Saints In Anglican Christianity
Saints Anglicanism are people recognised as having lived a holy life and as being an exemplar and model for other Christians (as opposed to theProtestant teaching that saint is simply another term for a believer in Christ, literally "consecrated ones", from the Greekhagios ). Beginning in the 10th century, theCatholic Church began to centralise and formalise the process of recognising saints throughcanonisation .
Saints who had been canonised when theChurch of England was incommunion with Rome generally continued to be recognised as saints after theEnglish Reformation in the 16th century.[ 1]
Since the split withRome , theChurch of England sometimes uses the wordhero orheroine to recognise those holy people whom thechurch synod or an individual church praises as having had special benevolence. It considers such muted terms a reversion to a more simple and cautiousdoctrine which emphasises empowerment (subsidiarity ) to all members and components of the church.
The provinces of theAnglican Communion therefore commemorate many of the saints in theGeneral Roman Calendar , often on the same days.
In some cases, Anglican Calendars have keptpre-1954 celebratory days that theRoman Catholic Church has since moved or abolished in theGeneral Roman Calendar of 1969.[citation needed
Like the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion has special holy days in honour ofJesus Christ , theBlessed Virgin Mary and theApostles . Many parish churches in the Communion have the names Christ Church, and St. Mary the Virgin. The same can also be said for the four great patrons ofGreat Britain andIreland ,Saint George (England),Saint David (Wales),Saint Patrick (Ireland), andSaint Andrew (Scotland).
English and local saints are often emphasised, and there are differences between the provinces' calendars.King Charles I of England is the only person to have been treated as a new saint by some Anglicans following the English Reformation, after which he was referred to as a martyr and included briefly in a calendar of theBook of Common Prayer .[ 2]
There are several persons commemorated in the modern Anglican calendars who were opposed to theRoman Catholic Church . Of particular note areJohn Wycliffe andWilliam Tyndale , for beginning the fulltranslation of the Bible into English (a project which led to theGeneva Bible ), and for writings against the Catholic Church.
TheOxford Martyrs ,Thomas Cranmer ,Nicholas Ridley , andHugh Latimer , are alsocommemorated for the courage they showed in death, and for their belief in a free Church of England.
In the 19th century, 23 Anglican and 22 Roman Catholic converts were martyred together inUganda . The Church of England commemorates the Ugandan martyrs on 3 June together with ArchbishopJanani Luwum , who was murdered in 1977 on the orders ofIdi Amin . On 18 October 1964,Pope Paul VI canonised the 22 Catholic Ugandan martyrs.
Anglican churches also commemorate famous (often post-Reformation) Christians from various denominations. TheWest front ofWestminster Abbey , for example, contains statues of 20th-century martyrs likeMaximilian Kolbe ,Martin Luther King Jr. ,Óscar Romero ,Dietrich Bonhoeffer andLucian Tapiedi (one of theMartyrs of New Guinea ).
Some traditional Anglican saints [ edit ] Aelred of Hexham (1110–1167),Abbot of Rievaulx —12 JanuaryAidan (d. 651), Bishop of Lindisfarne—31 AugustAlban (d. between 209 and 304),protomartyr of Britain—22 JuneAlcuin of York (c. 735–804), Deacon, Abbot of Tours—20 May Aldhelm (c. 639–709), Bishop of Sherborne , shrines atSalisbury andCanterbury —25 MayAlfred the Great (849–899), King of WessexAlphege (954–1012), Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr—19 AprilAnselm of Canterbury (c. 1033–1109), Archbishop of Canterbury Augustine of Canterbury (d.c. 604), first Archbishop of Canterbury—26 May Benedict Biscop (c. 628–690), Abbot of Wearmouth —13 JanuaryBirinus (c. 600–649), Bishop of Dorchester, Apostle of Wessex—4 September (Church of England), 3 December (Roman Catholic) Brigid (c. 451–525), Abbess of Kildare—1 February Cedd (c. 620–644), Abbot of Lastingham, Bishop of the East Saxons—26 October Chad (d. 672),Bishop of Lichfield —2 MarchCharles I of England (1600–1649), King of England, Scotland, and Ireland—30 JanuaryColumba (521–597), Abbot ofIona , Missionary—9 JuneCrispin and Crispinian (d.c. 286)—25 October. Immortalised as Saint Crispin's Day inHenry V Shakespeare Cuthbert (c. 634–687), Bishop of Lindisfarne —Church of England 29 March;Church in Wales 4 September);Episcopal Church (USA) 31 AugustDunstan (c. 909–989), Archbishop of Canterbury—19 May Edmund the Martyr (d. 869), King of theEast Angles , MartyrEdward the Confessor (c. 1003 to 1005 – 1066), King of England—13 October (translation of relics) Etheldreda (c. 636–679), Abbess of Ely—23 June Felix of Burgundy (d. 647 or 648), Bishop, Apostle to theEast Angles —8 MarchFrideswide , Prioress at Oxford (Christ Church )George , allegedly martyred atNicomedia in 303, his major shrine was atConstantinople , patron saint of EnglandRobert Grosseteste (c. 1175–1253), Bishop of Lincoln, Philosopher, Scientist Hilda (c. 614–680), Abbess of Whitby Hugh (1135 to 1140–1200),Carthusian monk and Bishop of Lincoln—17 NovemberJulian of Norwich (c. 1342 –c . 1416), spiritual writer, mystic—8 May, 13 May Margery Kempe (c. 1373 – after 1438), housewife and mystic Margaret (c. 1045–1093), Queen of Scotland, mystic—10 June or 16 November Mellitus (d. 624), firstBishop of London —24 AprilMildred (ca. 660–730), Abbess ofMinster-in-Thanet —13 JulyKentigern (d. 614), Bishop ofCumbria —13 JanuaryNinian (4th or 5th century), Bishop of Galloway, Apostle of thePicts —16 SeptemberOsmund (d. 1099),Bishop of Salisbury —4 DecemberOswald (c. 604–642), King of Northumbria, martyr—5 August Oswald of Worcester (d. 992), bishop of Worcester—29/28 FebruaryPaulinus of York (d. 644), Archbishop of York, missionary—10 OctoberPetroc (d.c. 564), missionary to the West Country —4 JunePiran (d.c. 480), patron saint of Cornwall and tinners—5 MarchRichard, Bishop of Chichester (1197–1253)Richard Rolle (1290–1349) of Hampole, spiritual writerEdmund Rich of Abingdon (1175–1240), Archbishop of Canterbury—16 NovemberSwithun (d.c. 862), Bishop of Winchester—15 July in England and 2 July in Norway Theodore of Tarsus (602–690), Archbishop of Canterbury—19 SeptemberThomas Becket (c. 1118–1170), Archbishop of Canterbury, martyr—29 December Thomas de Cantilupe (1218-82), bishop of Hereford—25 August/2 OctoberWilliam Tyndale (c. 1494–1536), translator of the Scriptures, martyr—6 October TheVenerable Bede (672 or 673–735), monk atJarrow , scholar, historian—western churches 25 May, and Orthodox churches 27 May Wilfrid (c. 633- c. 709), bishop, missionary William of Ockham (c. 1287–1347), friar, philosopher William of York (1141-53), bishop—8 JuneWilliam of Perth (d. ca. 1201), pilgrim, enshrined atRochester Cathedral —23 May/22 AprilWillibrord of York (c. 658–739), bishop, Apostle of Frisia—7 November Wulfstan (d. 1095),Bishop of Worcester —19 JanuaryExamples of modern Anglican saints [ edit ] The ninthLambeth Conference held in 1958 clarified the commemoration of Saints and Heroes of the Christian Church in the Anglican Communion. Resolution 79 stated:
In the case of scriptural saints, care should be taken to commemorate men or women in terms which are in strict accord with the facts made known in Holy Scripture. In the case of other names, the Calendar should be limited to those whose historical character and devotion are beyond doubt. In the choice of new names economy should be observed and controversial names should not be inserted until they can be seen in the perspective of history. The addition of a new name should normally result from a widespread desire expressed in the region concerned over a reasonable period of time.[ 3] Modern Anglican saints [ edit ] The following have been identified as heroes of the Christian Church in the Anglican Communion (post-Reformation individuals commemorated in the Church of England Calendar,[ 4] Orthodox churches):
