An abbreviated worship schedule for November is on the right sidebar of the HOME page.

A November-December worship schedule is available for download from the right sidebar of the RESOURCES page.

 Commemorations and feast days are part of the Book of Common Prayer calendar throughout the year. On Sunday, November 1st, we celebrate

The Feast of All Saints

The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, central panel of the lower register of the Ghent Altarpiece, by Hubert and Jan van Eyck (c. 1432). Groups of saints, pagan writers and Jewish prophets, male and female martyrs, all worship the Lamb of God, overlooked by the dove of the Holy Spirit. The images and symbols suggested by the groupings of the figures partially follows the Roman Catholic liturgy of All Saints’ Day. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

The original All Saints Principal Feast was celebrated in the springtime and honoured the martyrs of the Church’s first three centuries. In the early Middle Ages it was moved to its present date and all the recognized Saints were added to it. In the Anglican tradition, “We pray for our present needs, and the saints pray with us — not as if their prayers were better than our own, but because they are still bound to us in mutual service as members of the one body of Christ.” Bernard of Clairvaux (commemorated August 20th) challenges us to remember the saints of our Church and seek to join them through following their examples: 

“Let us at length spur ourselves on. We must rise again with Christ, we must seek the world which is above and set our mind on the things of heaven. Let us long for those who are longing for us, hasten to those who are waiting for us, and ask those who look for our coming to intercede for us. We should not only want to be with the saints, we should also hope to possess their happiness. While we desire to be in their company, we must also earnestly seek to share in their glory. Do not imagine that there is anything harmful in such an ambition as this; there is no danger in setting our hearts on such glory.”

The following day, Monday, November 2nd, is the day of

All Souls: Commemoration of the Faithful Departed

All Souls Day, oil on canvas painting by Jakub Schikaneder (1855–1924); 1888, National Gallery Prague. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

At the same time the Feast of All Saints was expanded, a day was set aside to remember all those faithful people who were members of the Church. The Burial Office in the Book of Common Prayer reflects the Anglican tradition’s belief that “the divine mercy continues to perfect the souls of the departed.” 

“O ALMIGHTY God, the God of the spirits of all flesh: Multiply, we beseech thee, to those who rest in Jesus, the manifold blessings of thy love, that the good work which thou didst begin in them may be perfected unto the day of Jesus Christ. And of thy mercy, O heavenly Father, grant that we, who now serve thee here on earth, may at the last, together with them, be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light; for the sake of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.”

On this same day, the calendar commemorates

Richard Hooker, Doctor of the Church of England, 1600

Marble statue of Richard Hooker on the Cathedral Green at Exeter Cathedral in Devon, England. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Richard Hooker was a foundational thinker as a theologian and defender of the Church of England’s “middle way” between Roman Catholic and Puritan teaching. He was a modest, quiet, loving family man who died too young, yet his work, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, is a classic of Anglicanism, still read and studied today. In it, Hooker argued for a liberal outlook that would bring together “Scripture, tradition, and reason,” the cornerstones of what it means to be an Anglican in the world. For him, the English Church was a communion for all the people, not just a few “saints.” He wrote: 

“We are in Christ because he knoweth and loveth us even as parts of himself. No man actually is in him but they in whom he actually is. We are therefore adopted sons of God to eternal life by participation of the only begotten Son of God, whose life is the well-spring and cause of ours.”

On Saturday, November 7th, we remember Willibrord, Missionary, Bishop of Utrecht, Holland, 739. Though he was an Englishman by birth, Willibrord served as a monk in Ireland for a time before travelling to the land of the Frisians, forebears of the Dutch and Belgians of today. Others joined him in evangelizing not only in the Low Countries but further afield. His work helped lay a solid foundation for the Church’s future growth.

Commemorations and feast days are part of the Book of Common Prayer calendar throughout the year. Sunday, November 8th, marks

The Octave Day of All Saints

The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, central panel, by Hubert and Jan van Eyck (c. 1432).

On Wednesday, November 11th, the calendar commemorates Martin, Bishop of Tours, France, c. 397. He was dedicated to missionary work and despite being elected bishop, continued to live as a monk. Many believed him to be a wonderworker, but he knew his power came from God and was not his own. The story of his conversion from military life to the service of Christ inspired many, although fellow bishops who were led astray by worldly living and ambition looked down on him for his lack of culture. One wealthy and educated landowner, however, was inspired by Martin to renounce most of his property and live a monastic lifestyle. The biography he wrote, Life of Martin, ensured that the Bishop of Tours would be remembered long after the names of his critics had been forgotten.

November 11th is also Remembrance Day, when we give thanks for the brave veterans, past and present, who sacrificed their health and often their lives in the service of our country. We also remember military families: mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers of veterans. In the words of The Royal Canadian Legion, “The act of Remembrance is one of the most important ways to honour and thank Veterans for their sacrifices.”

On Friday, November 13th, we commemorate Charles Simeon of Cambridge, Pastor, 1836. He arrived at King’s College, Cambridge as a student who had spent his youth primarily on “horses, games, and fashion.” Before long he had a change of heart and eventually became a priest. His state of mind following his conversion is best told in his own words:

“Of course there was a great difference in my frames [of mind] at different times, but for the most part they were very devout and often, throughout a great part of the service, I prayed unto the Lord with strong crying and tears [Heb. 5.7]. This is a proof to me that the deadness and formality experienced in the worship of the Church arise far more from the low state of our graces than from any defect in our liturgy. If only we had hearts deeply penitent and contrite, I know from my experience at this hour that no prayers in the world could be better suited to our wants or more delightful to our souls.”

November, continuing . . .