Calendar of saints (Anglican Church of Southern Africa)

The Calendar of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa is published in An Anglican Prayer Book 1989. [ cite book | last = The Provincial Trustees of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa | title = An Anglican Prayer Book 1989 | publisher = Collins Liturgical Publications | date = 1989 | pages = pp. 17-33 | isbn = 0-00-599180-3 ]

The Preface to the calendar in the Prayer Book describes its purpose: The Church's Year both commemorates and proclaims how God came down from heaven to earth in Jesus Christ, who still lives among us by the Holy Spirit until he comes again at the end of time. The yearly observance of the holy days of the Calendar is a celebration of what God has done and is doing for our salvation.

Holy Days are distinguished as Great Festivals (being the principal celebrations), Festivals (celebrating New Testament events), Commemorations (recalling particular individuals and events), and other Special Days - the observance of the former taking precedence over the latter in the event of clashes. The Preface to the calendar describes the commemorations as occasions: when the Church thankfully recalls the work and witness of men and women through whom Christ's saving victory has been manifested from the time of the apostles to the present day.

Great Festivals

These Festivals may occur on different dates in each year and fall principally on a designated day of the week; and they relate to, and are determined by, the seasons of Christmas and Easter.

* The Four Sundays in Advent
* Christmas Day (25 December)
* The First Sunday after Christmas
* The Second Sunday after Christmas "(in some years)"
* The Epiphany (6 January)
* The First Sunday of the Year: The Baptism of Christ
* The Second, Third and Fourth Sundays of the Year

"According to the date of Easter" the Fifth to Ninth Sundays of the Year "may occur before Lent"

* The Five Sundays in Lent
* Palm Sunday: The Sunday of the Passion
* Easter Day
* The Five Sundays after Easter
* Ascension Day
* The Sixth Sunday after Easter
* The Day of Pentecost
* Trinity Sunday: The Sunday after Pentecost
* Corpus Christi: The Commemoration of the Holy Communion (the Thursday after Trinity Sunday)
* The Sundays of the Year which follow Pentecost "(These vary in number according to the date of Easter)"
* All Saints 1 November
* The Thirty Fourth Sunday of the Year: Christ the King

Festivals and commemorations

Festivals are shown in bold text and commemorations are shown in regular type. While this list shares many similarities with other calendars in the Anglican Communion, it is specific to Southern Africa and is determined by the Southern African Synod of Bishops.

January

* 1: The Holy Name of Jesus: The circumcision of Christ
* 10: William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr, 1645
* 11: "The Holy Innocents can be kept on this day instead of 28 December"
* 13: Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers and Teacher of the Faith, 367
* 14: Richard Meux Benson of Cowley, Religious, 1915
* 17: Anthony of Egypt, Founder of the Religious Life, 356
* 18: The Confession of St Peter
* 21: Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, c.304
* 23: Yona Kanamuzeyi, Deacon and Martyr in Rwanda, Africa, 1964
* 24: Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, 1622
* 25: The Conversion of Paul
* 26: Timothy and Titus
* 27: John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople and Teacher of the Faith, 407
* 28: Thomas Aquinas, Teacher of the Faith, 1274
* 29: Charles Frederick Mackenzie, Bishop in Central Africa, 1862

February

* 2: The Presentation of our Lord in the Temple
* 3: Anskar, Bishop and Missionary in Denmark and Sweden, 864
* 4: Manche Masemola of Sekhukhuneland, Virgin and Martyr, 1928
* 5: The Martyrs of Japan, 1597
* 9: James Mata Dwane, Priest, 1916
* 14: Cyril and Methodius, Missionaries to the Slavs, 9th century
* 15: Thomas Bray, Priest, 1730
* 20: Mother Cecile of Grahamstown, Religious, 1906
* 23: Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna and Martyr, 155
* 27: George Herbert, Priest, 1632

March

* 1: David, Bishop and Missionary in Wales, 6th century
* 2: Chad, Bishop of Lichfield, 672
* 3: John and Charles Wesley, Priests, 18th century
* 7: Perpetua and her companions, Martyrs, 202
* 9: Maqhamusela Khanyile of Zululand, Martyr, 1877
* 12: Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome and Teacher of the Faith, 604
* 17: Patrick, Bishop and Missionary in Ireland, 461
* 18: Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Teacher of the Faith, 386
* 19: Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, 1711
* 20: Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, 687
* 21: Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr, 1556
* 25: The Annunciation of our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary
* 29: John Keble, Priest, 1866

April

* 1: Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest, 1872
* 6: William Law, Priest, 1761
* 11: George Augustus Selwyn, Bishop and Missionary in New Zealand, 1878
* 21: Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury and Teacher of the Faith, 1109
* 23: George, Martyr, 4th century
* 25: St Mark
* 29: Catherine of Siena, 1380

