Harvest Thanksgiving and Paulinus of York
“Seasons & Saints” is a weekly devotional blog by the Reverend Susan Montague-Koyle. Drawing on liturgical notes and the commemorations of the saints, Rev. Susan offers teaching and inspiration for Anglicans across Algoma and beyond.
A Liturgical Note For You:
Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, here is a reminder (plus a tidbit of new information):
Thanksgiving is an important secular holiday observance in our society. It is always the 2nd Monday in October. You can acknowledge this day on the Sunday immediately before (so, Sunday, Oct.12, this year) and call it Harvest Thanksgiving. You can use the regularly scheduled lectionary readings (my preference) and acknowledge Harvest Thanksgiving by having thanksgiving type hymns and, of course, giving thanks during the Prayers of the People. The “propers” (prayers & readings) for “Rogation Days and Harvest Thanksgiving” are on pp.396-7 of the BAS if you’d like to use those instead.
Now just to be confusing, you don’t have to have Harvest Thanksgiving on the Sunday right before our Canadian Thanksgiving Monday. According to the rules for this sort of thing in our BAS, “Harvest Thanksgiving may be observed on a Sunday as determined by local custom” (p.16). Depending on where you live in Canada, your congregation may choose a Sunday that is closer to the actual harvest time in your area (just, please, don’t bump a more important Sunday. For example, you would not have had Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday on Holy Cross Day. Sept.14).
Why did we end up with Harvest Thanksgiving when we have a Thanksgiving Day? The Anglican Church of Canada, of course, originates from the Church of England and England does not have an official Thanksgiving Day. That holiday began on this side of the Atlantic with the immigrants who settled here. Like many other cultures, though, England did celebrate a Harvest Festival and so, the Church of England in Canada (what we started as) inherited this festival. The secular holiday of Thanksgiving Day was added later and eventually became more widely known. Now we have two days that basically celebrate the same thing so you would choose to celebrate one or the other but not both.
For Your Devotions:
Friday, October 10th is the commemoration of Paulinus, First Bishop of York, Missionary, died 644. In 601, Paulinus – a Roman monk – was sent to England by Pope Gregory the Great to convert the inhabitants to Christianity. He was made a bishop and set off for Northumbria. The life of an Archbishop in England was a lot different back then – Paulinus did convert the king of Northumbria (Edwin) and many others but then fled to Kent when Edwin was murdered by Anglo-Saxon kings bent on destroying the newly founded church. Never a dull moment…For more information check out p.300 here: ForAlltheSaints.pdf
In Christ,
Rev. Susan Montague Koyle