1. The year was 1456. We remember San Giovanni da Capistrano, the fiery Franciscan preacher, a heresy hunter, and septuagenarian soldier. The reading is a quote from John of Damascus.
  2. The year was 1870. We remember James William Charles Pennington. The reading is from George Mackay Brown, "A Poem for Shelter."
  3. The year was 1528. The reformer Brenz published his tract to stop the persecution of his rival Anabaptists. The reading is from Alice Meynell, "Easter Night."
  4. The year was 1634. We remember the Japanese martyr, Margaret of Nagasaki. The reading is from Brennan Manning, from his "The Furious Longing For God."
  5. Be a hero and listen up to the preachers! Real men die for a purpose and bring back a little doctrine in their sermons. Martin Luther would be proud.
  6. The year was 1984. We remember the polish priest and martyr Jerzy Popiełuszko. The reading is Les Murray's "Easter, 1984."
  7. The year was 1646. We remember Isaac Jogues, the first saint and French martyr in North America. The reading is from S. Trevor Francis, two stanzas of his famous hymn, "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus."
  8. The year was 108. We remember Ignatius of Antioch, one of the earliest church fathers, was put to death. The reading is from St. Ignatius, a good word for 108 AD and 2020.
  9. The year was 1950, and C.S. Lewis introduced the world to his classic “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” The reading is an exchange from the same between Lucy and Mr. Beaver.
  10. The year was 1573. We remember the early Reformation dialogue with the Eastern church. The reading is Bill Stadick's "The-Sin-Boldly-Bulwark-Never-Failing-Blues."
  11. The year was 1703. We remember Danish poet and pastor Thomas Kingo. The reading is from Kingo, "Softly Now the Day is Ending."
  12. The year was 1781. Joseph II introduced his "Patent of Toleration." The reading is from William Cowper, his "Sometimes a Light Surprises."