St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

At St. Paul’s Parish today, Saturday, November 15, 2008:

• Diocesan Convention continues and concludes this afternoon.
  Please keep our clergy and delegates in your prayers.
• No activities on the parish calendar.

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

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

On the calendar tomorrow, November 16, 2008:

• Holy Communion at 8:00 a.m.;
• Nursery Opens at at 8:45 a.m.;
• Sunday School for All Ages at 9:00 a.m.;
• Youth Group attending U2-charist at Trinity Cathedral this morning;
• Choral Eucharist at 10:00 a.m.;
• Children’s Chapel at 10:00 a.m.;
• Celtic Eucharist at 5:30 p.m.;
• Church 101 Confirmation Class at 6:00 p.m. (in the Parish Hall);
• Parish Games Evening at 6:00 p.m. (in the Dining Room).

Today is a feria in the Episcopal Church. Tomorrow would ordinarily be the commemoration of St. Margaret of Scotland, but that will be supplanted by Sunday. A biographical note in the Lives of the Saints database maintained on a server at the University of Pittsburgh tells us:

Margaret, despite her appellation, was born a Saxon in 1046 and raised in Hungary. She came to England in 1066 when her uncle, King Edward the Confessor, died and Margaret’s brother, Edgar Atheling, decided to make a claim to the English throne. The English nobles preferred Harold of Wessex over Edgar, but later that year Duke William of Normandy made it all rather a moot point by invading England and establishing himself as King. Many members of the English nobility sought refuge in the court of King Malcolm III Canmore of Scotland, who had himself been an exile in England during the reign of Macbeth. Among the English refugees were Margaret and Edgar. While King Malcom was hospitable to all his new guests, he was rather more hospitable to Margaret, marrying her in 1070 to make her Queen of Scotland.

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Margaret instigated reforms within the Scottish church, as well as development of closer ties to the larger Roman Church in order to avoid a schism between the Celtic Church and Rome. Further, Margaret was a patroness both of the célidé, Scottish Christian hermits, and also the Benedictine Order. Although Benedictine monks were prominent throughout western continental Europe, there were previously no Benedictine monasteries known to exist in Scotland. Margaret therefore invited English Benedictine monks to establish monasteries in her kingdom.

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Margaret was also active in works of charity. Margaret frequently visited and cared for the sick, and on a larger scale had hostels constructed for the poor. She was also in the habit, particularly during Advent and Lent, of holding feasts for as many as 300 commoners in the royal castle. (Read the entire note here.)

Margaret died on November 16, 1093, and was declared a saint in 1250. She is considered to be an exemplar of the just ruler, and also influenced her husband and children to be just and holy rulers. She was declared Patroness of Scotland in 1673. The collect for commemoration of St. Margaret is found in Lesser Feasts and Fasts - 2006:

O God, you called your servant Margaret to an earthly throne that she might advance your heavenly kingdom, and gave her zeal for your Church and love for your people: Mercifully grant that we who commemorate her this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen