Author Archives: Steve Benner

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 Thursday, January 4, 2024”

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 Wednesday, January 3, 2024”

Basil the Great and Gregory NazianzenGregory and Basil were two friends bound together by their desire to promote and defend the divinity of Christ as proclaimed in the Nicene Creed. This was against the seemingly overwhelming pressure from both Church and State for the establishment of Arianism, which denied Christ’s divinity and thus the wholeContinue reading “Oremus for Tuesday, January 2, 2024”

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 Monday, January 1, 2024”

Antiphon1 Ant. Unto us a child is born, *unto us a son is given.Dominion is on his shoulderand his name shall be called the Angel of Great Counsel.V. O sing a new song to the Lord, *for he has worked wonders.His right hand and his holy arm *have brought salvation. Isaiah 9; Psalm 98 Almighty God,you have pouredContinue reading “Oremus for Sunday, December 31, 2023”

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 Saturday, December 30, 2023”

Thomas BecketThomas was born in London in 1118, of a family of merchants. After a good education he served as clerk to another burgess then entered the service of Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury. Thomas proved himself an excellent administrator and skilled diplomat. In 1155 he was appointed chancellor by King Henry II. For several yearsContinue reading “Oremus for Friday, December 29, 2023”

The Holy InnocentsHerod ‘the Great’ was appointed King of the Jews by the Roman authorities in Palestine and he proved to be ruthlessly efficient in his thirty-three years of dealing with his subjects. In Matthew’s gospel, he tried to persuade the Magi, to whom he played the host on their journey seeking the one ‘whoContinue reading “Oremus for Thursday, December 28, 2023”

Saint John the EvangelistWhether or not John the Apostle and John the Evangelist are one and the same, the Church honours on this day the one who proclaims Jesus as the Word made flesh and who is ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’. John was one of the sons of Zebedee, along with James and Peter,Continue reading “Oremus for Wednesday, December 27, 2023”

Saint StephenIn the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Stephen is described as one of the seven deacons whose job it is to care for the widows in the early Church in Jerusalem. His eloquent speech before the Sanhedrin, in which he shows the great sweep of Jewish history as leading to the birthContinue reading “Oremus for Tuesday, December 26, 2023”