laudable Practice

Today is the 220th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, a victory which destroyed Napoleon's naval power and constrained his imperial ambitions. In the weeks following, a royal proclamation appointed Thursday 5th December as "a General Thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the late signal and important Victory - obtained by His Majesty's Ships of War, under the Command of the late Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, over the combined Fleets of France and Spain". ' A Form of Prayer and Thanksgiving to Almighty God ' was duly issued for use in the United Church of England and Ireland.  Across the Kingdom, in the dark and cold of that early December day, those attending divine service would have heard Trafalgar remembered in a context defined by the weight, seriousness, and ultimate significance of Christianity: it was the 'Form of Prayer and Thanksgiving to Almighty God' which gave moral and spiritual meaning to the victory and the ongoing time of war. Thi...

On 28th June this year, as every year, the very fine St. Michael's Church, Charleston , South Carolina, observed ' Carolina Day ', recalling the Battle of Sullivan's Island - fought on the same date in 1776 - which marked the first victory for the forces of the Continental Congress.  The service was Morning Prayer from the BCP 1662, the liturgy which would have been in use in St. Michael's throughout the Revolutionary War - with, of course, the prayers for the monarch removed (as they would have been in this church in 1776, more of which below). The collect of Independence Day was used, giving thanks for the liberty secured by the Revolution: O Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn:  Grant, we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who ...

Today is the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, the Anglo-Allied and Prussian victory which delivered Europe from the decades of wars and invasions provoked by Napoleon's ambitions. On the eve of Waterloo, the Reverend George Griffin Stonestreet, chaplain to the Guards regiments, administered the Holy Communion in Brussels. Later that day, many of the officers and men in Brussels would be required to assemble and march with haste, as Napoleon's forces moved towards the Anglo-Allied positions at Waterloo. The chalice used at the service (pictured below) is kept in the Guards Museum . On the same day, there was a report that the Chaplain General, John Owen, "gave an address to British troops". Previously, as a Brigade Chaplain, Owen had been warned by officers and men about placing himself too close to the front line. His response had been that his primary duty was "to be of service to those now departing this life". It seems that seven chaplains wer...

There are six stained glass windows in the nave of the parish in which I minister. Five of the windows are dedicated to sons of the parish who died in the Great War. As I stand in the pulpit, to my right is the Roll of Honour of those of the parish who responded to the call of King and Country in 1914. Engraved crosses beside the names of the fifteen parishioners who fell in that conflict. On the cover for the font is a plaque holding the thirteen names of those from the parish who died in the Second World War.  Each Remembrance Sunday, the names of fallen parishioners from both world wars are read. A poppy wreath is placed before the war memorial. Still silence is observed between the Last Post and Reveille. Such is the case with very many parish churches across these Islands. Our churches prayerfully hold the memories of the fallen. Memorials in stained glass and stone are found in our churches. Mid-November is marked by the solemn rituals - communal and national - of Remembrance...

I was immediately attracted to this painting when I saw it shared on a Facebook group last week. It is entitled 'Preaching to the Congregation' by German artist Jacobs Alberts, dated c.1910.  I began to reflect on my attraction: what was it about the painting that drew me to it? I share these thoughts with the important qualification that I know very little indeed about art or art history. This post, therefore, is merely an account of my reaction to the painting. To begin with, it could - with but a few small changes - easily portray Anglican worship in these Islands and North America a century earlier, c.1810. The preacher would then have be in a gown, not surplice, for the sermon. The beautiful, quiet simplicity of the church - not least the clear glass - would also have been the norm. (The decoration on the font, of course, is a hint of the Lutheran context.) Those of us who have an attachment to Georgian and Regency Anglicanism can, therefore, see something of a reflection ...

The eve of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. I was seeking words from the Anglican tradition which would suggest something of the significance of the commemoration. (And how could a victory over dark, evil tyranny not have meaning for a Christianity mindful of the apostolic call to "lead a quiet and peaceable life"?) My thoughts turned to a funeral in the parish during the past year, of a wonderful old gentleman who was a junior officer on a ship of His Majesty's Navy off the coast of Normandy on 6th June 1944. Leading prayers at the funeral, and to recollect with gratitude his naval service in a time of war, I adapted one of the prayers "to be also used in his Majesty's Navy every day", from the Forms of Prayer to be Used at Sea in the Church of Ireland BCP 1926 (the same as in BCP 1662 and PECUSA's BCP 1789 ; the Canadian BCP 1962 also contains 'Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea', retaining much of the 1662 material). It was a prayer this godly...