THOMAS A BECKET 1118–1170 (Position 1, front) The first figure at the left position on the altar is Thomas a Becket, Becket dressed in the red vestments of a martyr Bishop. Becket was educated in law in England and then inParis, Bologna and Auxerre. King Henry II appointed Becket as Chancellor in 1155. A brilliant administrator, diplomat, and military strategist, Becket aided the king in building royal power. Henry hoped to bolster royal control of the church by appointing Becket Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162. Becket, however, embraced his new duties devoutly and opposed royal domination of the church. A rift grew between Becket and the king, and when Henry summoned Becket to trial, Becket fled to France. He remained in exile until 1170, when he returned to Canterbury. He was then murdered in the cathedral by four of King Henry’s knights. Becket is not commemorated in the Episcopal calendar of saints. LANCELOT ANDREWES 1555- 1626 (Position 2, front) Lancelot Andrewes served successively as Bishop of Chichester, Ely and Winchester and oversaw the translation of the Authorized Version (or King James Version) of the Bible. He was known for his vigorous preaching and his defense of Protestantism against the Romanists and was a close consultant to King James. Andrewes was pivotal in developing a distinctive Anglican theology “reasonable in outlook and Catholic in tone.” He maintained a clear distinction between what is fundamental, needing ecclesiastical commands, and subsidiary, needing only ecclesiastical guidance. His best-known work is the Manual of Private Devotions. His feast day is October 25. DUNSTAN 909–988 (Position 3, front) Dustan was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worchester, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury. He restored monastic life in England, reformed the English Church, and served as an important minister of state to several English kings. Dunstan became famous as a musician, illuminator, and metalworker. Dunstan went to Rome in 960. On his journey there, Dunstan’s charities were so lavish as to leave nothing for himself and his attendants. On his return from Rome, Dunstan became virtual prime minister of the kingdom. The monks in his communities were taught to live in a spirit of self-sacrifice, and Dunstan actively enforced the law of celibacy. He forbade selling ecclesiastical offices for money and ended the custom of clerics appointing relatives to offices. Parish priests were urged to teach parishioners not only the truths of the Christian faith, but also useful trades to improve their position. Good order was maintained throughout the realm and there was respect for the law and peace in the kingdom. A famous story relates how Dunstan nailed a horseshoe to the devil’s hoof when he was asked to reshoe the devil’s horse. This caused the devil great pain, and Dunstan only agreed to remove the shoe after the devil promised never to enter a place where a horseshoe is over the door (the origin of the lucky horseshoe). Dunstan is the patron saint of goldsmiths, silversmiths, and bell ringers. His feast day is May 19, which is why the date year on English silver hallmarks runs from May 19th to May 18th and not the calendar year. CUTHBERT c. 634–687 (Position 4, front) Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, a monk and bishop in the kingdom of Northumbria, an area that encompassed northeast England and southeast Scotland, was renowned for his piety, diligence, and obedience. Cuthbert spent much time among the people, ministering to their spiritual needs, carrying out missionary journeys, preaching, and performing miracles. His asceticism was complemented by his charm and generosity to the poor, and his reputation for gifts of healing and insight led many people to consult him. In 676 Cuthbert retired to a cave on one of the Farne Islands and became a hermit. In 684, he was elected Bishop of Lindisfarne. Legend has it that when Cuthbert’s burial casket was opened 11 years after his death, his body was perfectly preserved. His feast day is March 20. JESUS CHRIST (Center front) COLUMBA 521–597 (Position 6, front) Columba was an Irish missionary monk who introducted Christianity to the Picts, a Celtic tribe in Scotland. He is credited with revitalizing monasticism in Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. In 563, Columba and 12 companions traveled in coracles (small lightweight boats) from Ireland to Iona, off the coast of Scotland. There Columba established a monastery, provided the only center of literacy in the region, and served as a diplomat among the tribes. There are also many stories of miracles that he performed. Columba was a renowned man of letters, having written several hymns and transcribed 300 books. Columba is the patron saint of bookbinders and poets. His feast day is June 9. NINIAN 360 ? –432 ? (Position 7, front) Ninian was a Brtiton who studied in Rome For 15 years, was ordained priest and