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UK Marks Black History Month

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We’ve Come This Far By Faith
October 22, 2024

We first learned of the United Kingdom’s Black History Month, which is celebrated in October, from the Episcopal News Service article, “Church of England prepares to mark October as Black History Month.”

In addition to the musical offerings mentioned in the above article, one of the several lectures hosted by cathedrals and churches will be given by David Olusoga, OBE, professor of Public History at the University of Manchester and author of Black and British: A Forgotten History (London: Macmillan, 2016). A BBC documentary of the same name is also posted on YouTube.

This year’s theme for the month is “Reclaiming Narratives,” and the Church of England has a rich page of resources for additional prayer, contemplation, and reflection. Study days, lectures, services, and other events have been planned, listed here:

We were happy to see that a film that we viewed a few months ago is now widely available on YouTube: “After the Flood: The Church, Slavery, and Reconciliation.”

–Mary Beth Clack, Mary Blocher, Cindy Coldren, Pat Krol, Liz Levin
–Published in This Week @Emmanuel Church October 22, 2024

–Published in

We Celebrate Bishop Barbara Harris

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This past Sunday, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Carol J. Gallagher, visited us, presiding and preaching at our Eucharist for the Fifth Sunday of Easter. Bishop Gallagher also dedicated our second pulpit statue. Bishop Barbara Harris’s statue joins that of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, both carved by our resident sculptor, Ted Southwick. Bishop Barbara was known to many of us and stories about her forthright manner and other qualities are legendary. We honor her in this column. While it would be impossible to cite her writings and writings about her, we present a few here.

“I would like to see the church come to some better understanding of what it means to be an inclusive fellowship, how to more fully exhibit the love of Christ in the world.”

— Barbara Harris, The Right Reverend Barbara C. Harris, 1930-2020

Harris, Barbara C. Hallelujah Anyhow! A Memoir. New York: Church Publishing,
2018.

Johnson, Qiana M., “The First Five Black Women Episcopal Priests,” Anglican
and Episcopal History 92:1 (March 2023), p. 81-102. An article about Pauli Murray, Mary, Adebonojo, Barbara C. Harris, Sandye Wilson, and Gayle Harris.

–Mary Beth Clack, Mary Blocher, Cindy Coldren, Pat Krol, Liz Levin
–Published in This Week @Emmanuel Church April 30, 2024

The Harriet Hayden Albums

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“Poets, prophets, and reformers are all picture-makers and this ability is the secret of their power and of their achievements. They see what ought to be by the reflection of what is, and endeavor to remove the contradiction.”
–Frederick Douglass (Boston Tremont Temple lecture, 1861)

A remarkable exhibit of materials, inspired by two photograph albums owned by Harriet Hayden is now on display at the Boston Athenaeum. Framing Freedom: The Harriet Hayden Albums brings to life the network of abolitionists and activists who participated in the network of assistance for freedom seekers who traveled to Boston from the 1840s onward. The Beacon Hill home of Harriet and Lewis Hayden was called “a temple of refuge” by fellow abolitionists. About one-fourth of the freedom seekers from the South found support and solace there.

We know of a connection that the Haydens had with Emmanuel’s Beecher Stowe family. Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose daughter Catharine was confirmed at Emmanuel Church in 1862, visited the Hayden’s home in 1853. Stowe referenced Lewis Hayden’s “real life stories” in her response to critics of her books. (See “Lewis and Harriet Hayden House”)

–Mary Beth Clack, Cindy Coldren, Mary Blocher, Pat Krol, Liz Levin
–Published in This Week @Emmanuel Church April 3 & 9, 2024

Martin Luther King and Prophecy

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“As a young man, with most of my life ahead of me, I decided early to give myself to something eternal and absolute. Not to those little gods that are here today and gone tomorrow. But to God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
–Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., chapter 4

As commemorations for Martin Luther King, Jr. take place in various venues this month, we reflect on his prophetic voice, prompted by Pam’s sermon on the Second Sunday after the Epiphany. Pam spoke about the work of “connecting the dots” in scripture and sacred stories. By listening closely to the messengers of God who link the human and the divine, we deepen our understanding of these narratives–these “pieces of the fabric of community.” Continue reading →

Creativity in Our Parish Hall

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I was back in several groups this week. Specifically, on Thursday at Cafe Emmanuel, we had a musical performance during our lunch meal. It was a pleasure to have students in Boston Conservatory play for everyone. The combination of music, art, meal, coffee, and company was deeply satisfying. When the sunlight got through the room and the stage by the beautiful window, I also noticed people following the tempo of the music during the performance with satisfied faces. We all agree that music is a great way to connect people in the room, and that power in art is not limited to painting, and it also includes music, performance, poetry, and other creativity, etc.
Meanwhile, I also couldn’t take my eyes off the rainbow message we have been making since this year. Each small piece of paper from each week is now gathering like a big rainbow flag which includes non-stop memories for three months; that’s amazing. Three months is probably not a long time for many people, but it means a lot to me as an art therapist student working at Emmanuel Church.
December 10 was Human Rights Day; the theme for 2022 is “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All.” I understand we still have many difficulties going on in the social system and suffering on a personal level. Advocating from a personal level, step by step will become a power to inspire people in the future. Therefore, I created a music box representing all of Cafe Emmanuel’s energy this year, and I will continue working on it.

1900

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Joseph Hersey Pratt, M.D. (1872-1956)

Dr. Joseph H. Pratt joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School and served as secretary of Ascension Chapter of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew.  He reported in the Year Book of Emmanuel Parish that members of its Sailors Committee visited about a dozen vessels per month to distribute literature and invite men to the mission church.  See also his later role in founding the Emmanuel Movement.