We are a small Episcopal Church on the banks of the Rappahannock in Port Royal, Virginia. We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Port Royal, the Nandtaughtacund, and we respect and honor with gratitude the land itself, the legacy of the ancestors, and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do.

History

Aug 24 – The Feast Day of St. Bartholomew

St. Bartholomew

Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and is usually identified as Nathaniel and was a doctor or architect. In Mark 3:18 he is one of the twelve Jesus calls to be with him. He was introduced to us as a friend of Philip, another of the twelve apostles as per (John 1:43-51), where the name Nathaniel first appears. He is also mentioned as “Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee” in (John 21:2).

As a Biblical figure, we know Bartholomew primarily through the Gospel of John, which calls him Nathanael. Philip introduces Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus. Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” (John 1:48). Then Bartholomew make a powerful confessin of faith. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel.” (John 1:49)

Here is the video from the Chosen on the event

He was characterized by Jesus on the first meeting as a man “in whom there was no guile.” The Catholic News Agency wrote this. “We are presented with the Apostle’s character in this brief and beautiful dialogue with the Lord Jesus. He is a good Jew, honest and innocent, a just man, who devotes much time to quiet reflection and prayer – “under the fig tree (1:48)” – and has been awaiting the Messiah, the Holy One of God.”

His day is remembered on August 24. After the Resurrection he was favored by becoming one of the few apostles who witnessed the appearance of the risen Savior on the sea of Galilee (John 21:2).

From Eusebius history, Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India, where he left behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew. Other traditions record him as serving as a missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia, and Lycaonia.

Along with his fellow apostle Jude, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the 1st century. Thus both saints are considered the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He is said to have been martyred in in Armenia. According to one account, he was beheaded, but a more popular tradition holds that he was flayed alive and crucified, head downward. He is said to have converted Polymius, the king of Armenia, to Christianity. His brother consequently ordered Bartholomew’s execution. The 13th century Saint Bartholomew Monastery was a prominent Armenian monastery constructed at the site of the martyrdom of Apostle Bartholomew in what is today southeastern turkey

Jonathan Myrick Daniel, Aug 14

Who Was Jonathan Daniels ?

This week is the anniversary of the arrest of seminarian Jonathan Myrick Daniel in 1965 at the height of the racial strife in Selma in 1965. Daniel was killed when he took a shotgun blast that was intended for a black female, Ruby Sales. It killed him instantly. Daniels’ life showed a pattern of putting himself in the place of others who were defenseless and in need.

Describing the incident, Dr Martin Luther King said that “one of the most heroic Christian deeds of which I have heard in my entire ministry was performed by Jonathan Daniels.”

What happened to Ruby Sales? Sales went on to attend Episcopal Theological School in Massachusetts which Daniels had attended (now Episcopal Divinity School). She has worked as a human rights advocate in Washington, D.C. She founded The SpiritHouse Project, a non-profit organization and inner-city mission dedicated to Daniels.

The Rev. Gillian Barr in an Evensong in honor of Daniel in Providence RI provides an apt summary of Daniels. “He was a young adult who wasn’t sure what he was meant to do with his life. He had academic gifts, a sense of compassion, and a faith which had wavered from strong to weak to strong. He was searching—searching for a way to live out his values of compassion and his faith rather than just studying them in a book. He was living in intentional community, first at VMI, then at EDS, and then finally with activists in Alabama. His studies, and his prayer life, and his community all led him to see more clearly the beauty and dignity in the faces of all around him, even those who looked very different and came from very different backgrounds than the quiet boy from Keene, NH.”

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Mary as Companion

“As unique as Mary is, you have so much in common with her. Down through the ages, there has been no one else who was asked to give birth to and bear what she was called to. And so too for you, especially at those moments when you say, like she did: “How can I face this, do this, bear this, survive what is coming at me?” Mary is your companion. Build on that relationship.”

Br. Curtis Almquist, Sociey of St. John the Evancelist (SSJE)

Analysis of the Magnificat

From Songs in Waiting

It is a song that speaks profoundly about being "childlike." Luke focuses his entire Christmas narrative around the person of Mary, who was probably just a child, a young girl who was per­haps twelve to fourteen years old, as it was customary for Jewish girls to marry just after puberty 

In this light, the Christmas story is of a child hav­ing The Child 

When people begin to bring their children to Jesus for his blessing, the disciples send them away, seeing the children as a waste of his precious time. But Jesus rebukes them, saying, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14), He is saying that the deep­est spiritual knowledge, while hidden from the wise and learned, is revealed to children. He even goes so far as to say that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must become like children: "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). Jesus often refers to us all as "children of God" 

The name Magnificat comes from the first word in the Latin Vulgate translation of this song, "magnify" or "glorify." Most probably a compilation of phrases from the Psalms, various Old Testament prophetic books, and Hannah’s Song in 1 Samuel, the Magnifi­cat has been part of Christian liturgy at least since the time of Saint Benedict in the fifth and sixth centuries. 

