The Richard Hooker Society

The Richard Hooker Society The Richard Ho**er Society for Formation in the Tradition of the Anglican Divines
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"Although the origins of the RHS are no longer accessible, scholars have reasonably established the lineage of the Society's genealogy back to the Education Society of Mr Francis Scott Key and the clergyman, William Meade, later Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia, and to the School of Prophets they founded. However, it remains unclear whether the RHS arose in the newly formed Protestant Episcopal C

hurch of America or crossed the Atlantic in the wake of the Revolution to revitalize the much besieged and floundering young Church. Whatever the origins of the Society, all are in agreement that her way has been to pass the years and decades (and centuries?) quietly, like a steady vessel gliding through murky waters and befogged climate, unnoticed and unknown. Yet she does make herself known at those times when her mother Church is embattled by external assaults or internal controversies."

Photos from History Hit's post
06/10/2023

Photos from History Hit's post

05/31/2023

"Few prayers in those prayerbooks match the Prayer of Humble Access . . . for its eloquent and moving summary of the Lutheran doctrine of justification by faith. . . .The Prayer of Humble Access, like many of the daily collects, came from Cranmer’s own hand. He did not, as with other prayers, reorder and rework traditional elements; rather, this prayer is his, out of whole cloth. . . . [The] 1552 Prayerbook, the work completed under the child-king Edward, preserves Cranmer’s deepest and most troubling achievement: it is as [Dom Gregory] Dix writes, “the only effective attempt ever made to give liturgical expression to the doctrine of ‘justification by faith alone’” (SL, 672). . . . And the Prayer of Humble Access, I would say, is this doctrine in its clearest, most inward, and moving form."

-The Rev’d Dr Katherine Sonderegger, “The Doctrine of Justification and the Cure of Souls."

Timeline photos
04/24/2023

Timeline photos

“Orthodoxy means not only correct propositions about God, but the life of the one Body of Christ in the due working of all its members.” - Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury, Ecumenist, and Teacher of the Faith

Arthur Michael Ramsey was the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury, serving during the culturally significant years of 1961-1974. Teaching from an Anglo-Catholic perspective, Ramsey aspired to unite Anglicans of all perspectives within a robust, orthodox framework that honored Scripture and respected the reasoned tradition of the ancient church. He labored to build unity among other Christian communions, as well. He advocated for unification between the Anglican and Methodist churches and gained respect with Eastern Orthodox theologians. In 1966, he visited Pope Paul VI in Rome and together the two signed a historic document declaring an end to the enmity that had existed between the two communions since the Reformation. During this visit, Pope Paul VI greeted Archbishop Ramsey, saying, “You are our beloved sister church.” The Pope then presented Ramsey with one of his episcopal rings. This ring has been worn by every Archbishop of Canterbury since this presentation. Ramsey was a theologian, an author, and devoted student of Scripture and ancient church fathers. Today he is considered one of the most significant modern Archbishops of Canterbury.

Prints available via link in bio Almighty God, we give you thanks for the ministry of Arthur Michael Ramsey, who labored that the Church of Jesus Christ might be one: Grant that we, instructed by his teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

www.ourchurchspeaks.com

03/21/2023

“Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope … in Jesus Christ.” - Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), Archbishop of Canterbury & Martyr

Thomas Cranmer was Archbishop of Canterbury during the volatile years of the English Reformation. Educated at Cambridge, he became convinced that the Catholic Church needed reform. He earned the trust of King Henry VIII and was named Archbishop of Canterbury in 1533. In this significant office, Cranmer worked carefully within the drama of the royal court to nudge the Church of England toward independence from Rome. Cranmer compiled the Book of Common Prayer and influenced Henry VIII to authorize the mass production of it and English Bibles. The throne of England returned to Roman Catholicism with the ascension of Mary I. Queen Mary (nicknamed “Bloody Mary”) ordered the ex*****on of those complicit in the English Reformation. In fear for his life, Cranmer renounced Protestantism, but his friends, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, chose to burn rather than deny their beliefs. Witnessing their courage, Cranmer regained his conviction and renounced his renunciation. Cranmer was tied to a stake and as the flames leapt around him, he placed his right hand into the fire, declaring that his “unworthy hand” that had signed his renunciation would burn first. Within 3 years of Cranmer’s death, the Church of England returned to Protestantism and Cranmer’s work became consequential in shaping the prayers and worship of all English language Christianity.

