Today in the Saintly Smackdown, we encounter a 19th century Canadian missionary and a 3rd century Roman martyr, as Henry Budd faces Cecilia. Will the entire nation of Canada rise up to vote for one of their own? Or will Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, strike a chord? Only the next 24 hours and your vote, will tell!
In yesterday's matchup, Moses the Black defeated John Wycliffe 65% to 35% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen where he'll face the winner of Raymond Nonnatus vs. John of Nepomuck.
Oh, and in case you missed yesterday's stirring edition of Monday Madness, watch it here. Tim and Scott give shout-outs to parishes and schools who are all in for Lent Madness 2017 (send us your photos!), discuss the importance of the comment section, and invite viewer mail. Yes, YOUR QUESTION for the SEC could be answered in an upcoming episode. Submit them via Facebook or Twitter.
Henry Budd
Sakachuwescam (Going-Up-The-Hill) was born to Cree parents in what is now Manitoba, Canada. He was baptized in 1822 by an Anglican missionary, who gave him the name Henry Budd (Budd is thought to be the surname of Henry’s father). Budd, his wife Betsy, and their children, as well as extended family moved to the Red River area where he taught at St. John’s parish school and served as a lay minister in the church. Budd proved a capable and enthusiastic teacher and a dedicated Christian serving the Cree community.
His success at St. John’s eventually led Budd to move with his family to W’passkwayaw (The Pas). He built a house church and held regular worship services. In June 1842, John Smithurst (another Anglican missionary) was overjoyed to see the result of Budd’s dedicated ministry: baptisms of 39 adults, 27 infants, and 22 schoolchildren. Pretty impressive numbers!
Budd was tutored and mentored by other clergy in the area, including Bishop David Anderson. Budd was ordained to the diaconate on December 22, 1850—the first person of First Nations ancestry to be ordained in the Anglican tradition in North America. Ordained a priest three years later, Budd served in Saskatchewan until 1867 and then resumed his previous ministry in The Pas. That same year, the local ministry board recommended reclassifying The Pas from a missionary station to one requiring a priest, preferably a First Nations pastor. Four previous English missionaries had failed to establish any thriving mission, complaining of “lack of evangelistic opportunities.” For all his success and exemplary ministry, Budd was paid half of what white missionaries in the same position made.
Budd was an eloquent preacher in Cree and English. His missions exhibited the highest standards of good management, self-sustainability, and outreach to the community. He translated the Bible and The Book of Common Prayer into Cree. He remained at The Pas until his death in 1875. His legacy includes the Henry Budd College for Ministry in Canada, which seeks to form Indigenous people for Christian ministry in the Anglican Church in Canada and to further the Christian expression of faith within the traditions of First Nations’ cultures and languages.
Collect for Henry Budd
Creator of the light, we thank you for your priest Henry Budd, who carried the great treasure of Scripture to his people the Cree nation, earning their trust and love. Grant that his example may call us to reverence, orderliness and love, that we may give you glory in word and action; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Cecilia
Cecilia harkens from the second century in Rome. Like many of the ancient saints, she is found somewhere in the mix of truth, legend, myth, and fiction. Whichever pieces of the story are “real,” they combine for a compelling picture of faith, belief, and devoutness to God’s calling.
Born to a wealthy Roman family, Cecilia was betrothed to a man named Valerian. Her family wanted her marraige to strengthen the bonds between the two families. Cecilia did not listen, instead insisting that she heard a chorus of angels calling her to a life of chastity and virginity. In the days before her wedding, Cecilia prayed, fasted, and sang, imploring God to protect her virginity. God sent an angel to protect Cecilia on her wedding bed. She told her husband that if he tried to consummate their marriage, the angel would smite him. Valerian could not see the angel, so Cecilia instructed him to walk to the third milestone on the Roman road, Via Appia, where his eyes would be opened. True to Cecilia’s word, an angel appeared to Valerian and his brother, and in short order, both converted to Christianity and were baptized. The brothers dedicated their lives to burying martyrs of the church who were persecuted by the local Roman officials.
