Today's match-up features two amazing people with six names between them (insert Trinitarian reference here). Charles Henry Brent, bishop and missionary vs. Julia Chester Emery, lay woman and organizer of what we now know as the ECW (Episcopal Church Women). We hope you enjoy getting to know them and then, well, sending one of them into Lent Madness ignominy.
Yesterday's Lent Madness 2014 kick-off was a historic day in the annals of the Saintly Smackdown. Record turnout saw Basil the Great live up to his name while Christina the Astonishing was sent packing (given her penchant for levitation, we hope she's aware of those steep extra baggage fees). Nearly 7,000 votes were cast as Basil defeated Christina 55% to 45%. He'll now advance to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen to square off against the winner of Antony of Egypt vs. Mary of Egypt.
For those new to Lent Madness, congratulations! You're now a seasoned veteran. If you tracked the nearly 300 comments you also know that Lent Madness isn't just voting and learning about saints -- it's an online community where people share some pretty personal stories and connections as well.
Of course yesterday also saw the emergence of our first controversy. In the opening ceremonies video there was lively debate over whether Dean of the Washington National Cathedral Gary Hall's cassock was purple, as he claimed, or blue. It's a Lent Madness scandal!
Are you curious about when the various first round battles will take place? We thought so. Thus, you are invited to check out our handy Match-Up Calendar. Go ahead and print it out. Have a teenager add all the dates to the calendar on your smart phone. Put it on your refrigerator, your bathroom mirror, or have it tattooed to your spouse's forehead. Once you do, you'll know that tomorrow's battle between Alcuin and Ephrem is the only Saturday pairing in the entirety of Lent.
Charles Henry Brent
In 1901 as the Philippine-American War drew to an end, Charles Henry Brent was elected as the first missionary bishop to the islands, arriving a year later on the same ship as its Governor-General, William Howard Taft.
Bishop Brent brought with him $100,000 that he had raised before his departure in order to build churches, schools, and a hospital. Instead of staying within the American enclave, Brent worked with a wide range of people, including the Chinese community in Manila and the Igorot people. He fought tirelessly against the opium trade, chairing the U.S. delegation to the International Opium Conference.
Twice elected bishop of Washington, D.C. and once of New Jersey, he turned down these appointments to remain in the Philippines. After the first election, he sent a telegram to the head of the standing committee that read, “Must decline. I would have gone, but God bids me stay. John 3:30.”
After serving as the senior chaplain of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, he became bishop of Western New York. Prior to this, he established himself as a leader in the ecumenical movement, having attended the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910. He continued to work for the cause of Christian unity, presiding at the World Conference of Faith and Order in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1927. He died in 1929.
Bishop Brent may be best remembered for this prayer that summarizes well his life and ministry:
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p.101)
Collect for Charles Henry Brent
Heavenly Father, whose Son prayed that we all might be one: deliver us from arrogance and prejudice, and give us wisdom and forbearance, that, following your servant Charles Henry Brent, we may be united in one family with all who confess the Name of thy Son Jesus Christ: who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Julia Chester Emery
Julia Chester Emery (1852-1922) was an extraordinary woman. At age 24, she took over from her sister Mary the job of national secretary of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Episcopal Church. It was the only ecclesiastical post she ever held, and she held it for forty years (and not the Biblical kind of “forty years,” either). She was a missionary whose calling was to do the often unglamorous work of organizing, administering, educating, and supporting. Her work enabled thousands of women to realize their potential for ministry at a time when women’s roles were severely limited. And she encouraged the church to broaden its own understanding of faithful lay ministry.
The Women’s Auxiliary of the Board of Missions of the Episcopal Church was created by General Convention in 1871 mostly through the work of the four Emery sisters. Mary Abbott Emery was the first national secretary, and Julia stepped into the job in 1876. During her tenure, she visited every diocese in the United States and helped organize branches of the Women’s Auxiliary in more than 5,600 parishes—nearly two-thirds of all the parishes in the U.S. Many of these branches continue today as the Episcopal Church Women, or ECW.
The primary focus of the Women’s Auxiliary was to empower women for mission and address the issue of funding for women who felt called to dedicate themselves to mission work. Chapters raised money and awareness for the support of local, national, and international mission. The Auxiliary sought to connect women one to another, to encourage them to know that they each had something to do for Christ and the coming of the Kingdom of God, in the company of Episcopal women everywhere. “There are hundreds more earnest, faithful, devoted women who would be cheered if only they knew what is being done by their sisters in the church and see their offering, small and insignificant as it seems, increased and multiplied by the union with the gifts of others” (Spirit of Missions, volume XXXVII, 1872).
