St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

At St. Paul’s Parish today, Friday, August 22, 2008:

• Women’s AA at 7:30 p.m. (in the Dining Room).

The Summer issue of St. Paul’s Sword of the Spirit, our monthly newsletter, is available on line, as is the calendar of parish events for August 2008.

Today’s news in the Episcopal Church - Episcopal Life Online.

On the calendar tomorrow, August 23, 2008:

• Free Farmers Market at 10:00 a.m. (in the Dining Room);
• Foyer Group Finale BBQ Event at 6:30 p.m. (in the Dining Room).

Today is a feria in the Episcopal Church. Our brothers and sisters in the Orthodox Christian tradition venerate the Martyress Eulalia.

Fr. S. Janos offers this brief biography of Eulalia:

The Martyress Eulalia lived in Spain, near the city of Barcionum (at present now – Barcelona), and she was raised by her parents in piety and the Christian faith. Already at 14 years of age the maiden spent a solitary life in the parental home, occupied with several of her own age in prayer, the reading of Holy Scripture, and handicrafts. During the time of a persecution against Christians, – that under the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (284-305), there arrived in the city of Barcionum the governor Dacian to rid it of Christians. Hearing about this, the maiden by night secretly left her home and by morning had made her way into the city. Pushing her way through the throng of people, the girl made a bold denunciation of the judge, for forcing people to renounce the True God to instead offer sacrifice to devils. Dacian gave orders to viciously beat the girl with canes, but she steadfastly endured the torment and told the judge, that the Lord would deliver her from the feelings of pain. They suspended the martyress from a tree and tore at her skin with iron claws, and they then burnt at her wounds with torches. During the time of torment Dacian asked the saint: “Where then is thy God, Whom thou hast called upon?” She answered, that the Lord was alongside her, but that Dacian in his impurity would not be able to see Him. During the time of the saint’s prayer: “Behold, God wilt help me, and the Lord be defender of my soul” (Ps. 53 [54]: 4) – the flames of the torches turned back upon the torturers, who fell to the ground. The Martyress Eulalia began to pray, that the Lord would take her to Heaven to Himself, and with this prayer she died. People beheld a white dove, flying up from her mouth to Heaven. The body of the saint was buried by night by Christians. The parents of the martyress, having come upon her during her sufferings, wept but were also gladdened, that their daughter would be numbered amidst the ranks of the saints. When they took Saint Eulalia from the tree, one of the Christians, by the name of Felix, said with tears of joy: “Lady Eulalia, thou art the first of us to win the martyr’s crown!” The Martyr Felix himself soon accepted death for Christ (his memory is also on this day, 22 August).

In Barcelona, Spain, the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, sometimes called La Seu is the main focal point of the Bari Gothic area. In the cathedral cloister thirteen geese are housed representing the years of the patron saint’s life. In Spain they believe she was 13 years old when she died, not 14 as reported by Fr. Janos.

The following prayer for commemoration of a martyr is taken from The Book of Common Prayer - 1979:

Almighty and everlasting God, who kindled the flame of your love in the heart of your holy martyr Eulalia: Grant to us, your humble servants, a like faith and power of love, that we who rejoice in her triumph may profit by her example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.