May

* 1: St Joseph
* 2: Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria and Teacher of the Faith, 373
* 3: St Philip and St James
* 4: Monica, Mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387
* 6: "St John may be kept on this day instead of 27 December"
* 12: Simon of Cyrene
* 19: Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, 988
* 21: Helena, Mother of the Emperor Constantine, 4th century
* 25: The Venerable Bede, Teacher of the Faith, 735
* 26: Augustine, First Archbishop of Canterbury and Missionary, 605
* 31: The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

June

* 1: Justin Martyr, c. 165
* 2: The Martyrs of Lyon, 177
* 3: The Martyrs of Uganda, 1886
* 5: Boniface, Bishop and Martyr in Germany, 755
* 9: Columba of Iona, Missionary in Scotland, 597
* 11: St Barnabas
* 13: Anthony of Lisbon, Religious, 1231
* 14: Basil and his Companions, Teachers of the Faith, 4th century
* 18: Bernard Mizeki, Martyr in Mashonaland, 1896
* 22: Alban, First Martyr in Britain, c. 304
* 24: The Birth of St John the Baptist
* 28: Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons and Teacher of the Faith, c. 202
* 29: St Peter and St Paul

July

* 3: St Thomas
* 6: Thomas More, Martyr, 1535
* 11: Benedict of Monte Cassino, Religious, c. 540
* 13: Silas
* 22: St Mary Magdalene
* 25: St James
* 29: William Wilberforce, Philanthropist, 1833
* 30: Mary and Martha of Bethany

August

* 3: "St Stephen may be kept on this day instead of 26 December"
* 6: The Transfiguration of our Lord
* 8: Dominic, Religious, 1221
* 15: St Mary the Virgin, mother of our Lord
* 20: Bernard of Clairvaux, Religious, 1153
* 24: St Bartholomew
* 28: Augustine, Bishop of Hippo in Africa, 430
* 29: The Beheading of St John the Baptist

September

* 1: Robert Gray, First Bishop of Cape Town, 1872
* 2: The Martyrs of New Guinea, 1942
* 8: The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
* 13: Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage and Martyr, 258
* 14: Holy Cross Day
* 16: Ninian, Bishop and Missionary in Scotland, c. 432
* 19: Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, 690
* 20: John Coleridge Patteson, Bishop of Melanesia and Martyr, 1871
* 21: St Matthew
* 26: Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, 1626
* 29: St Michael and All Angels
* 30: Jerome, Priest and Teacher of the Faith, 420

October

* 1: Remigius, Bishop and Missionary to the Franks, 530
* 2: Anthony, Earl of Shaftsbury, Philanthropist, 1885
* 4: Francis of Assisi, Religious, 1226
* 7: William Tyndale, Priest and Martyr, 1536
* 11: Philip the Deacon
* 15: Teresa of Avila, Religious, 1582
* 16: Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, Bishops and Martyrs, 1555
* 17: Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr, c. 110
* 18: St Luke
* 19: Henry Martyn, Missionary to the East, 1812
* 28: St Simon and St Jude

November

* 2: The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
* 3: The Martyrs of Mbokotwana, 1880
* 4: Martin de Porres, Religious, 1639
* 7: Willibrord, Bishop and Missionary in Holland, 739
* 8: Martyrs and Confessors of our Time
* 10: Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome and Teacher of the Faith, 461
* 11: Martin, Bishop of Tours, 397
* 12: Charles Simeon, Priest, 1836
* 14: Samuel Seabury, Bishop in America, 1784
* 16: Margaret, Queen of Scotland, 1093
* 18: Hilda of Whitby, Religious, 680
* 22: Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr at Rome, c. 230
* 23: Clement, Bishop of Rome and Martyr, c. 100
* 30: St Andrew

December

* 1: Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon and Religious, 1637
* 3: Francis Xavier, Priest and Missionary to the East, 1552
* 4: John of Damascus, Teacher of the Faith, c. 760
* 5: Peter Masiza, Priest, 1907
* 7: Ambrose, Bishop of Milan and Teacher of the Faith, 397
* 24: Christmas Eve
* 26: St Stephen "This Festival may be transferred to 3 August"
* 27: St John "This Festival may be transferred to 6 May"
* 28: The Holy Innocents "This Festival may be transferred to 11 January"
* 29: Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr, 1170

Special Days

Days of Special Devotion are Ash Wednesday, the weekdays of Holy Week "(including the Easter Vigil)", and the weekdays of Easter Week. Additionally Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are fast days.

Ember Days fall on the following Sundays "(and include the Wednesday and Friday prior)": the Third Sunday in Advent, the Second Sunday in Lent, Trinity Sunday, and the Twenty Sixth Sunday of the Year. On these days particularly prayers are offered for theological institutions, the ordained, and those preparing for ordination.

Rogation Days are the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday following the Twenty Eighth Sunday of the Year "and can be moved to suit local custom". On these days God's blessing is asked for the fruitfulness of the earth and peoples labour.

The Harvest Thanksgiving is celebrated according to local custom.

Evening Prayer on the eve of Christmas, Pentecost, and Ascension are services of special preparation for those Festivals.

See also

* Anglican Church of Southern Africa
* Liturgical Calendars of the Communion

References