The Rev. Cornelius Hill

Today the Church remembers Cornelius Hill (1843-1907) who was a Native American of the Oneida tribe, ordained to the diaconate in 1895 and as priest in 1903.  He was the last of the old Oneida chiefs in Wisconsin. Hill successfully resisted government attempts to move the tribe further west. Having been an “interpreter” for Episcopal services, he was ordained by Bishop Grafton. His wisdom and sanctity are still revered by the Oneida.

As a young man, Hill spent several years at Nashotah House, where the Episcopal priests educated him and formed him in the faith, worship, and tradition of the Church. Hill was greatly respected among his people for his intelligence, courage, and ability to lead, and by his teenage years, he had already been made an Oneida chief, named Onan-gwat-go, or “Big Medicine.”

Hill’s great mentor was the Rev. Edward A. Goodnough, a missionary and teacher who had worked among the Oneidas from 1853 to 1890.

Hill was the first Oneida to be ordained a priest. At the ordination, he repeated his vows in the Oneida language.

Hill saw Christian faith as a way to help his people grapple with the profound and rapid changes which faced them, and the authority of his ordination enhanced his ability to be a bridge between Oneida and white culture.

Let us pray:  Everliving Lord of the universe, our loving God, you raised up your priest Cornelius Hill, last hereditary chief of the Oneida nation, to shepherd and defend his people against attempts to scatter them in the wilderness: Help us, like him, to be dedicated to truth and honor, that we may come to that blessed state you have prepared for us; through Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

INSTALLATION OF THE RECTOR AT TRINITY: Sunday, 1 July at 5 p.m.

SUMMER ART PROGRAM: Please pick up a flier and registration sheet in the narthex of the Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Donna Greene (Carol Hogan’s cousin) who is fighting cancer, Steve Poirier who is struggling with cancer but also approaching death.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550