O God, our heavenly Father, you raised up your faithful servant Thomas Cranmer to be a Bishop and pastor in your Church and to feed your flock: Give abundantly to all pastors the gifts of your Holy Spirit, that they may minister in your household as true servants of Christ and stewards of your divine mysteries; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

03/03/2023

“Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God. Such alone will shake the gates of hell.” - John Wesley, Priest & Reformer of the Church // “Amazing love how can it be! That Thou my God should die for me.” - Charles Wesley, Priest & Reformer of the Church

John and Charles Wesley were the sons of an Anglican priest and a Puritan mother. After encountering the sincere devotion of German pietists and after experiencing a Holy Spirit-driven awakening, the Wesley brothers were inspired to begin a reform movement within the Church of England, committed to a methodical lifestyle of prayer, Scripture, and the pursuit of holiness. With John’s oratory skill and Charles’ hymn-writing gifts, the two brothers were at the heart of the first Great Awakening, a movement that transformed society in England and North America. John traveled 250,000 miles on horseback, preaching the Gospel to as many as would hear him. Despite attempted suppression from Church of England bishops (who, at the time, were suspicious of religious “enthusiasm”) the Wesleys’ “Methodist” movement grew to over 100,000 members in their lifetime. The Wesleys hoped that this Methodist movement would be a reforming movement within the Church of England and remained Anglican ministers to their deaths. Methodism became a denomination in its own right, with its first bishops, Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke, continuing the Wesley’s vision into a new century. Today, Methodism has grown to 50 million members worldwide.

O God, by your grace your servants John and Charles Wesley, kindled by the flame of your love, became burning and shining lights in your Church, turning pride into humility and error into truth: Grant that we may be set aflame with the same spirit of love and discipline, and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

02/02/2023

Wayne Kempton, Archivist of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, has digitized this book in two resolutions.

A Catechism for the Information of the Youth and Others in the Doctrine and Constitution of the Church, compiled Chiefly from the Book of Common Prayer, and Articles of Religion
By William McGarvey (Philadelphia, 1893)
http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/mcgarvey/catechism1893.pdf
http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/mcgarvey/catechism1893_high.pdf

02/02/2023
09/27/2022

Today is the birthday of The Episcopal Church! The first day of the first General Convention September 27, 1785.

Photos from The Armchair Anglican's post
09/20/2022

Photos from The Armchair Anglican's post

Photos from Nicholas Forti's post
08/14/2022

Photos from Nicholas Forti's post

06/12/2022
04/18/2022

"Although in ourselves we be altogether sinful and unrighteous, yet even the man which in himself is impious, full of iniquity, full of sin...him God beholdeth with a gracious eye, putting away his sin by not imputing it, taketh quite away the punishment due thereunto, by pardoning it; and accepteth him in Jesus Christ, as perfectly righteous, as if he had fulfilled all that is commanded him in the law."

-Richard Ho**er, "Learned Treatise of Justification."

02/07/2022

One of the best portraits of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. Source: “Herōologia Anglica” (1620)

01/23/2022

For the last ten years of his life John Donne was the Dean of St. Paul’s, one of the most prestigious and well-paid positions in the Church of England. But before becoming the most admired and respected cleric in England, Donne had been a desperately impoverished and sometimes suicidal father of twelve. And prior to that, he had been Jack Donne the rake, a reckless young man who squandered a modest inheritance. Donne, the future Anglican cleric, began life as the son of recusant Catholics, at a time when the practice of Catholicism was illegal. And today, despite his poetry having languished in obscurity for centuries, he is best remembered as one of the greatest poets in the history of the English language.

After a few years of traveling and adventure-seeking, by 1597 twenty-five-year-old Donne had his fill of sowing wild oats and settled down to begin preparing for a career as a diplomat. Toward that end he obtained an appointment as secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, a high-ranking royal official. But Donne’s career plans soon went down the proverbial drain after his secret marriage to Egerton’s 17-year-old niece Anne More was discovered. Anne’s father was furious and he had Donne and the officiating priest thrown into prison while he tried to annul the marriage. Eventually the marriage was proven to be valid, and Donne was released. But the scandal ruined any hope he had of becoming a diplomat. Acceding to the demands of Anne’s father, Egerton fired Donne. It would be more than 12 years before he would again have regular full-time employment.

In the years following his dismissal, Donne tried to eek out a living as a lawyer. Meanwhile a new baby was being born to the financially distressed couple every year. In 1617, Anne died at age 33 of complications following the birth of her 12th child.

