✝️ Today we remember Constance and Her Companions, also known as the Martyrs of Memphis.
They were Episcopal nuns and priests who sacrificed their lives caring for yellow fever victims in Memphis in 1878, exemplifying Christ-like love and service to others in the face of great danger.
2/
"Few know what a wonderful life it was that ended, for this world, when Sister Constance died. It was one long and entire consecration to Christ and the Church; and the strength with which she met the fearful trials of those last days, directing, sustaining, and cheering her devoted companions, and working day and night to spare others, was a supernatural strength."
📖The Sisters of St. Mary at Memphis:
with the Acts and Sufferings of the Priests and Others Who Were There with Them during the Yellow Fever Season of 1878.
New York: Printed, but not Published, 1879; 62pp.
transcribed by Elizabeth Boggs
Constance and her companions were Episcopal nuns from the Community of St. Mary who stayed in Memphis during the 1878 yellow fever epidemic to care for the sick and dying.
They operated out of St. Mary's Cathedral, providing medical care, food, and comfort to hundreds of victims daily, regardless of race or economic status.
4/
Sister Constance was the first to die on September 9, 1878, followed by Sisters Thecla, Ruth, and Frances, as well as two Episcopal priests assisting them.
Their selfless sacrifice in the face of extreme danger earned them the title "Martyrs of Memphis" in the Episcopal Church.
5/
They are commemorated annually on September 9th in the Episcopal Church calendar, inspiring others to sacrificial service.
Their ministry highlights the Christian call to care for the sick and suffering, even at great personal risk.
🙏🏻
O Almighty God,
who didst give thy servants Constance and her companions boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world,
and courage to die for this faith:
Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of the same our Lord Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God,
world without end.
Amen
🧑🧑🧒🧒We’re a church without a building right now.
🙋🏻♂️Can you help us?
⛪️We can do so much more to bring people to Jesus and to serve the community if we had a building of our own.
✝️ Today in The Daily Office we remember Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
A 🧵
She was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity, dedicated her life to serving "the poorest of the poor" in Calcutta and around the world, and became renowned for her charitable work and devotion to Christ.
"We can only do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa
2/ Born in 1910 in Skopje, Mother Teresa joined the Sisters of Loreto at 18 and moved to India, where she founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950.
She dedicated her life to serving "the poorest of the poor" in Calcutta's slums, establishing hospices, homes for orphaned children, and clinics for people with leprosy and HIV/AIDS.
3/ She lived out her faith through radical acts of charity, seeing Christ in the poor and marginalized, inspired by Jesus' words "I thirst" and "As you did to the least of these, you did it to me".
And she received numerous honors including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, using the monetary award to serve the poor in India.
✝️ Today we remember The Martyrs of Papua New Guinea, 1901 and 1942-43.
A group of Christian missionaries and local believers who were killed for their faith in Papua New Guinea, including James Chalmers and Oliver Tomkins in 1901, and over 330 Christians of various denominations during the Japanese invasion in 1942-1943, all of whom are commemorated for their sacrificial witness and steadfast commitment to serving Christ and His Church in the face of persecution.
“We could never hold up our faces again, if for our own safety we all forsook him and fled when the shadows of the passion began to gather around him in his spiritual body, the Church in Papua. Our life in the future would have been burdened with shame and we could not come back here and face our people again; and we would be conscious always of rejected opportunities."
-Bishop Philip Strong
A 🧵
2/ The Martyrs of Papua New Guinea include 333 Christians from various denominations who were killed during the Japanese invasion in 1942-1943.
Reported numbers of those killed varies; the University of Papua New Guinea research that there were
Roman Catholic - 197
United Church - 77
Salvation Army - 22
Lutheran - 16
Anglican - 12
Methodist - 10
Evangelical Church of Manus - 5
Seventh Day Adventist - 4
3/ Notable Anglican martyrs include Vivian Redlich, May Hayman, Lucian Tapiedi, and others who chose to remain and serve their communities despite the imminent danger.
✝️ Today has been the Feast of Aidan of Lindisfarne.*
He was an Irish monk and missionary who served as the first bishop of Lindisfarne, founded Lindisfarne Priory, and is known as the "Apostle of Northumbria" for his pivotal role in restoring and spreading Christianity throughout northern England in the 7th century through his patient, gentle evangelism and establishment of churches, monasteries, and schools.
(*Yes, Admin should’ve done this first thing but she got a bit behind on things, sorry! - SR)
Anyway, here’s a 🧵:
2/
“Among other evidences of holy life, he gave his clergy an inspiring example of self-discipline and continence, and the highest recommendation of his teaching to all was that he and his followers lived as they taught. He never sought or cared for any worldly possessions, and loved to give away to the poor who chanced to meet him whatever he received from kings or wealthy folk."
-- Bede
3/
He was an Irish monk who became the first bishop of Lindisfarne in 635, establishing a monastery and see on the island.
And he’s a Missionary credited with restoring Christianity to Northumbria through patient, gentle evangelism, often walking from village to village.
✝️ Today we remember Charles Chapman Grafton (1830-1912).
He was an Episcopal bishop, Anglo-Catholic leader, and ecumenist known for his efforts to promote Catholic traditions within Anglicanism, his founding of religious orders, and his work towards Christian unity, particularly between Anglicans and Eastern Orthodox churches.
“Press on the Kingdom!"
-- Charles Chapman Grafton
A 🧵
2/
Born in Boston in 1830, Charles Chapman Grafton became an ardent supporter of the Oxford Movement and Anglo-Catholicism within the Episcopal Church
He co-founded the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE) in England and later helped establish the American Congregation of St. Benedict and the Sisterhood of the Holy Nativity.
3/
He served as the second Bishop of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin from 1889 to 1912, expanding the diocese and contributing much of his personal wealth.
He was known for his ecumenical efforts, particularly his involvement in the controversial "Fond du Lac Circus" consecration of 1900, which included Orthodox and Polish National Catholic bishops.
✝️ Today in the Daily Office, we remember John the Baptist, who was a prophet and forerunner of Jesus Christ, known for baptising people in the Jordan River and preparing the way for the Messiah, who was ultimately beheaded by King Herod Antipas for criticising the king's unlawful marriage.
"He chose to despise the commands of a tyrant, rather than those of God. His example teaches us, that nothing should be dearer to us, than the will of God."
-Lanspergius the Carthusian
A 🧵
2/
He lived an austere life in the wilderness, wearing camel's hair and subsisting on locusts and wild honey.
And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. KJV Matthew 3:4
3/
John baptised Jesus and proclaimed him as the Messiah, saying "Behold, the Lamb of God"
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. KJV John 1:29
✝️In today's Daily Office, we remember Augustine, Bishop of Hippo and Teacher of the Faith.
A 🧵
Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was a renowned theologian, philosopher, and bishop in North Africa who profoundly shaped Western Christian thought through his influential writings on topics like original sin, divine grace, and the Church, becoming one of the most important Church Fathers and a Doctor of the Church.
"Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee."
- Augustine of Hippo
2/
Augustine converted to Christianity at age 32 after a spiritual journey, becoming Bishop of Hippo in 395 and serving until his death in 430.
His conversion was brought about by Saint Monica, his mother.