bishop, and returned home to evangelize southern Scotland, laying a solid foundation for the Church there. Around 397, Ninian built his great monastery, the White House, so called because the stone work was unusual in an era of wooden churches. It was probably the first Christian settlement in Scotland and is now known as Whithorn Abbye. Ninian is revered as a miracle worker who cured a neighboring chieftain of blindness. Ninian’s feast day is September 16. ALBAN c. 3rd century A.D. (Position 8, front) Alban was a Roman soldier and Christian convert who lived at Verulamium (now St Albans, England). During a persecution of Christians in the 3rd century, Alban sheltered a fugitive priest in his home, put on the priest’s garments and delivered himself to the authorities in the priest’s stead. Alban was taken before a magistrate and sentenced to death, making Alban the first Christian martyr in England. St Albans Cathedral now stands at the reputed place of his beheading. Several legends are associated with Alban’s execution,such as the story that the executioner was so impressed by Alban’s faith that he converted to Christianity on the spot and refused to kill him. Another executioner was quickly found but his eyes dropped out of his head when he did the deed and the first executioner was then killed, becoming the second British Christian martyr. Alban’s feast day is June 22. WILLIAM OF WYKEHAM 1320?–1404 (Position 9, front) William of Wykeham was born to a peasant family and educated at a school in Winchester. He was appointed Justice and became secretary to the constable of Winchester Castle where he learned much about building. This led to architectural work for King Edward III, for whom he reconstructed Windsor Castle. William was paid for these services by being given the incomes of various churches, and eventually, in 1362, he was ordained. In 1363 he was appointed Lord Privy Seal and then elected Bishop of Winchester, and in 1367, Chancellor of England. William’s motto “Manners Makyth Man,” was adopted by the institutions he founded, Winchester College and New College, Oxford. William is not commemorated in the Episcopal calendar of saints. SAMUEL SEABURY 1729-1796 (Left side of altar) Handwriting on our altar identifies this figure as Alfred the Great, but it is clearly Samuel Seabury. Samuel Seabury was the first bishop of the Episcopal Church, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. Born in Ledyard, Connecticut, Seabury graduated from Yale, studied theology and medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland; was ordained priest in 1753, and served as rector of parishes in New Jersey and New York. In 1783, ten Episcopal clergy in Woodbury, Connecticut elected Seabury bishop. As there were no Anglican bishops in the Americas to consecrate him, he sailed to London. Yet his consecration was impossible there as well, because he could no longer take the oath of allegiance to the King. Seabury then turned to the Scottish Episcopal Church and was consecrated in Aberdeen in 1784, with the condition he would work for the adoption of the Scottish Rite of Holy Communion. In 1785, Seabury became rector of St James Church in New London. His "Communion Office," was based on the Scottish Book of Common Prayer rather than the 1662 liturgy in use in the Church of England. Seabury also argued for the restoration of the weekly celebration of Holy Communion on Sunday rather than the infrequent observance that had become customary in most Protestant churches after the Reformation. Seabury’s feast day is November 14. GEORGE WASHINGTON 1732–1799 (Right of altar) George Washington served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797 and as the first commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783. He is highly revered by Americans as the "Father of Our Country". Washington presided over the Philadelphia Convention that drafted the United States Constitution. He sought to create a nation capable of surviving in a world torn asunder by war; his Proclamation of Neutrality provided a basis for avoiding involvement in foreign conflicts. He supported plans to build a strong central government by funding the national debt, implementing an effective tax system, and creating a national bank. Washington’s farewell address was a primer on republican virtue and a stern warning against partisanship, sectionalism, and involvement in foreign wars. Washington was baptized in Virginia as a member of the Church of England and served on the vestry of several parishes. He became a Freemason in 1752. Throughout his life, Washington spoke of the value of righteousness, and of seeking and offering thanks for the blessings of Heaven. He was an early supporter of religious toleration and freedom of religion. In 1790, Washington wrote to the Touro Synagogue, Newport, condemning bigotry and praying that “everyone should sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree … [with] none to make him afraid.”