1607: Birth of Paul Gerhardt, German clergyman and hymnwriter. He lost
four of his five children in childhood, yet also composed over 130 hymns, including
"O Sacred Head, Now Wounded." (Gerhardt's music marks the transition in Lutheran
hymnody from confessional and high_church hymns to hymns of devotional piety.)
1622:
Gregory XV canonized Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits; Philip Neri, Italian
co-founder of a medical religious order; Teresa of Avila, a Spanish Carmelite nun; and
Francis Xavier, the Jesuit "Apostle of Eastern Asia."
1710:
Birth of Thomas A. Arne, considered one of the outstanding English composers of the 18th
century. Today, Arne is best remembered for his hymn tune ARLINGTON, to which we commonly
sing, "Am I a Soldier of the Cross?"
1826:
Birth of Robert Lowery, American Baptist clergyman and hymnwriter. He is chiefly
remembered today for writing and composing the hymns "Christ Arose,"
"Nothing But the Blood of Jesus," "We're Marching to Zion," "All
the Way My Savior Leads Me" and "I Need Thee Every Hour."
1904:
Raphael Hawaweeny was ordained Eastern Orthodox bishop of Brooklyn, NY, at St. Nicholas
Church. As a vicar under the Holy Synod of the Church of Russia, Hawaweeny thus became the
first Russian Orthodox bishop ordained in America.
Source: William D. Blake. Almanac
of the Christian Church, Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987. Additional
information supplied by the author. Contact via E-mail: William D. Blake. (pilgrimwb@aol.com)
