Author Archives: Steve Benner

Galileo GalileiGalileo Galilei was born on 15 February 1564 near Pisa, the son of a musician. He began to study medicine at the University of Pisa but changed to philosophy and mathematics. In 1589, he became professor of mathematics at Pisa. In 1592, he moved to become mathematics professor at the University of Padua, aContinue reading “Oremus for Saturday, January 8, 2022”

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/bdz28pwk The brightness of God illumined the holy city Jerusalem,and the nations will walk by its light. Revelation 21 Almighty God,you have poured upon usthe new light of your incarnate Word:Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts,may shine forth in our lives;through Jesus Christ our Lord,who lives and reigns with you,in the unityContinue reading “Oremus for Friday, January 7, 2022”

The EpiphanyThe subtitle in the Book of Common Prayer of this, one of the principal feasts of the Church, is ‘The Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles’. This emphasises that, from the moment of the Incarnation, the good news of Jesus Christ is for all: Jew and Gentile, the wise and the simple, male and female. NothingContinue reading “Oremus for Thursday, January 6, 2022”

Felix ManzFelix Manz (also Felix Mantz) (c. 1498 – 5 January 1527) was an Anabaptist, a co-founder of the original Swiss Brethren congregation in Zürich, Switzerland, and the first martyr of the Radical Reformation. A native of Zürich, Manz became a follower of Huldrych Zwingli after he came to Zürich in 1519. When Conrad GrebelContinue reading “Oremus for Wednesday, January 5, 2022”

Elizabeth Ann SetonElizabeth Ann Bayley was born in New York in 1774. She endured a turbulent childhood and suffered severe bouts of depression. She survived by immersing herself in poetry, piano lessons, and devoted participation in the Episcopal Church.In 1795 she married William Seton. In 1801, the family business failed and the Setons lost everything.Continue reading “Oremus for Tuesday, January 4, 2022”

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/jrf6v6t2 Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear.Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Isaiah 35 Almighty God,you have poured upon usthe new light of your incarnate Word:Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts,may shine forth in our lives;through Jesus Christ our Lord,who lives andContinue reading “Oremus for Monday, January 3, 2022”

Antiphon1 Ant. For it is God who has established the world, *it shall never be moved;your throne is established from of old;you are from all eternity.V. The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed. †The Lord has robed himself with might; *he has girded himself with power. Psalm 93 Almighty God,you have poured upon usthe new light of yourContinue reading “Oremus for Sunday, January 2, 2022”

The Naming and Circumcision of JesusThe celebration of this scriptural festival marks three events: firstly, the naming of the infant; secondly, the sign of the covenant between God and Abraham ‘and his children for ever’, thus Christ’s keeping of the Law; and thirdly, traditionally the first shedding of the Christ’s blood. The most significant ofContinue reading “Oremus for Saturday, January 1, 2022”

John WycliffeJohn Wycliffe (1320s – 31 December 1384) was an English scholastic philosopher, theologian, biblical translator, reformer, priest, and a seminary professor at the University of Oxford. He became an influential dissident within the Roman Catholic priesthood during the 14th century and is considered an important predecessor to Protestantism. Wycliffe questioned the privileged status ofContinue reading “Oremus for Friday, December 31, 2021”

Josephine ButlerJosephine Butler (née Grey) was born in April 1828, and baptised on this day that year, in Northumberland. She married an Anglican priest in 1852. She became incensed by the way contemporary society treated prostitutes, most of whom were forced into such activity through desperate poverty. From 1869, she campaigned for the repeal ofContinue reading “Oremus for Thursday, December 30, 2021”