From James Kiefer at the Lectionary:
When William the Norman conquered England in 1066, he replaced most of the native Anglo-Saxon bishops with clergy from his own Normandy. The most conspicuous exception was Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester (pronounced "Wooster"), who had been a supporter of the Anglo-Saxon King Harold, but who submitted to William after Harold's death, and became one of the King's most trusted advisors. He is best remembered for his opposition to the slave trade in western England.
Readings:
Psalm 146:4-9 or 84:7-12
Exodus 3:1-12
John 15:5-8,14-16
PRAYER
Almighty God, whose only-begotten Son led captivity captive and gave gifts to your people: Multiply among us faithful pastors, who, like thy holy bishop Wulfstan, will give courage to those who are oppressed and held in bondage; and bring us all, we pray, into the true freedom of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
From Psalm 146:
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Argh! I forgot that this was Wulstan's Day! Thank you for the reminder, Grandmere. He is an historical figure of great importance in my upbringing. I attended the Cathedral School in Worcester for eleven years and each morning worshipped in the cathedral dedicated to Our Lady and Saint Wulstan (Not to mention Saint Oswakd!)
ReplyDeleteMy dear mother continues as a member of that congregation!
"Wus-ter", not "Wooster". Wooster is a male hen.
ReplyDeleteIt's a sweet association for me: that Psalm was read at my ordination in a past connection. And a peacemaker in defeat who opposed the slave trade. Sweet notes indeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd O/T, Mimi; could you e-mail me at johniebgoodin@gmail.com?
... And Bertie Wooster is a deliciously idiotic character in the PG Woodhoose novels - served by his valet Jeeves!
ReplyDeleteRR, you've close connections to St. Wulstan, indeed!
ReplyDeleteLapin, yes, as is Wustersheer Sauce, spelled phonetically, right? I knew that.
Johnieb, I will.
RR, as Sybil Fawlty would say, "I know. I know. I know."
Guess what everybody? (And I never told you this!) If you ever wish to pass as a Worcester 'local' you must refer to the sauce as "Worcester Sauce" (ie. Without the 'shire'!)
ReplyDeleteThe old Lea & Perrins sauce factory still stands. It was a mere half a mile from, and below, my parents old house, and my father would insist that if the wind came from the NE the aroma was wonderful!
Actually, Mimi, the "shire" part is usually pronounced as with a single "e" - "Wustersher". When I was a kid we called it Worcester Sauce (no "shire"). I still do, tho' I read in a late 19th century English cookbook that Lea & Perrins was at that time called "Worcestershire", while other commercially marketed varieties were called "Worcester".
ReplyDeleteThe rather formidable mother-in-law of a college friend was born a Perrin.
RR and Lapin, noted. I'd say we did pretty well by the proper name in New Orleans, getting it close to the correct English (from England) pronunciation, if not exact. No one will ever mistake us for natives of England. To be more exact, we pronounce the name closer to Wustasheer, dropping the middle "r".
ReplyDeleteOh, and there are other brands of the sauce, such as French's, but Lea & Perrin's is, without doubt, the best.
And it's my birthday as an Anglican! I just put up a little post about it. Happy Wulfstan's Day, everyone!
ReplyDelete