Lancelot Andrewes (1555–1626), Bishop of Winchester, spiritual writer, theologianAnthony Ashley-Cooper (1801–1885), Earl of Shaftesbury, social reformerVedanayagam Samuel Azariah (1874–1945), bishop in South India, evangelistSamuel Barnett (1844–1913) andHenrietta Barnett (1851–1936), social reformersRichard Baxter (1615–1691),Puritan divineDietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), Lutheran pastor, martyrWilliam Booth (1829–1912) andCatherine Booth (1829–1890), founders of theSalvation Army Thomas Bray (1658–1730), founder of theSPCK John Bunyan (1628–1688), spiritual writerJoseph Butler (1692–1752),Bishop of Durham , philosopherJosephine Butler (1828–1906), social reformerJohn Calvin (1509–1564), reformerWilson Carlile (1847–1942), founder of theChurch Army Edith Cavell (1865–1915), nurseCharles I (1600–1649), king and martyrCaroline Chisholm (1808–1877), social reformerThomas Cranmer (1489–1556), Archbishop of Canterbury, Reformation martyrJohn Donne (1572–1631), priest, poetElizabeth Ferard (1825–1883), first Deaconess of the Church of England, founder of theCommunity of St Andrew Nicholas Ferrar (1592–1637), deacon, founder of theLittle Gidding community George Fox (1624–1691), founder of theSociety of Friends (the Quakers)Elizabeth Fry (1780–1845), prison reformerAllen Gardiner (1794–1851), missionary, founder of theSouth American Mission Society Isabella Gilmore (1842–1923), deaconessCharles Gore (1853–1932), bishop, founder of theCommunity of the Resurrection James Hannington (1847–1885), bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa, martyr in UgandaGeorge Herbert (1593–1633), priest, poetOctavia Hill (1838–1912), social reformerRichard Hooker (1554–1600), priest, apologist, theologianEglantyne Jebb (1876–1928), social reformer, founder of 'Save The Children 'Samuel Johnson (1709–1784), moralistJohn Keble (1792–1866), priest, tractarian, poetThomas Ken (1637–1711),Bishop of Bath and Wells Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy (1883–1929), priest, poetEdward King (1829–1920),Bishop of Lincoln Apolo Kivebulaya (c . 1864–1933), priest, evangelist in Central AfricaIni Kopuria (d. 1945), founder of theMelanesian Brotherhood Hugh Latimer (c . 1487–1555),Bishop of Worcester , Reformation martyrWilliam Laud (1573–1645), Archbishop of CanterburyWilliam Law (1686–1761), priest, spiritual writer,Charles Fuge Lowder (1820–1880), priestMartin Luther (1483–1546), reformerJanani Luwum (c . 1922–1977), Archbishop of Uganda, martyrFrederick Denison Maurice (1805–1872), priestHenry Martyn (1781–1812), translator of the Scriptures, missionary in India and PersiaBernard Mizeki (c . 1861–1896), apostle of theMaShona , martyrHarriet Monsell (1811–1883), founder of theCommunity of St John Baptist John Mason Neale (1818–1866), priest, hymn writerJohn Henry Newman (1801–1890), Cardinal, tractarian, theologianFlorence Nightingale (1820–1910), nurse, social reformerJohn Coleridge Patteson (1827–1871), firstBishop of Melanesia and martyrEdward Bouverie Pusey (1800–1882), priest, tractarianPandita Mary Ramabai (1858–1922), translator of the ScripturesNicholas Ridley (c . 1500–1555),Bishop of London , Reformation martyrÓscar Romero (1917–1980), Roman CatholicArchbishop of San Salvador , martyrChristina Rossetti (1830–1894), poetSamuel Seabury (1729–1796), first Anglican bishop in North AmericaPriscilla Lydia Sellon , a restorer of the religious life in the Church of EnglandGeorge Augustus Selwyn (1809–1878), first Anglican Bishop ofNew Zealand Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889– 1929?), evangelist, teacher of the FaithMary Slessor (1848–1915), missionary in West AfricaMary Sumner (1828–1921), founder of theMothers' Union Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667),Bishop of Down and Connor William Temple (1881–1944), Archbishop of CanterburyThomas Traherne (1636 or 1637–1674), poet, spiritual writerWilliam Tyndale (c . 1494–1536), translator of the Scriptures, Reformation martyrEvelyn Underhill (1875–1941), spiritual writerHenry Venn (1725–1797),John Venn (1759–1813), andHenry Venn the younger (1796–1873), priests, evangelical divinesIsaac Watts (1674–1748), hymn writerCharles Wesley (1707–1788), evangelist, hymn writerJohn Wesley (1703–1791), priest, evangelist, founder ofMethodism John West (1778–1845), missionary and the first Anglican priest in Western CanadaWilliam Wilberforce (1759–1833), social reformer