Emery also created The United Thank Offering, represented today by small blue boxes with slots for coins to encourage daily giving and thanks to God. The UTO is still under the purview of the ECW, having awarded $1,517,280 in grants for mission in 2012. Thanks to Emery’s foresight and diligence, the work continues.
Collect for Julia Chester Emery
God of all creation, you call us in Christ to make disciples of all nations and to proclaim your mercy and love: Grant that we, after the example of your servant Julia Chester Emery, may have vision and courage in proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our light and our salvation, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Vote!
224 comments on “Charles Henry Brent vs. Julia Chester Emery”
How can you not vote for someone who declines to be a Bishop?
Exactly!
I know we need to move on. However , For those of you that are still about Christina . Please YouTube Nick Cave (an Australian indie band) & Christina the Astonishing . They performed last year at Cochella.
Beautiful and haunting. Good bye Christina
While Julia is not a relation, it is hard not to vote for her! Particularly since my grandmother, Alice Emery, worked for the UTO for many years! Yeah to women who dedicate themselves to mission work!
I had to go with Julia! What a mighty woman of God, who worked in the shadows of others. My hat is off to her pioneering spirit of influence that survives today!
I was sorely tempted to vote for Bishop Brent due to two "signs". He worked with the Igorot people in the Philippines and the Igorot Village was my grandmother's favorite exhibit at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Secondly, my brother's godfather wrote a biographical sketch of Brent in the 1950 edition of his book Things That Matter. Despite that my vote goes to Julia Emery for her lasting work. Not only does ECW and UTO still have a mighty effect but where would we put all that loose change without her blue boxes?
A tough choice, as I've come to expect. Both people have formed my sense of mission and service to others. I pray Charles Brent's collect most days ... but have to go with a laywoman who has such an impact.
I am so happy to follow Max...who said exactly what I was thinking! You gotta love anybody who would turn down being a Bishop three times! I voted for Charles Henry Brent. Somedays, you know the person you vote for is not going to win...but you vote anyway...I liked the comment someone made about "voting for the greater of two goods" yeah. like that.
Let's get this right: Brent NEVER turned down being a bishop -- he did turn down three invitations to leave the Philippines and come to stateside dioceses, and that certainly showed a dedication to his mission there, but he was already a bishop when that happened,
This one was tough for me because I really liked both stories of their lives. But were faithful in their walk and determined for a long time. However, I voted for Julia Emery as she worked to empower the disenfranchised of her day. Both did great work, only one can wear the Golden Halo!!
Emery broke the glass ceiling.....and she deserves the kudos...and the votes!
23 years ago on Julia Chester's name day, I was ordained a priest. Although I appreciated my bishop's effort to find a female saint, I wanted a more exciting saint. I preferred her sister, Mary Abbott Emery Twing. Mary was married to an older man and widowed early. It gave her great freedom to travel the globe, investigating the horrible plight of women missionaries. She was a gadfly, arguing for the need for proper support (both in the field and later) for them, as well as supporting women deacons. Over the last 23 years, however, I have learned to appreciate the less exciting but equally important tasks of everyday ministry. Julia has now become a friend.
As a proud Western New York denizen, as well as one who often uses Bp. Brent's lovely prayer, I have cast my vote for Charles Henry Brent - thus assuring that I will find myself at 0-2 in the morning.
When I was in seminary, several of us who had been history majors in college asked to proficiency out of Church History, figuring we knew enough. Fr. Roland Foster, new history professor at Nashotah, allowed us to do so. One of the questions was, "Who is Charles Henry Brent?" None of us knew, but were passed anyhow, but not until we had a strong lesson on Brent from Fr. Foster who had just come from St. Andrew's Seminary in the Phillipines! SO I have to honor CHB today.
He's Going To Be Trounced By Julia, But I Voted For Charle.
His Prayer Is Also Collect For Station 11 In Stations OF The Cross.
I am moved by stories remembering blue mite boxes of childhood, a little boy who said we could do better and days when girls couldn't even be acolytes. Having been one of the first female acolytes in a church I attended as a teen, I must go with Julia. I also salute her because I understand the great value of behind-the-scenes work that makes the church soar. And, yet, I must say, the bishop's prayer is one of my favorites, too. Still, it's Julia for me.
This is a tough one. I love Bp. Brent's prayer. However, my departed mother, a diocesan ECW president, will haunt me if I don't vote for Julia Chester Emery!
Let the haunting begin - I voted for Bp. Brent.
BOO!!!!!!!!!!
Aha! Somebody remembers the "mite" boxes that preceded the blue boxes! You just showed your age. Who can forget the box getting heavier week by week and fighting the urge to shake out a nickel to get a forbidden piece of candy? Julia Emery and her sisters by birth and by spiritual adoption were the only ministry for many women who wanted and deserved more. "Nuf said. My vote goes where my heart was early on as I folded and filled the blue box knowing there was some inequity afoot in the Church.
