It's A Patronal Feast

I hope you all had a blessed Feast of Charles, King and Martyr today. The Charter of the Monastery contains a variety of oddments, but none more odd than the explanation for why King Charles is a patron of the Monastery,

"And the monks also shall have as their Patron, Charles Martyr, King of England, France, Scotland, and Ireland, not as some do, in order to affirm that by God, kings rule and tyrants hold the land, but as a reminder to our heirs and successors that even the most earnest and godly rulers are bound by the law and as a warning to all vindicated in equity against our heirs and successors against the shedding of their blood."

In other words, kings shouldn't overstep their bounds, but the ruled should strive for bloodless revolutions. The Charter further states that only the feast of Charles' martyrdom should be celebrated and not "other vain and sundry feasts connected with his cult" whatever they are.

I realize, of course, that in those parts of America that haven't translated the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of their blogs to completely different parts of space-time or a few extremely Anglo-Catholic parishes of a certain sort, this is not a feast day, but it still is in England, as Madpriest reminds us.

I also should note that some are quite wary of this feast in the United States, because King Charles I has come to represent nothing so much as the violation of the liberty of conscience. For instance, on the floor of St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, there is found inscribed, "Constant oral tradition affirms that near this spot a brave Scotchwoman Jane T. Geddes on the 23rd July 1637 struck the first blow in the great struggle for freedom of conscience which after a conflict of half a century ended in the establishment of civil and religious liberty." Apparently, Geddes threw a stool at the head of the Dean of the Cathedral when he tried to read from Laud's Book. This is plaque is horridly ironic. Civil and religious liberty in this case only meant the freedom to be Presbyterian. There was no religious liberty for my Roman Catholic but highly monarchist Scottish ancestors, who settled in Ontario after fighting for George III in the American Revolution. There was no religious liberty for men like William Smith, who likely fled to America without taking a degree at Aberdeen, because it was made a felony for an Episcopalian to teach school. Smith was the first Provost of what is now the University of Pennsylvania and was instrumental in founding the first University of Maryland (now St. John's College).

Speaking of Pennsylvania

I'm not going into any details until it becomes news, but it looks like that Diocese is in serious need of our prayers in the coming weeks. So please remember her in your prayers if you get a chance.

That it may please thee to illumine all bishops, priests, and
deacons, with true knowledge and understanding of thy
Word; and that both by their preaching and living, they may
set it forth, and show it accordingly,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to bless and keep all thy people,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to send forth laborers into thy
harvest, and to draw all mankind into thy kingdom,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to give to all people increase of grace
to hear and receive thy Word, and to bring forth the fruits of
the Spirit,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to bring into the way of truth all such
as have erred, and are deceived,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.