While Valerian and his brother tended the dead, Cecilia preached and encouraged more than 400 souls to dedicate their lives to Christ. Her fervor attracted the wrath of the local prefect, and Valerian and his brother were executed, with the presiding prefect ordering Cecilia to be killed as well. They attempted to drown her. Then, they tried to burn the building down around her. An executioner was summoned by the prefect to behead her, and though he struck her three times, Cecilia remained in possession of her head. Three days later, she succumbed to her wounds and was buried by Pope Urban.
About 1,300 years later, in 1569, the church exhumed her body and found it to be incorrupt—without decay, the first saint to be found in such condition. The feast of Saint Cecilia is celebrated on November 22. Cecilia is the patron saint of music, in commemoration and honor of the heavenly chorus she is said to have heard each time she prayed to know and do God’s will in her life.
Collect for Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, heroic martyr who stayed faithful to Jesus your divine bridegroom, give us faith to rise above our persecutors and to see in them the image of our Lord. We know that you were a musician, and we are told that you heard angels sing. Inspire musicians to gladden the hearts of people by filling the air with God’s gift of music and reminding them of the Divine Musician Who created all beauty. Amen.
UPDATE This morning at about 11:45 EST, we became aware of voting patterns that are against the rules of Lent Madness. We discovered some 546 votes for Cecilia cast from a computer in Austin, TX, apparently at St. Andrew's Episcopal School (according to IP address databases). These votes have been removed, and the address in question has been banned. Please remember: vote once only! If you can encourage your friends to vote, that is wonderful. But do not attempt to cheat the system by using a single computer to vote multiple times. Big Lent is watching.
UPDATE AGAIN: A student has admitted gaming the system, apology has been accepted, and we've restored voting to the school in question. Please don't try to cheat. It's Lent, for Pete's sake!
[poll id="176"]
375 comments on “Henry Budd vs. Cecilia”
I'm a chorister and have always looked to the matronal saint, Cecelia, as inspiration. But I'm Canadian. And while I had not heard of Henry Budd, his story is so compelling, I think he deserves recognition and a chance to a challenge in the brackets. (My father was an Anglican priest in Canada and went to the Diocese of Calgary in 1946 when it was still a mission diocese to one in England. He was there 18 years & returned to the Diocese of Huron for the remainder of his ministry. Just a piece of trivia...)
Our Altar Stained glass window features St. Cecelia & I imagine she watches over our historic organ & inspires our talented organist.
For me, the choice today was easy. Though Cecelia is so well-known and her story is so miraculous, Henry Budd didn't have divine help in the way she did to aid him at every turn of his life. Because Henry didn't see success immediately (not becoming a priest until after his evangelistic successes had been recognized by other clergy) he's a more relevant example for us living today. Plus, I'm a bit biased towards specifically Anglican saints.
Also, I'm wondering about the origin of Cecelia's collect. Since Anglicans don't believe in the invocation of saints (the 39 Articles specifically condemn the practice) I'm wondering if the collect was taken from Roman Catholic sources. Does anyone have any more info on this?
Corban
Actually, the invocation of saints is a common practice among Anglicans and has been going on at least since the Oxford Movement in the 19th century. True, the 39 Articles do condemn the practice, but the Articles, for most Anglicans, have come to be regarded no longer as Law, but as an Historical Document.
Invocation of saints is not worship. It is simply asking the saints to pray for us, exactly the same as asking a living Christian to pray for us. This is the Communion of Saints.
PS
Regarding Cecilia's Collect, it's my understanding that sometimes the Celebrity Blogger writing the Bio also composes the Collect. It's my guess that Anna Fitch Courie wrote it.
The Definitive Guide to Lent Madness 2017 confirms this on the page opposite the title page (paragraph 3).
Music is such an important part of our worship. Saint Cecilia!
Even more difficult than previous choices! Fascinating to learn about Henry Budd, but I went for the incorruptible music.
Voted for Cecilia, but this was another hard one. I love music and singing so had to go with that patron saint.
Wish we had more like Henry Budd now.
I agree with everyone. This was a tough one. But since my sister is Cecilia and I watched her dress up with her little harp every year on All Saint's day, I had to go with her.
My name is Cecelia - no doubt about where my vote went!
I almost voted for Cecilia because of a sweet baby in my church named Cecelia; however, Henry won my heart with his work of converting souls and being paid half of what others were paid. Then we do know that Henry existed and I like legend but real wins for me. Go Henry.
This was another tough one! Go Henry.
I voted for Cecelia because that was my grandmother's name, but I certainly admire Henry Budd.
I would have voted for Henry, if he were not pitted against Cecelia. Music is an important part of our life, since my husband builds cellos and was an music major. Our daughter was a harpist. I feel duty bound to vote for Cecilia.
I voted for Henry, I found his story exciting and I never heard of him before!
eeny, meeny, miney. mo. . . That's where I stand on this one! (And my vote fell to Henry Budd) You folks at Lent Madness sure know how to mess with our minds! God bless ya!
Before voting, I decided Cecelia goes on my bracket but my vote here goes to Henry Budd. I think her story is more compelling as a woman forced into a marriage who took a stand for God and ultimately became a martyr. But I have to vote for the Native American priest who was facing an uphill battle.
Music - which speaks through any translation -
and once in a while, we can hear the angels sing ourselves.
So, Cecilia
I found the information on Henry Budd most compelling. Even though music is a large part of my worship, Henry in his quiet way influenced an entire First Nations people.
We need more Cecilias in our lives right now...those who believe the impossible and trust so completely in God's saving grace...Not that Henry didn't. But, there's something so ethereal about Cecilia. She got my vote. Have a blessed day everyone! Thank you Lent Madness!
I am a choir member and have sung all my life. I knew that I would vote for Cecilia, but won't be sad if Henry Budd wins. It is always good to learn about a new saint in that "great cloud of witnesses"!
My sister us Cecilia, so I only have one choice!
This was a tough one! But I have a bit of Cree ancestry, so I had to vote for a kinsman.
Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions to all musicians, appear and inspire
Translated daughter come down and startle composing mortals with immortal fire
https://youtu.be/h7GSygUXlUI
As musician I had to vote for Cecilia, though I hope Henry Budd does well.
My sister is Cecilia, so I only have one choice!
Budd's story is compelling, but when I read that Cecilia preached - well I had to give her my vote. Gotta stand in solidarity with female preachers!
A hard decision. I intended to vote for the patron saint of musicians but Henry Budd won me over.
Response to Cassandra. How I make my choice: I do not base my choices on any consistent criterion. Each day both people are equally qualified and equally deserving. It is not a case of choosing the "best" saint at all, or whether truth is better than fiction, or action better than contemplation. It is not a contest, it is a fun educational parody masquerading as a contest, so I go with whatever catches my attention that day. It may be a favorite Bible story, an inspiring real life story, or a bunch of really wild legends. In the case of the over-the-top apocryphal material, I just laugh and let my vote count aa a prayer of thanks for the wonderful gift of imagination. Thanks be to God
There is a bug in the system. The votes do not register if javascript is turned off, and sensible web users normally do that for safety. Since there is no visible reason to require javascript in order to handle a simple one-input form, I expect this one to be easy to fix.
Interesting. AFAIK iPhones don't have JavaScript built in to the iOS and I have no problem voting on my phone.
John Dryden said it best:
""...But bright Cecilia raised the wonder higher;
When to her organ vocal breath was given,
An angel heard, and straight appeared,
Mistaking earth for heaven."
How can we not vote for her?
Yes!! I have that running through my head this morning. Thank you, Roger Conover!
One of my earliest memories was a framed picture of St. Cecilia playing a piano for the angels. It hung in my grandmother's living room. However, I voted for Henry Budd.