2023 Sun June 11

St. Barnabus Curing the Poor – Paolo Veronese.

Collect for his day -"Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well­being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Who is St. Barnabus and why do we celebrate a feast day for him ?

Three reasons why Barnabas is a famous saint:

1. He was one of the most highly respected leaders in the early church. Born on the island of Cyprus (which means “copper” because of the mines there), his name was Joseph, but the apostles called him Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”).

2. When Saul (as Paul was still known) appeared in Jerusalem after his conversion, he was spurned by the Christians he had persecuted. Yet when Barnabas “took him by the hand, and brought him to the Apostles”, and spoke up for him, Paul was immediately accepted (Acts 9:27).   

He was Paul’s mentor and advocate and was the leader when he and Paul were sent off on the first missionary journey. But Paul’s personality and fervor soon dominated.

Where it had been “Barnabas and Paul”, it was now “Paul and Barnabas”. (See Acts, Chapter 13.)

3. Barnabas was so vital to the spread of the Gospel that he earned the highest accolade that any Christian can receive; “. . . . he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith”. (Acts 11:24) 

Around 49, at a council in Jerusalem, St Peter helped to carry the argument of Paul and Barnabas that Gentile Christians need not be circumcised.

It is odd, therefore, to discover Barnabas and Peter siding against Paul in refusing to eat with the Gentiles (Gal 2:13). Was this a matter of personal sympathy? The last we hear of Barnabas is of his falling out with Paul over the latter’s refusal to accept John Mark as a travelling companion.

“So sharp was their disagreement, that they separated from each other; Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed off to Cyprus.” (Acts 15:36-40)

So Barnabas passes from the written record. Tradition holds that he preached in Alexandria and Rome, before being martyred at Salamis.

Founders’ Day remembers and celebrates those individuals or groups that have made a difference to St. Peter’s over its history.

This year we are honoring James Samuel Patton or better known as Jim. Jim owned Gay Mont also made a difference to the both church and community. The ironic thing is that Jim wasn’t an Episcopalian – he worked for years with the Presbyterians. We didn’t adopt him- He adopted us.

Jim lived 88 years until Nov 5, 2007. A native of Bridgeville, Pa., he moved to Washington, D.C., in 1941 to take a clerical position with the Naval Ordnance Laboratory . At the close of World War II, he served for a short period in the Army of Occupation in Japan. Jim retired in 1981 after 36 years as financial secretary/business manager of the New York A venue Presbyterian Church, and lived for many years In Alexandria. Mr. Patton retired in 1981 after 36 years as financial secretary/business manager of the New York A venue Presbyterian Church, and lived for many years In Alexandria.

Jim’s life outside of the church was wrapped up in three professions – a genealogist, historian and archivist. First, Jim was a genealogist untangling the family of his wife Frances Bernard Robb Upton’s family. The family had owned Gay Mont since since 1816 when Jane Gay Robertson married John Hipkins Bernard, whose family built the place in the 1790s. He undertook a detail study of her family , the Bolling family revealing descendants of a relative Col. John Bolling not known.   As a genealogists, there are countless examples online of Patton helping other researchers. 

As a historian, Rev. Fall’s book Hidden Village, Port Royal, Virginia owes a lot to Jim’s work. Rev. Fall writes in his acknowledgments – “Mr. James Samuel Patton and the late Frances (Upton) Patton of Gay Mont, Rappahannock Academy, Va., for almost two decades have provided a limitless amount of historical research and information without which this volume would not have been possible.” Rev. Fall wanted to cite Patton as a joint author but Patton refused. Jim was detail oriented which aided understanding the changing ownership of property in this town.

Jim’s gift was an organizer of records. He saw the importance of preserving St. Peter’s early records and so sent them to the Library of Virginia. They are now available on micro film. The current machines there can save individual pages of records. This allows these records to be saved in an environment with climate controls.

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