Today the Church celebrates the life and ministry of a pioneering woman, St. Hilda of Whitby who was born in 614 and died in 680. What we know of her comes primarily from St. Bede’s An Ecclesiastical History of the English People written in 731.
Hilda was born to a royal family; she was the grandniece of King Edwin of Northumbria, a kingdom of the Angles. Although she was born in 614, Hilda was not baptized until 627 her family became Christians. Twenty years later, Hilda became a nun. Under St. Aidan’s direction, she established several monastic communities. The last monastic community that she founded was at Whitby. Archaeological evidence shows that her monastery was in the Celtic style, with its members living in small houses, each for 2 or 3 people. The tradition in double monasteries, such as Whitby, was that men and women lived separately but worshipped together in church. Hilda served as the Abbess for the monastery’s men and women until her death. Whitby became a great center of English learning, and it produced 5 bishops.
St. Bede described Hilda as a woman of great energy, who was a skilled administrator and teacher. As a landowner, Hilda had many in her employ to care for sheep and cattle, farming and woodcutting. She gained such a reputation for wisdom that kings and princes sought her advice. She also had a concern for ordinary people; when Hilda recognized that someone was gifted in a particular area, she would encourage them to develop it. St. Bede wrote, “All who knew her called her mother because of her outstanding devotion and grace.”
Hilda is an example to us today.
Let us pray: O God of peace, by whose grace the abbess Hilda was endowed with gifts of justice, prudence, and strength to rule as a wise mother over the nuns and monks of her household, and to become a trusted and reconciling friend to leaders of the Church: Give us the grace to respect and love our fellow Christians with whom we disagree, that our common life may be enriched and your gracious will be done, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR GABRIELLA GILES AND CHRISTOPHER RAGLE:this evening at 7 PM at St. Patrick’s on 34th and Broadway. Both will have separate funeral services tomorrow; Gabriella at 10 AM at Moody Methodist and Christopher at 1 PM at St. Patrick’s. Please remember the families and all of the students at Ball High School in your prayers.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
Our Church Thanksgiving Lunch will be Sunday, 23 November 2014 following the 9 AM Eucharist.
Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially Patricia Florence’s family.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
No comments:
Post a Comment