25. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. https://t.co/kgE25wRliE pic.twitter.com/l0VcPMafEQ

— TheVictorianCommons (@TheVictCommons) July 29, 2022

Let thy continual mercy, O Lord, enkindle in thy Church the never-failing gift of love, that, following the example of thy servant William Wilberforce, we may have grace to defend the poor, and maintain the cause of those who have no helper; for the sake of him who gave his life for us, thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Today the Church remembers William Wilberforce (1759-1833), politician, social reformer & leading English abolitionist. His campaigning was instrumental in passing the 1807 Act abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire & the Act abolishing slavery in 1833. [MT1163.W5] pic.twitter.com/6kuhcdEhAU

— LambethPalaceLibrary (@lampallib) July 30, 2022

O God, heavenly Father, whose Son Jesus Christ enjoyed rest and refreshment in the home of Mary and Martha of Bethany: Give us the will to love thee, open our hearts to hear thee, and strengthen our hands to serve thee in others for his sake; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Sts. Mary, Martha & Lazarus lived in Bethany, outside of Jerusalem. Mary and Martha called on Jesus when Lazarus died & Jesus raised him from the dead. They are the patron saints of siblings.
(Image/Andrewrabbot/Wikimedia Commons: https://t.co/MXBLhli3MN) pic.twitter.com/pbO7MnFVAD

— Diocese of Richmond (@RichmondDiocese) July 29, 2021