Laurence, Deacon & Martyr

Today the Church remembers and celebrates the life and ministry of Laurence, a deacon in the Church at Rome in the mid 200s.  It was a time of persecution for the Christians.   Laurence took care of the finances in the Church at Rome, and the Roman government wanted him to turn over all of the Church treasure to Rome.  Laurence assembled all of the poor, the widows and the orphans and said: “These are the treasures of the Church.”  The official was not amused.  He ordered that Laurence be roasted alive.  Laurence, ever God’s comedian, said, “I’m done on this side, you can turn me over now.” 

The Gospel appointed for his day is taken from John:

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. (Jn. 12: 24-26).

Laurence gave his life in service to the treasures of God’s Church, the poor, the widows and the orphans.  He died in service to God by seeing Christ in all.

Let us pray:  Almighty God, who called your deacon Laurence to serve you with deeds of love, and gave him the crown of martyrdom: Grant that we, following his example, may fulfill your commandments by defending and supporting the poor, and by loving you with all our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Art Class with Lee Runion, Friday evening, 10 August and then continuing on Saturday, 11 August.  The class will be making “yard bugs!”

Seaside Seniors, Thursday, 16 August in Sutton Hall.

The Feast Day of St. Augustine will be celebrated on Sunday, 26 August starting with Eucharist Rite II at 9 a.m. and a luncheon after the service.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially, the family of Corlie Jackson whose mother died recently, for the health of Lee Runion’s mother, Steve, Gladys, in thanksgiving for a generous gift to the Discretionary Fund, and for all of those who are traveling.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Herman of Alaska, Monk & Missionary

We do not often think of Russians as having evangelized any part of the Americas, but sometimes we forget how close we are to Russia by way of Alaska.  Today, the Church remembers a Russian Orthodox monk, Herman, who lived was born in 1756 and who died in 1837 in Spruce, Alaska, who was a missionary in Kodiak, Alaska. 

Herman entered a Russian Orthodox monastery, Trinity-St. Sergius Hermitage near St. Petersburg, at the age of 16. Eventually he was tonsured a monk, though he was never ordained to the priesthood.  Herman was selected to go on a mission to the Alaskan Territory; he went with 7 other monks.

They arrived on Kodiak Island on 24 September 1794. The monks converted the native Aleuts, and as time progressed they found themselves protecting the natives from exploitation and abuse. Because of this moral stance the monks themselves were abused, arrested and physically threatened. In time, enduring hardship, inclement weather, illness and more, Herman stood as the only remainder from the original band of missionaries, the others either being martyred for their faith, dying of natural causes or returning to Russia.

Herman eventually built a hermitage on Spruce Island, about a mile and a quarter from Kodiak Island. A small chapel was built as well, along with a school and guest house. The local people would visit him often. He devoted his life to prayer and to performing those services he could do as a simple monk who had not been ordained to the priesthood.

My wife, Mary, and I just returned from a week in Alaska.  It is indeed a beautiful, untamed frontier.  Even today, the vast land of Alaska is sparsely populated.  One has to admire and respect those who lived in Alaska, like Herman and his band of monastic brothers, during a time when there were no modern conveniences.

Let us pray:  Holy God, we bless your Name for Herman, joyful north star of Christ’s Church, who came from Russia to bring the Good News of Christ’s love to your native people in Alaska, to defend them from oppressors and to proclaim the Gospel of peace; and we pray that we may follow his example in proclaiming the Gospel; through the same Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, throughout all ages. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Art Class with Lee Runion, Friday evening, 10 August and then continuing on Saturday, 11 August.  The class will be making “yard bugs!”

Seaside Seniors, Thursday, 16 August in Sutton Hall.

The Feast Day of St. Augustine will be celebrated on Sunday, 26 August starting with Eucharist Rite II at 9 a.m. and a luncheon after the service.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially, the family of Corlie Jackson whose mother died recently, for the health of Lee Runion’s mother, Steve, Gladys, in thanksgiving for a generous gift to the Discretionary Fund, and for all of those who are travelling.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

St. Dominic Guzman & the Order of Preachers

Today the Church remembers the founder of the Order of Preachers, St. Dominic, a Spaniard, who was born in 1170 and who died in 1221. He became a priest and served at the Cathedral in Osma. 

