Worship Calendar

At Saint Thomas, we celebrate All Saints' Day on November 1 and then the Solemnity of All Saints on the Sunday after All Saints' Day.

Over the years, there have been many sermon on the saints. Here are a few:

Deceptively Ordinary People by Fr Mead (2001)
Sainthood or Else by Fr Mead (2002)
We Want to be Saints! by Fr Mead (2003)
A Saint: The Real You by Fr Mead (2007)

Collect:

O Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord: Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys which thou hast prepared for those who unfeignedly love thee; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

As you remember and pray for all the faithful departed, you might find these sermons helpful:

Spiritual Wholeness -- The Resurrection by Fr Mead (2002)
Why Pray for the Dead? by Fr Mead (2003)
Pray for the Departed by Fr Mead (2006)
Prayer for the Dead  Fr Mead (2007)
Back from the Dead by Fr Mead (2008)
The Souls Departed -- Safe and Sound by Fr Mead (2008)
The Strange World of the Resurrection by Fr Austin (2010)

Collect:

O God, the Maker and Redeemer of all believers: Grant to the faithful departed the unsearchable benefits of the passion of thy Son; that on the day of his appearing they may be manifested as thy children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Priest and Theologian
b. 1553
d. 1600

A favorite of our own Fr Austin, Richard Hooker is author of the masterpiece Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity and a great defender of the Book of Common Prayer.

Collect:

O God of truth and peace, who didst raise up thy servant Richard Hooker in a day of bitter controversy to defend with sound reasoning and great charity the catholic and reformed religion: Grant that we may maintain that middle way, not as a compromise for the sake of peace, but as a comprehension for the sake of truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Generally, one Saturday per month is set aside to commemorate the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Collect:

O Almighty God, who didst endue with singular grace the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord: Vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to hallow our bodies in purity, and our souls in humility and love; through the same our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

At Saint Thomas, we celebrate All Saints' Day on November 1 and then the Solemnity of All Saints on the Sunday after All Saints' Day.

Over the years, there have been many sermons on the saints. Here are a few:

The Communion of Saints; the Forgiveness of Sins (2011) by Fr Spurlock
All Saints-Tide: Washed in the Blood of the Lamb (2010) by Fr Fletcher
A Saint: The Real You (2007) by Fr Mead
We Want to be Saints! (2003) by Fr Mead
Sainthood or Else (2002) by Fr Mead
Deceptively Ordinary People (2001) by Fr Mead

Collect:

O Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord: Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys which thou hast prepared for those who unfeignedly love thee; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Bishop of Rome
d. 461 

In a sermon on the Feast of the Epiphany in 461 (the year of his death), Leo the Great said, "Let the full number of the nations now take their place in the family of the patriarchs. Let the children of the promise now receive the blessing of the seed of Abraham. In the persons of the Magi let all people adore the Creator of the universe; let God be known, and not in Judea only, but in the whole world…”

Collect:

O Lord our God, grant that thy Church, following the teaching of thy servant Leo of Rome, may hold fast the great mystery of our redemption, and adore the one Christ, true God and true Man, neither divided from our human nature nor separate from thy divine Being; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Bishop of Tours
d. 397 

To learn a little bit about Martin of Tours, read The Last Krisis by Fr Mead (2002).

Collect:

Lord God of hosts, who didst clothe thy servant Martin the soldier with the spirit of sacrifice, and didst set him as a bishop in thy Church to be a defender of the catholic faith: Give us grace to follow in his holy steps, that at the last we may be found clothed with righteousness in the dwellings of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect:

O loving God, we know that all things are ordered by thine unerring wisdom and unbounded love: Grant us in all things to see thy hand; that, following the example and teaching of thy servant Charles Simeon, we may walk with Christ in all simplicity, and serve thee with a quiet and contented mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Remembrance Day at Saint Thomas is kept with services at 8am and 9am, a Solemn Requiem at 11am, and a Choral Evensong at 4pm in memory of those who have given their lives in service of our country.

As you think about the faithful departed, consider these sermons:

The Resurrection of the Body, and the Life Everlasting. Amen. (2011) by Fr Austin
The Souls Departed -- Safe and Sound (2008) by Fr Mead
Back from the Dead (2008) by Fr Mead
Prayer for the Dead (2007) Fr Mead
Why Pray for the Dead? (2003) by Fr Mead
Spiritual Wholeness -- The Resurrection (2002) by Fr Mead

Collect:

O God, the Maker and Redeemer of all believers: Grant to the faithful departed the unsearchable benefits of the passion of thy Son; that on the day of his appearing they may be manifested as thy children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Queen of Scotland
d. 1093

Collect:

O God, who didst call thy servant Margaret to an earthly throne that she might advance thy heavenly kingdom, and didst give her zeal for thy Church and love for thy people: Mercifully grant that we who commemorate her this day
may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Bishop of Lincoln
d. 1200

Collect:

O holy God, who didst endow thy servant and bishop Hugh of Lincoln with wise and cheerful boldness, and taught him to commend the discipline of holy life to kings and princes: Grant that we also, rejoicing in the Good News of thy mercy, and fearing nothing but the loss of thee, may be bold to speak the truth in love, in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Abbess of Whitby
d. 680

Collect:

O God of peace, by whose grace the abbess Hilda was endowed with gifts of justice, prudence, and strength to rule as a wise mother over the nuns and monks of her household, and to become a trusted and reconciling friend to leaders of the Church: Give us the grace to recognize and accept the varied gifts thou dost bestow on men and women, that our common life may be enriched and thy gracious will be done; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.

Princess of Hungary
d. 1231

Collect:

Almighty God, by whose grace thy servant Elizabeth of Hungary recognized and honored Jesus in the poor of this world: Grant that we, following her example, may with love and gladness serve those in any need or trouble, in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

King of East Anglia, Martyr
d. 870

Collect:

O God of ineffable mercy, thou didst give grace and fortitude to blessed Edmund the king to triumph over the enemy of his people by nobly dying for thy Name: Bestow on us thy servants, we beseech thee, the shield of faith, wherewith we may withstand the assaults of our ancient enemy; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect:

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in thy well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect:

O God of searing truth and surpassing beauty, we give thee thanks for Clive Staples Lewis, whose sanctified imagination lighteth fires of faith in young and old alike. Suprise us also with thy joy and draw us into that new and abudant life which is ours in Christ Jesus, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect:

Almighty God, who didst choose thy servant Clement of Rome to recall the Church in Corinth to obedience and stability: Grant that thy Church may be grounded and settled in thy truth by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; reveal to it what is not yet known; fill up what is lacking; confirm what hath already been revealed; and keep it blameless in thy service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect:

Advent Sunday is the start of a new church year. At Saint Thomas, we celebrate Advent Sunday with a Procession at 11am and 4pm.

Collect:

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect:

Almighty God, who didst give such grace to thine apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of thy Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give unto us, who are called by thy Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.