The Magnificat has been recited every day for cen­turies by Christians, chanted by monks, and set to music by composers of every age, perhaps the most famous being Johann Sebastian Bach’s composition, which he wrote for Christmas Day 1725 

It is on behalf of this baby that majestic buildings like Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris have been constructed and great saints like Francis of Assisi or Mother Teresa have so whole­heartedly dedicated their lives to the service of God and humankind. It is to the glory of the one whose birth we celebrate that Bach composed, El Greco painted, Augustine of Hippo preached, and Pascal wrote, and because Jesus the Christ was born count­less individuals would receive comfort as they went serenely to their martyrdom years after his own death. Knowing all this, it is a deeply moving experi­ence to stand today in Nazareth, in the Church of the Annunciation, the site where it is believed Mary was first confronted by the angel. The lines in the first scene of Shakespeare’s Hamlet seem to say it best: "So hallowed and so gracious is the time." 

However, more than just being a song of a child about a child, this song is a call to each of us who de­sire to be followers of Christ, leading us toward be­coming   more   childlike   in   our   responses   and relationship with our Creator. Out of the depth of her joy, Mary sings of the crucial qualities of childlike-ness that the Christ Child, when he became an adult, urged his followers to embrace. 

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July, 1974-Celebrating 50 years of women’s ordination

The Philadelphia Eleven were the first eleven women to be ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church on July 29, 1974, two years before the General Convention affirmed and explicitly authorized the ordination of women to the priesthood.  A film was produced about their ascension to the priesthood for the 50th anniversary in 2024.

The 1974 ordination was seen as an act of civil disobedience and was highly controversial at the time.

The 11 women ordained in Philadelphia were the Revs. Merrill Bittner, Alla Renée Bozarth, Alison Cheek, Emily Hewitt, Carter Heyward, Suzanne Hiatt, Marie Moorefield Fleischer, Jeanette Piccard, Betty Bone Schiess, Katrina Swanson, and Nancy Wittig. From the Philadelphia Inquirer “While all were previously deacons, the women came from all over the country and from many different backgrounds, ages, walks of life, and political worldviews.”

Links

1. The Philadelphia Eleven: Courage and Change . Three minute Trailer

2. Article from “Religion Unplugged”

3. Film conversation. Filmmaker Margo Guernsey, and the Rev. Nancy Wittig (one of the eleven women ordained in Philadelphia) and others for the first public conversation about the film.

4. Watch the film online Jul 26, 12:00 PM EDT – Jul 30, 12:00 PM. $11

5. Timeline of women’s ordination

Several dioceses are promoting screenings of “The Philadelphia Eleven” documentary to coincide with the anniversary, and special worship services are planned.

In the Diocese of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral has committed to a yearlong celebration of women in the church, starting July 28 with its Holy Eucharist. Heyward, as one of the Philadelphia Eleven, will preach. A screening of the documentary will follow.

The 81st General Convention, at its meeting last month in Louisville, Kentucky, also passed several resolutions recognizing the Philadelphia Eleven and the 50th anniversary of their ordination. Resolution D055 invites commemorations over the next three years, marking an anniversary triennium.

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Weekful of Saints

June 29 – Feast of Peter and Paul

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul commemorates the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles St. Peter and Paul of Tarsus, observed on June 29. The celebration is of ancient origin, the date selected being either the anniversary of their martyrdom in 67AD or of the translation of their relics. They had been imprisoned in the famous Mamertine Prison of Rome and both had foreseen their approaching death. Saint Peter was crucified; Saint Paul, a Roman citizen, was slain by the sword.  Together they represent two different Christian traditions.

Why do we remember them ? Peter is pictured on the left with the keys – the keys to the kingdom. In Matthew 16, Christ says ” And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” They keys since then have been symbols of Papal power.  Peter represents that part of the Church which gives it stability: its traditions handed down in an unbroken way from the very beginnings, the structures which help to preserve and conserve those traditions, the structure which also gives consistency and unity to the Church, spread as it is through so many races, cultures, traditions, and geographical diversity

Paul is pictured with the Bible. He, on the other hand, represents the prophetic and missionary role in the Church. It is that part of the Church which constantly works on the edge, pushing the boundaries of the Church further out, not only in a geographical sense but also pushing the concerns of the Church into neglected areas of social concern and creatively developing new ways of communicating the Christian message. This is the Church which is constantly renewed, a Church which needs to be constantly renewed 

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