In 1206, Dominic had a turning point in his life.  He was accompanying his bishop to Southern France and he encountered the Albigenses, a sect within Christianity that believed there were two gods, one the god of goodness, light, truth, and spirit, and the other the god of evil, darkness, error, and matter. They viewed the material universe as evil, and created by a bad god. The good god created everything that was spiritual. 

Dominic and his bishop stayed at an inn that was owned by an Albigensian. Dominic stayed up all night talking with the innkeeper, and by morning, the innkeeper gave up his Albigensian beliefs and embraced the faith as expressed in the Nicene Creed.  At this juncture, Dominic knew that he was called to preach and to teach those who did not accept the ancient Nicene Creed.  In 1215, he established an entire religious order dedicated to that task, the Order of Preachers.  This religious order now runs universities, high schools, and may be found frequently preaching.  The Order of Preachers is also a religious order within the Anglican Communion, and they are all around the world, including here in the United States.  You may learn more about them on their web site: http://anglicandominican.com/.

Let us pray:  Almighty God, whose servant Dominic grew in knowledge of your truth and formed an order of preachers to proclaim the good news of Christ: Give to all your people a hunger for your Word and an urgent longing to share the Gospel, that the whole world may come to know you as you are revealed in your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Art Class with Lee Runion, Friday evening, 10 August and then continuing on Saturday, 11 August.  The class will be making “yard bugs!”

Seaside Seniors, Thursday, 16 August in Sutton Hall.

The Feast Day of St. Augustine will be celebrated on Sunday, 26 August starting with Eucharist Rite II at 9a.m. and a luncheon after the service.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially, Lee Runion’s mother, Steve, Gladys, in thanksgiving for a generous gift to the Discretionary Fund, and for all of those who are travelling.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

The Rev. John Mason Neale, Co-Founder of the Sisters of St. Margaret

Today the Church honors and remembers the founder of an Anglican religious order, John Mason Neale, who was born in London in 1818.  He studied at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, and was ordained deacon in 1841 and priest in 1842. Although upon ordination Neale was offered a parish, his health prevented him from taking it.

In 1846, Neale was named as a warden of Sackville College, not a school but a residence for the poor.  He held this position for the remainder of his life.

In 1854, Neale co-founded the Sisterhood of St. Margaret, an order of women in the Anglican Church dedicated to nursing the sick. Many people in England at the time viewed the religious order with suspicion because it seemed as bit too Roman Catholic.  Despite this prejudice, Neale won the confidence of many who had fiercely opposed the Sisterhood of St. Margaret, which has survived and prospered.  Their webite may be found at http://www.ssmbos.com/.

Neale was awarded a doctorate by Trinity College, of Hartford, Connecticut.

Neale was also an accomplished linguist; he knew some 20 languages.  He was a prolific writer, authoring some seventy publications and numerous hymns. His works include essays, commentaries, books for children, and a compilation of hymns. His works include Hymns of the Eastern Church (1862), Essays on Liturgiology and Church History (1863), and The History of the Holy Eastern Church (5 volumes, 1847-1873).

His frail health, in combination with his heavy labors and years of controversy contributed to his early death. Neale died on 6 August 1866 at the age 48. Since 6 August is the Feast of the Transfiguration, he is remembered on 7 August. 

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 example of your servant John Mason Neale, 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.  Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Art Class with Lee Runion, Friday evening, 10 August and then continuing on Saturday, 11 August.  The class will be making “yard bugs!”

Seaside Seniors, Thursday, 16 August in Sutton Hall.

The Feast Day of St. Augustine will be celebrated on Sunday, 26 August starting with Eucharist Rite II at 9 a.m. and a luncheon after the service.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially, Lee Runion’s mother, Steve, Gladys, in thanksgiving for a generous gift to the Discretionary Fund, and for all of those who are travelling.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

The Transfiguration

Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration, and in today’s Gospel St. Luke tells us:

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.  (Lk. 9: 26-38).