As a young man, Donne had abandoned Catholicism and joined the Church of England. A few years before Anne’s death, some of his religious writings had come to the attention of King James. Although Donne did not want to become a priest, the King gave him no choice, and in 1615 he was ordained. He would go on to an accomplished career as a cleric, especially noted for his sermons, 160 of which have survived. When they were published in 1919, the sermons were met with rave reviews by literary critics. In his 1920 book Studies in Literature, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch declared that they included some of “the most magnificent prose ever uttered from an English pulpit, if not the most magnificent prose ever spoken in our tongue.”

But it is for his poetry, not for his sermons or his work as a cleric, that John Donne is best remembered today. Through most of his fascinating life journey, Donne wrote poems, often unconventional and provocative works about love, sensuality, religion, and social commentary, but he avoided publication and generally shared them only with close friends.

When published shortly after his death in London at age 59, Donne’s poetry was met with wide public acclaim. But then public tastes changed, and John Donne essentially vanished from literary memory. He would remain essentially lost to history until the early 20th century. “The history of Donne’s reputation is the most remarkable of any major writer in English; no other body of great poetry has fallen so far from favor for so long,” declares his biographer at the Poetry Foundation.

Donne’s work was rediscovered by readers and critics and shot back to prominence in 1919. He became a favorite of such 20th century poetic luminaries as W.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot, so that now, the biographer concludes, “Donne’s standing as a great English poet, and one of the greatest writers of English prose, is now assured.”

John Donne was born in London on January 22, 1572, five hundred fifty years ago today.

No man is an Iland,
intire of itselfe;
every man is a peece of the Continent,
a part of the maine;
if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea,
Europe is the lesse,
as well as if a Promontorie were,
as well as if a Manor of thy friends
or of thine owne were;
any mans death diminishes me,
because I am involved in Mankinde;
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

In modern English:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

01/17/2022

Almighty God, by the hand of Moses your servant you led your people out of slavery, and made them free at last: Grant that your Church, following the example of your prophet Martin Luther King, may resist oppression in the name of your love, and may secure for all your children the blessed liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
(Icon written by Br. Robert Lentz, OFM)

01/17/2022

An interesting window into Anglican worship from the early 18th century. The fashion styles and architecture leave an unmistakable imprint of the historical period:

With Christmas just a week away, here’s your annual reminder that, despite what the HISTORY Channel and Sheldon Cooper f...
12/18/2021
Why is Christmas on December 25th?

With Christmas just a week away, here’s your annual reminder that, despite what the HISTORY Channel and Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory have told you, the early Church did NOT choose the date of Christmas to compete with or absorb pre-existing pagan, Roman holiday.

H/t Religion for Breakfast

Everyone assumes that early Church authorities chose December 25th for Christmas to coincide with the already popular Roman holiday of Saturnalia. This may h...

12/14/2021
Photos from Nicholas Forti's post
10/16/2021

Photos from Nicholas Forti's post

04/27/2021

Join us tonight here on our page at 5:00 p.m. EDT for the LiveStream of "Christ as Holy Sacrifice: A Cyrillian Christology Today" -- the first of the three Costan Lectures to be given by VTS professor of systematic theology, the Rev. Kate Sonderegger, Ph.D.

02/13/2021

The first Black priest of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America, Absalom Jones was born into slavery in Sussex, DE in 1746. Self-taught to read via books bought saving pennies given by visitors to his master’s home, he purchased his own freedom in 1784.

He was an active member of St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, serving as a lay preacher for the Black members of the congregation. The Black membership at St. George’s increased tenfold through evangelistic efforts. White church officials responded by attempting to segregate the Black congregants. During a service in November 1786, ushers tried to move all Black worshippers, including Jones, from the main floor to the balcony. The Black congregants promptly left as a group.

Jones and Richard Allen subsequently founded the Free African Society on April 12, 1787. Members of this organization met regularly and paid dues which were used to benefit those in need. From there grew The African Church, organized on July 7, 1791. Jones remained as the leader of The African Church which was formally received into the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania on October 17, 1794 and renamed The Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas - AECST; the first Black Episcopal parish in the United States.

Bishop William White (first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania) ordained Jones a deacon in the Episcopal Church in 1795 and priest in 1804. Jones became the first ordained priest of African descent in the United States.

The Episcopal Church commemorates his life and service annually on the anniversary of his death, February 13. From “Lesser Feasts and Fasts”, is a prayer for the feast day of Absalom Jones:

Set us free, heavenly Father, from every bond of prejudice and fear; that, honoring the steadfast courage of your servant Absalom Jones, we may show forth in our lives the reconciling love and true freedom of the children of God, which you have given us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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a new one worth a look
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