Lectionary Calendar
Monday, September 25th, 2023
the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
Historical Writings
Today in Christian History
Monday, November 16
1093
Death of St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland, whose faith brought Christianity to many in the nation.
1200
Death of Saint Hugh of Avalon. This noble-minded bishop of Lincoln had been beloved by the people because of his kindness to them and his fearless rebuke of wicked authorities. His tomb will become a pilgrim shrine.
1585
Repose (Death) of Sergius of Malopinega, a Russian Orthodox monk who had labored to convert the people of the Chud region and was loved because of his kindness, courage, humility, and mercifulness, especially to the poor.
1621
The Papal Chancery first adopted January 1st as the beginning of the calendar year. Previously, March was the first month, which explains why our modern names for the 9th-12th months begin instead with prefixes meaning "7" (sept-), "8" (octÂ) "9" (nov-) and "10" (dec-).
1827
Western Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian school, formally opens to students in Allegheny, Pennsylvania.
1845
Hymnwriter Frederick Faber announces he is migrating to the church of Rome.
1885
Despite the martyrdom of his mentor, Joseph Mukasa, the day before, Denis Ssebuggwawo comes secretly to Catholic missionaries in Uganda and requests baptism, which is administered on the spot. Six months later king Mwanga will have him executed because of his faith.
1894
Death of James McCosh, 83, Scottish-born theologian and educator. President of Princeton from 1868-88, McCosh was one of the first orthodox clergymen in America to accept and defend the theory of evolution.
1918
In NY City, the United Lutheran Church was organized by a merger of three general Lutheran bodies in the U.S. and Canada. (In 1962, the ULC became one of the branches of Lutheranism which formed the Lutheran Church in America.)
1946
The Evangelical United Brethren Church was constituted at Johnstown, PA by a merger of the United Brethren in Christ and the Evangelical Church. The new denomination originated in the work of two German Reformed pastors, Philip W. Otterbein and Martin Boehm, who had ministered among Pennsylvania Germans two centuries earlier.
1952
"Our Goodly Heritage" debuted over CBS television. This Sunday morning Bible study program, hosted by William Rush Baer of New York University, aired a little over five years.
2002
A religion law goes into effect in Belarus forbidding unregistered religious activity. It requires censorship of religious literature, forbids foreign church leadership and puts tight restrictions on what organizations can be registered.
Copyright Statement
© 1987-2020, William D. Blake. Portions used by permission of the author, from "Almanac of the Christian Church"
© 1987-2020, William D. Blake. Portions used by permission of the author, from "Almanac of the Christian Church"
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