Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Reformer: The Rev. Edward Pusey

 
Today the Church remembers and honors someone who wanted to get back to the practices of the Early Church and to the Church’s more universal roots, Edward Pusey (1800-1882), a priest, an Oxford professor, and a member of the Oxford Movement.  Pusey was competent in Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic, and was Regius Professor of Hebrew at Oxford, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, from 1828 until his death.

 

Over time, the liturgy had the Eucharist in the deep background.  People did not go to Holy Communion that often.  The leaders of the Oxford Movement wanted to reinvigorate the Church by going back to more frequent reception of Holy Communion.  James Kiefer writes: “Then, in the 1830's, several lecturers at Oxford University, reading their copies of the Book of Common Prayer, noticed that this was not the intended state of affairs. The Prayer Book provided for a sermon at the Liturgy, but not at Morning Prayer, for the taking of a collection at the Liturgy, but not at Morning Prayer. In every way it was clear that the compilers of the Prayer Book had intended the Liturgy to be the principal service on every Sunday and Feast Day. So the lecturers got busy and wrote a series of pamphlets explaining this and various related points to their readers. They called the pamphlets Tracts for the Times, by Residents in Oxford, and the public referred to them as The Oxford Tracts.

 

At first, it met with little acceptance.  However, within time it certainly caught on and led to many denominations, including the Roman Catholics, on paying more attention to the liturgy.

 

If you go to Oxford today, you will find a chapel named after Edward Pusey where they celebrate Morning Prayer, the Eucharist and Evening Prayer each day.

 

Let us pray:  Grant, O God, that in all time of our testing we may know your presence and obey your will; that, following the examples of your servant Edward Bouverie Pusey, we may with integrity and courage accomplish what you give us to do, and endure what you give us to bear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, but especially, Robert, Gladys, Shirley, Lee , all of those suffering from cancer, and all of the families of the victims of the shootings at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

St. Vincent’s House Day, Saturday, 28 September at 10 a.m. at St. Vincent’s House with Bishop Fisher and continuing on Sunday, 29 September, with the celebration of the Eucharist at St. Augustine’s at 9 a.m. followed by breakfast.

 

Adult Christian Formation: this Sunday at 11 a.m.-the ethical consideration of stem cell research.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550 

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