Blessed feasts of blessed martyrs, holy women, holy men,
with affection’s recollections greet we your return again.
Worthy deeds they wrought, and wonders, worthy of the Name they bore;
we, with meetest praise and sweetest, honor them for evermore.
– Twelfth century Latin text, translated John Mason Neale #238, The Hymnal 1982
Throughout the year, The Episcopal Church celebrates women and men, both ancient and contemporary, that have left a spiritual mark on the world.
We will highlight one of these saints each week, and you can read more about them in the posts below. You can also explore on your own, using the resource Lesser Feasts and Fasts.
Kamehameha and Emma of Hawaii
King Kamehameha IV and his wife Emma were Christian rulers who encouraged the building of Christian schools and hospitals, and who contributed greatly to the spread of Christianity among the Hawaiian people. O God, who called your servants Kamehameha and Emma to an...
C.S. Lewis
“You must make your choice,” C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity. “Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up as a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him...
Consecration of Samuel Seabury
Samuel Seabury, the first bishop of the Episcopal Church, was born in Groton, Connecticut on November 30th, 1729. After ordination in England in 1753, he was assigned, as a missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, to Christ Church, New Brunswick,...
Saint Martin
Saint Martin grew up in what is now northern Italy in the early 300s. When he was only 10 years old, he went to church against his parents’ wishes. At age 15 he had to join the military, at his father’s behest, and so he became a Roman soldier. He served in the...
Edith Cavell
Edith Louisa Cavell was a British nurse in World War I. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination, and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium. Living God, the source of all healing and...
Vida Dutton Scudder
Vida Scudder was involved in social change inside and outside of the Episcopal Church. Most gracious God, you sent your beloved Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Raise up in your church witnesses who, after the example of your...