Readings:
Psalm 84:1-6
Isaiah 63:7-9
Ephesians 4:11-16
Matthew 21:12-16Preface of Advent
[Common of a Pastor]
[For Social Service]
PRAYER (traditional language):
God of justice and truth, let not thy Church close its eyes to the
plight of the poor and neglected, the homeless and destitute, the old
and the sick, the lonely and those who have none to care for them. Give
us that vision and compassion with which thou didst so richly endow William
Augustus Muhlenberg and Anne Ayers, that we may labor tirelessly to heal
those who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow into
joy; through Jesus Christ, who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
PRAYER (contemporary language):
God of justice and truth, do not let your Church close its eyes to
the plight of the poor and neglected, the homeless and destitute, the
old and the sick, the lonely and those who have none to care for them.
Give us that vision and compassion with which you so richly endowed William
Augustus Muhlenberg and Anne Ayers, that we may labor tirelessly to heal
those who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow into
joy; through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
This commemoration was separated from that of William Augustus Muhlenberg and appears in A Great Cloud of Witnesses. The lessons and collects apply to both of them.
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ANNE AYRES
RELIGIOUS (9
FEB 1896)
Anne Ayres (January 3, 1816 – February 9, 1896)
was a nun and the founder of the first Episcopalian religious order for
women.
Born in London, she emigrated to the United States in 1836; settling in New York City. She tutored the daughters of wealthy families, and in 1845 she decided to follow a religious life, after hearing a speech by Episcopal clergyman William Augustus Muhlenberg.
There were no religious orders specifically for women in the Episcopal Church so Ayres was consecrated a “sister of the Holy Communion”. She gathered other women as teachers at a Parish school and as charity workers, and they formed the Sisterhood of the Holy Communion in 1852.
The order opened an infirmary in 1853, before moving to St. Luke's Hospital. Ayres helped Muhlenberg found St. Johnland, in King's Park, Long Island, which was intended to be a rural utopia for poor inner-city people.
Ayres wrote a biography of William Augustus Muhlenberg, first published in 1880 as The Life and Work of William Augustus Muhlenberg.
— from Wikipedia