I can't believe that I am voting for Julia. I grew up in a church where as a young women I was strongly encouraged to serve coffee and join ECW. Being an acolyte and reading lessons or prayers were for males. I fought that battle and won, but the cost has been an abiding dislike of ECW as a symbol of gender segregation and devaluing. I guess the time has arrived to see such work through a new and more encouraging lens.
So you were lucky -- many of us never had the opportunities to serve that you did. ECW gave women a way to belong and serve that the wider Church did not.
My Lent Madness bracket is filled with preferences for female saintly folk -- except for yesterday and today. While I value the contributions of Julia's work -- it was still within the bounds of her culture and her country, Bishop Brent truly did "proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth"
Episcopal Church Women are involved in ministry in the wider community and Women are empowered by working collaboratively with women’s organizations, program and ministry groups within and outside the Church, as well as with global and local networks working for gender justice, and individual women compelled to risk transformation – of the world, the church, and their own lives in Christ.
So, the work envisioned by Julia and others in her lifetime are bound by her culture nor her country. Thank you.
My last sentence should contain the phrase "not bound". Sorry
I was disappointed, but not surprised that Christina the Astonishing did not win yesterday. Today, I have voted for Julia because of my connection to women who do mission work. You ladies rock!
Have to go with Bishop Brent. His prayer is one of my favorites...
Man I keep backing the looser. Come on Brent!!!
Let's give one to the laity today! Go Julia!
In honor of my husband's grandmother,who did much the same thing in her church ( United Methodist), I voted for Julia Chester Emery. My grandmother- in-law traveled the United States talking to women's groups in the Methodist Church.
May I ask who your grandmother was? Being a UM, I'm super curious about such an important figure.
I don't really know if she had an official title. Her name was Mrs. F. B. Godfrey. She did her work in the '40s and maybe '50s., I think. She was a lovely person.
I wish you had included that CHB was the first bishop or Western New York. He also founded the first Episcopal Church I worked at after college, St. Andrew's, in Buffalo, NY. So he got my vote today!
That's always the hardest part about Round 1 -- so many things I wish I could have included!
I have always cherished Bishop Brent's lovely prayer. On most Fridays, I say his prayer at MP. I vote for Bishop Brent who taught and lived the way of love through the cross.
My vote is Julia Chester Emery. I fondly remember mite boxes as well; I'm an oldy but a goody! Julia was a strong, confident and faithful lady who knew what was right and loved her Lord. She helped to better man (and woman) kind. Am I seeing a Golden Halo perched on JuJu's pretty head???
My grandmother attended the Gen. Con. in Kansas City, so in solidarity with her and all the saints, I vote for Ms Emery.
It takes a certain depth of character to be patient, to stay for the long haul, working for the betterment of the human condition, despite the fact that the whole enterprise is being run by induhviduals who don't even discern your worth.
After seeing a woman dissed by a person who supported a dogma that, even today, most of us still don't understand, it's definitely time for a woman to lead the way.
I also think the Emery sisters donated their family property to the Society of St. John the Evangelist. I was renovated with funds from a bequest from another woman and Emery House today is a monastery and retreat center. And a blessing to all of us who have been blessed by visiting!
(I voted for Christina yesterday, and Julia today. Hope I'm not subconsciously just rooting for the girls.)
I do love to pray "he stretched out his arms of love...", but I have such ambivalence about mission work--not the fantastic, selfless, risky business of healing and serving the least of these in far-flung places that generations of missionaries have done. But the often patronizing, culture-erasing "imperialism," as others have said today, of some missionaries. Ironically, though, the monies raised by UTO are also used for missionary work.... So we are voting for a missionary in the fields or a funder of missionary work. Hmmmmm......
Since so many of my heroes in the gospels are the women who funded and supported the "missionary" work of Jesus, I have to go with Julia.
I am all in for Charles Henry Brent. I had the privilege to attend multiple services at the at the National Cathedral of the Philippines in Quezon City. And I have considered all Filipinos to be my "homies". All in. Simbahang Episkopal ng Pilipinas
Both Charles and Julia are worthy of victory. Usually I lean toward women as unsung heroines of the church but today I am torn. Charles was once bishop of Western New York where I grew up and women's groups in our parish were named after various people. The group for women of my grandmother's age was named the Bishop Brent group and for some reason that name stuck with me. It was only in the last decade or so that I learned of his respect for all people as children of God and how that influenced his work and the people around him. So, for him and for Gram, I vote for Bishop Brent.