The event of the Transfiguration is also recorded in Matthew (17:1-8) and in Mark (9:2-8); however, not in John.  One might wonder why it is not recorded in John’s Gospel since Matthew, Mark and Luke all say that John was present?  It might be because much of John’s Gospel is about the Transfiguration. 

The Transfiguration is the manifestation of the glory of God in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.   John’s Gospel begins with the Word being God, and that the very Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.  Jesus’ divine glory constantly manifests itself in John’s Gospel while in the other Gospel accounts, the disciples are slow to recognize who is really is that they are following. 

In today’s Gospel account, we read that Moses and Elijah are on either side of Jesus.  Moses, the great law giver, represents the Law (the Commandments), the first five books of the Old Testament.  Elijah, the greatest of the prophets,  represents all of the prophets which we find in the second part of the Old Testament. In his public ministry, Jesus often referred to the Law and the Prophets, that is, the Old Testament.  The Word became flesh to dwell among us; God himself comes to us as we are, human, and he comes to fulfill all of the Law and the Prophets.  Now you and I are to give witness about the glory of the Incarnation, God with us as one of us.

Let us pray:  O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Art Class with Lee Runion, Friday evening, 10 August and then continuing on Saturday, 11 August.  The class will be making “yard bugs!”

Seaside Seniors, Thursday, 16 August in Sutton Hall.

The Feast Day of St. Augustine will be celebrated on Sunday, 26 August starting with Eucharist Rite II at 9 a.m. and a luncheon after the service. 

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially, Lee Runion’s mother, Steve, Gladys, in thanksgiving for a generous gift to the Discretionary Fund, and for all of those who are travelling.

The Son of God did not want to be seen and found in heaven. Therefore he descended from heaven into this humility and came to us in our flesh, laid himself into the womb of his mother and into the manger and went on to the cross. This was the ladder that he placed on earth so that we might ascend to God on it. This is the way you must take. —Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Samuel D. Ferguson, Bishop of Liberia in West Africa

Today the Church remembers and honors a son of the United States of America who became bishop in Liberia, Samuel David Ferguson, who was born on New Year’s Day in 1842 in Charleston, South Carolina, and who died on this day in 1916 in Cape Palmas, Liberia.

Ferguson’s family moved from Charleston to Liberia when he was six. He was ordained a deacon on 28 December 1865, and was ordained a priest on 15 March 1868. He was consecrated as bishop of The Episcopal Church of Liberia in West Africa on 24 June 1885 at Grace Church, New York, becoming the first black member of the House of Bishops.

As missionary Bishop of Liberia, Ferguson established Cuttington College in 1889. With the aid of a $5,000 gift from Robert F. Cutting, the treasurer of the Board of Missions, Ferguson purchased 100 acres of land, hired an all-Liberian staff, and built Epiphany Hall, the school’s first permanent structure. Over the years, other permanent buildings would replace the remaining initial thatched hut structures of Cuttington. The school’s departments included theological, agricultural, and industrial education. Ferguson’s purpose for the school was to give the youth of Liberia and Africa the skills to meet the physical and spiritual needs of a growing nation. Despite being closed for nearly twenty years during a devastating civil war, Cuttington College still exists to fulfill Bishop Ferguson’s vision.

Let us pray:  Almighty God, we bless you for moving your servant Samuel Ferguson to minister in Liberia, expanding the missionary vision of your Church in education and ministry. Stir up in us a zeal for your mission and a yearning for your holy Word; through Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for ever and ever.  Amen.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Joseph of Arimathaea

Today the Church recalls Joseph of Arimathaea.  The Gospels tell us that after Jesus’ death, Joseph of Arimathaea, a wealthy member of the Council, asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, and buried it with honor in the tomb he had intended for himself. This is all we ever hear about him in the New Testament.  Joseph of Arimathaea is a faithful follower of Jesus; he gave his own tomb to Jesus, a tomb which soon would be the scene of the Resurrection. 

Let us pray:  Merciful God, whose servant Joseph of Arimathaea with reverence and godly fear prepared the body of our Lord and Savior for burial, and laid it in his own tomb: Grant to us, your faithful people, grace and courage to love and serve Jesus with sincere devotion all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550