Calendar of saints (Church of England)

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The

Reformation) Christians who have not been canonised by Rome, with a particular though not exclusive emphasis on those of English origin. There are differences in the calendars of other churches of the Anglican Communion (see Saints in Anglicanism
).

The only person canonised in a near-conventional sense by the Church of England since the

Apostles
.

No Old Testament figures are commemorated in the Church of England calendar, but the litany "Thanksgiving for the Holy Ones of God" (included in Common Worship: Times and Seasons on pp. 558–560, immediately after "The Eucharist of All Saints") includes ten names from before Christ, so they are presumably not excluded on principle, and could be considered among the saints.

The ninth

Lambeth Conference
held in 1958 clarified the commemoration of Saints and Heroes of the Christian Church in the Anglican Communion. Resolution 79 stated:

  1. In the case of scriptural saints, care should be taken to commemorate men or women in terms which are in strict accord with the facts made known in Holy Scripture.
  2. In the case of other names, the Kalendar should be limited to those whose historical character and devotion are beyond doubt.
  3. In the choice of new names economy should be observed and controversial names should not be inserted until they can be seen in the perspective of history.
  4. The addition of a new name should normally result from a widespread desire expressed in the region concerned over a reasonable period of time.[1]

There is no single calendar for the various churches making up the Anglican Communion; each makes its own calendar suitable for its local situation. As a result, the calendar here contains a number of figures important in the history of the English church. Calendars in different provinces will focus on figures more important to those different countries. At the same time, different provinces often borrow important figures from each other's calendars as the international importance of different figures becomes clear. In this way the calendar of the Church of England has importance beyond the immediate purpose of supporting the liturgy of the English Church. It is, for example, one of the key sources of the calendar for the international daily office Oremus.[2]

Holy Days are variously categorised as

Commemorations
. In order to minimise problems caused by the ambivalence regarding the manner of commemoration of uncanonised persons, all such days are Lesser Festivals or Commemorations only, whose observance is optional.

The following table lists the Holy Days in the calendar of Common Worship, the calendar most generally followed in the Church of England (though the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer is still authorised for use). This calendar was finalised in 2000, with some further names added in 2010. Individual dioceses and societies may suggest additional observances for local use, but these are not included here. The table includes the feast date, the name of the person or persons being commemorated, their title, the nature and location of their ministry or other relevant facts, and year of death, all in the form in which they are set out in the authorised Common Worship calendar. The typography shows the level of the observance: BOLD CAPITALS denote Principal Feasts and Principal Holy Days, bold denotes Festivals, roman denotes Lesser Festivals, and italics denote Commemorations. SMALL CAPITALS denote observances that are unclassified.

Moveable dates

  • The Baptism of Christ
    , the Sunday following the Epiphany (when the Epiphany is kept on 6 January)
  • ASH WEDNESDAY, the Wednesday 46 days before Easter Day
  • MAUNDY THURSDAY, the Thursday in the week before Easter Day
  • GOOD FRIDAY, the Friday in the week before Easter Day
  • Paschal full moon
  • ASCENSION DAY
    , the Thursday forty days after Easter Day
  • DAY OF PENTECOST, the Sunday fifty days after Easter Day
  • TRINITY SUNDAY, the Sunday after Pentecost
  • The Day of Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion (Corpus Christi)
    , the Thursday after Trinity Sunday
  • Dedication Festival, the first Sunday in October or the Last Sunday after Trinity, if date unknown
  • Christ the King, the Sunday next before Advent

January

February

Alternative dates:

  • Matthias may be celebrated on 24 February instead of 14 May.

March

Alternative dates:

  • Chad may be celebrated with Cedd on 26 October instead of 2 March. Cuthbert may be celebrated on 4 September instead of 20 March.

April

May

Alternative dates:

  • Matthias may be celebrated on 24 February instead of 14 May.
  • The Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth may be celebrated on 2 July instead of 31 May.

June

Alternative dates:

  • Peter the Apostle may be celebrated alone, without Paul, on 29 June.

July

Alternative dates:

  • The Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth may be celebrated on 2 July instead of 31 May.
  • Thomas the Apostle may be celebrated on 21 December instead of 3 July.
  • Thomas Becket may be celebrated on 7 July instead of 29 December.

August

Alternative dates:

  • The Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated on 8 September or 8 December instead of 15 August.

September

Alternative dates:

  • Cuthbert may be celebrated on 4 September instead of 20 March.

October

Alternative dates:

  • Chad may be celebrated with Cedd on 26 October instead of 2 March.

November

December

Alternative dates:

  • Thomas the Apostle may be celebrated on 21 December instead of 3 July.
  • Thomas Becket may be celebrated on 7 July instead of 29 December.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Resolutions from 1958: Resolution 79: The Book of Common Prayer – The Commemoration of Saints and Heroes of the Christian Church in the Anglican Communion". Lambeth Conference Resolutions Archive. Anglican Communion Office. 2005. Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2007.
  2. ^ Oremus calendar

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saints days.
  • "Holy Days". Liturgical Calendar. Church of England. Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2006.
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