Who are those Saints?

We remember those who carried the Gospel into the world:

Paul, Peter and John:  Evangelists of the Bible

Augustine of Canterbury:  First Archbishop of Canterbury, sent by Gregory the Great to evangelize the English.  Finding Christians already there, Augustine reconnected Britain to the Roman Church

Patrick of Ireland, 461:  Brought the Gospel to Irish and banished all the snakes!

William White, 1836: Second bishop of the Episcopal church and chaplain to the Continental Congress, White was responsible for ordaining virtually every missionary and priest who built the Episcopal Church in the early years of the United States

Bertha and Ethelbert of Kent 612, 616:  Bertha was Christian, but Ethelbert was pagan when Augustine arrived.  Bertha had restored a church in Canterbury, where Augustine set up his monastery.

Emma and Kamehameha of Hawaii, 1885, 1864:  The last king and queen of an independent Hawaii, they opened the Islands to Anglican missionaries

David Pentleton Oakerhater, 1931:  Cheyenne warrior and deacon in the Episcopal church, he worked to bring the Gospel to his people in Oklahoma.

Let us name those saints who brought us the truth of the Gospel

We remember those who fought the good fight and did not give up:

Perpetua and her companions in Carthage, 202:  Martyrs

Absalom Jones, 1818:  First African-American priest in the Episcopal Church

William Wilberforce, 1831: Member of Parliament, he devoted his career to ending the slave trade and slavery in England.

Monnica of Hippo, 387:  The mother of Augustine of Hippo, Monnica spent decades praying and arguing for her son’s conversion to Christianity, and lived to see it.

Frances Perkins, 1965:  First female member of the US Cabinet, she served as Secretary of Labor under FDR.  Her concern for workers arose out of her Episcopal faith.

Deitrich Bonhoffer, 1945:  German theologian and part of the Confessing Church, offering resistance to Hitler, he was ultimately executed by the Nazis.

Martin Luther, 1546:  Started the whole Reformation, by nailing his opinions to the church door.

Let us name those saints who fought the good fight and persevered:

Remember those who persevered for the Gospel.

We remember those who showed us the face of Christ:

Nicholas of Myra, 342  Saint Nick, famous for all sorts of reasons, was a real person—a bishop in Myra, in Turkey.

Florence Nightingale, 1910: creator of the modern nursing profession, she originally wanted to be a priest—way before her time!  Her work was for her part of her spiritual life.

Mary of Egypt, 431: A prostitute when she was converted, Mary spent her life in penance and prayer, living as a hermit in the desert.  She is remembered by the Coptic and Orthodox churches.

Julian of Norwich, 1417:  Anchoress who wrote powerfully about God’s love and care.

Mary Magdelene:  Known as the apostle to the apostles, Mary is remembered as the first and primary witness to the resurrection.

Lawrence, Deacon of Rome, 258:  When asked by the Roman governor to bring him the treasures of the church, Lawrence assembled the poor, widows and orphans.  He was martyred, roasted on a gridiron.

Brigid of Ireland, 523: Known for her generosity, one of the leading saints of Ireland.

Let us name those saints who showed us the face of Christ:

We remember those who demonstrated the love of Christ to the world

Francis of Assisi, 1226:  Patron saint of creation, creatively followed Christ.

Constance and her companions in Memphis, Tennessee, 1878: In a Yellow Fever epidemic, these Episcopal nuns and priests cared for the sick, even at the price of their own lives

Ambrose of Milan, 397:  His example of faith and humility inspired a city to elect him bishop and inspired Augustine of Hippo to believe.

Alphege of Canterbury: Kidnapped by Danish raiders, the archbishop refused to allow his people to pay ransom and was killed by his captors.  His sacrifice inspired the Danes to become Christian.

Elizabeth of Hungary, 1231:  Royalty, she spent her life and fortune caring for the poor.

Teresa of Avila, 1582:  Mystic and writer.

Jonathan Mynick Daniels, 1965:  American seminarian, he died in Selma, Alabama, saving an African-American girl.

Let us name those saints who showed us the truth of Christ’s love: