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”
Cecelia you're breaking my heart
You're shaking my confidence daily...I mean really 3 times they tried to behead you without success. Way to go!
Although as a musician, Cecilia is very near and dear to my heart, Henry Budd captures my soul as I have lived with and worked with indigenous peoples in North America all of my life. Whenever I see native peoples allowed to take ownership of their own Christian or spiritual development, I'm all in. Today my friends from Standing Rock are marching on Washington to assert their Treaty rights and human rights against DAPL. May their words and actions be heard and honored.
Alyssa, Henry got my vote today in honor of our friends.
A vote for Henry, with thoughts of a Canadian Abenaki seven-times great grandmother.
I like the introduction to Henry Budd, but a woman preaching? and refusing to die?
"Nevertheless, she persisted." Thank you, Cecilia.
Love the comment!
Despite being a vocalist, I voted for Henry. I was not familiar with him at all, and his dedication to Christ, perseverance and dignity despite enduring racial prejudice spoke to my heart. Cecilia's perseverance is also inspiring. This year's match-ups have been truly difficult so far! Thanks for the inspiring recounting CBs!!!
I had Cecelia on the bracket I filled out before Lent Madness began, but after reading about Henry, I voted for him.
I was drawn to both of these saints.
I finally went with Cecilia, knowing that I would also be proud to vote for Budd in the next round.
Tough choice!
As a church musician, I must vote for St Cecilia with gladness. But if Henry Budd were up against almost any other saint, he'd have my support! (Hope one day to vote for the underdog in this Lent Madness. It seems somehow more Christian. Perhaps it is this day.)
Tough one today. I'm inspired by both. But as both a singer, and Classicist (who always liked the gens Caeciliae), I gotta go with Cecilia!
Music is such an important part of the Anglican tradition that I chose, against my usual pattern, lore over biography. In thanksgiving for Mr. Hasdorf, Howard Ross, and Joel Martinson, three important church musicians in my life, I voted for Cecilia.
Voted for Henry Budd! #FirstNations He translated the Bible and The Book of Common Prayer into Cree; did much to further the Christian expression of faith within the traditions of First Nations’ cultures and languages. Go Henry Budd!
Thankful to learn about Henry - great story! But our daughter was born on St. Cecilia's Day and she plays the flute and harp, same as Cecilia, so had to vote for her.
In a garden shady this holy lady with reverent cadence and subtle psalm.
Like a black swan as death came on poured forth her song in perfect calm.
And by ocean's margin this innocent virgin constructed an organ to enlarge her prayer,
And notes tremendous from her great engine thundered out on the Roman air.
Blonde Aphrodite rose up excited, moved to delight by the melody.
White as an orchid she rode quite naked on an oyster shell on top of the sea.
At sounds so entrancing the angels dancing came out of their dance into time again,
And around the wicked in hell's abysses the huge flame flickered and eased their pain.
Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions
To all musicians, appear and inspire.
Translated Daughter, come down and startle
Composing mortals with immortal fire.
--W. H. Auden
"Three Songs for St. Cecilia's Day"
The thought of Cecilia's music stirring the sacred and profane powers of earth, heaven and hell, and startling composers with immortal fire, always touches my soul. So if she gets my vote, blame it on W.H. Auden and on Benjamin Britten, who set this poem to soaring, complex music.
I was delighted to see mention of the Henry Budd College for Ministry in the essay above. Back when I was administering an African Anglican network of theological institutions (Anitepam), we worked hard to share what was happening in African theological education with others, especially those at the grassroots. That linked us to the Henry Budd College, whose leaders impressed us a great deal, and which we thought was doing some creative work, especially in theological education by extension (TEE). Not hard for me to decide who to vote for!
Thanks Leon! Though it's an uphill climb, the work of Henry Budd College continues - https://www.facebook.com/HenryBuddCollege/
Thanks for the comment, Kara. I enjoyed reading the College's Facebook page and shared it on my own. Blessings.
I've been a singer all my life, and love the stories of early saints, so Cecilia was my going-in favorite. But Henry Budd is a powerful example of what it means to work in the institutional church with faith and dedication, even when your recompense is less because your personhood is somehow deemed to be "lesser." He's caught my heart, and my vote today.
As a perpetual choir boy I should vote fore Cecelia but Budd struck me as the more believable..struggling to bring Jesus to the Cree.....translating can be hard work ..he lived his faith and he was real
I voted for Cecilia. Tonight our church council is meeting with a piano expert to determine how to best repair/renovate the Steinway in our sanctuary. I hope Cecelia will be there to guide our discussion.
I was certain I would go for Henry Budd, but then after being reminded that Cecilia has an incorrupt saint body, I couldn't not vote for her! This was the closest one for me so far! (Also, I apologize on behalf of the student from my school, whomever he/she was. Overzealous rascal!)
I love Lent Madness the most for introducing me to saints and holy people that I have not heard of or know much about. Both stories touched me. I love music also and was tempted to vote for Cecilia, but instead I voted for Henry Budd who worked hard and got more members than the other missionaries.
I find it frustrating that the "politically correct" candidates (Black, First Nation, etc.) candidates are being paired against other very worth candidates. Cecilia still seems to have a chance, but I expect in the end she'll be outvoted by Henry Budd supporters, because the politically correct candidates have won each time. I have nothing against the politically correct ones, but each time they are being pair against someone I love.
Here in my part of rural Western Canada I frequently worship, study and socialize with a First Nations Anglican parish on their reserve where my grandchildren also live a mile from my house. Their aboriginal language has been revived and is taught in schools and socially by a few speakers who were blessed to stay connected to elders who were fluent speakers. The language is used regularly for The Lord's Prayer and other prayers in the life of this parish. Even I have learned to understand and pronounce a few indigenous words that include God and Amen. I appreciate the leaders and their prayers in the language of the people in the services, so my vote goes to Henry Budd of Manitoba, whose work was conducted in a similar fashion by at least one non-Native missionary in Canada's most westerly province who also fostered the use of aboriginal languages in the church by learning the language, writing dictionaries and translating parts of the prayer book.
Much as I'm a musician, I found Budd to be more inspiring. I'll play a hymn for Cecelia.
Voted for Henry Budd for a few reasons: his First Nations background, his energetic ministry, and his inadequate paycheck.
Put off by a few aspects of the Cecilia story: the Gnostic-influenced notion that "all sex is dirty" implied by the story of her unfortunate marriage, and the legend of her body being unaffected by the passing of a number of centuries after her death.
Being a music lover, I'd have liked to vote for the patron saint of music, but I can still look forward to voting for GF Handel.
I wish I could have cast a vote for Valerian. What a wedding night! Bless him for respecting that "no" means "no." For being the first person of First Nation ancestry ordained in the Anglican tradition Henry got my vote.
Dryden ... Purcell ... Handel ... Howells ... culminating, for me, in Britten, setting Auden's amazing poem -- as a choral singer, I had to go with Cecilia, tho I admire Budd tremendously.
Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions to all musicians,
Appear and inspire:
Translated Daughter, come down and startle composing mortals
With immortal fire!
Anyone whom a "Betsy" will marry must be an extraordinary person and, therefore, gets my vote.
Another difficult choice - but I went with Henry Budd!
Hurry Up Cecilia.
Oh, Cecilia, your breaking my heart...
You're shaking my confidence daily...
As a younger man, I was asked to walk to the third milestone on the Roman road a few times, never with the similar angelic eyeopening results of Valerian. Cecilia was truly blessed.
I voted for Cecilia, because when my son was 2 years old, his favorite song was Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkle (sp?) He grew up to be a musician (my son, that is). St. Cecilia clearly spoke to him. If you listen to the words of the S and G song, you can see that it is about St. Cecilia. Also the Sanctus from the St Cecilia Mass by Gounod is the most beautiful piece of sacred music ever, in my opinion.