Season of Pentecost, first part

Seasons of the Church:

Pentecost
Part 1

"And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:3-4)

Pentecost is the longest season of the church year, lasting approximately six months. Its actual length varies somewhat, because it begins on the second Sunday after the Ascension, which is always on a Thursday, the 40th day after Easter. Thus Pentecost is the 50th day after Easter, which is what the Greek root of the word means. Pentecost is May 15 in 2005. The season ends at the first Sunday of Advent, which will be November 27 in 2005.

Liturgical Colors

Although the liturgical color for the day of Pentecost itself is Red, for the Season as a whole it is Green; however,as always, for certain special days during the season the color may be red or white,and this is indicated in the table below.

This used to puzzle me, because the English always called the day of Pentecost, I think many still do, "Whitsunday", White Sunday, and in fact they referred to the whole season, or at least the early-summer part of it, as "Whitsuntide". Apparently at one time the liturgical color was white and at some point the church changed this, but it did not succeed in changing common language usage. It is never called Redsunday as far as I know.

Note: these days listed below are taken from the official Episcopal Calendar, but only the major feasts, and such minor ones as seem especially interesting for some reason, are given here. Because Pentecost is such a long season, we will start with the first part of it (May, June and July) and add more later. For the full lectionary online, click here.

Pentecost things specifically from St. Luke's are listed below the calendar days, more will be added later.

Special Days during the first part of Pentecost
The Sunday of Pentecost	June 4	This is the occasion from which the quotation at the top of this page is taken; there is more on Pentecost in a couple of the readings at the bottom of this page.
St. Columba, Abbot and Missionary	June 9	Columba was an Irish monk, Abbot of Iona, who died in 597. He is very important in the history of the church in Ireland and especially Scotland. For a full account, including photos of parts of his monastery that survive, click here.
Trinity Sunday	June 11	Priests have been heard to say they don't enjoy explaining the Trinity, so I am not going to try; and the on-line lectionary people have not provided an explanation either. The most direct quotation from the Bible on the subject seems to be St. Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." At one time, I think as recently as the 1800s, Church time was counted from Trinity Sunday, so that things happened on the such-and-such Sunday after Trinity, but this is no longer done, at least not in the Episcopal Church, and we count everything as Sundays after Pentecost.
St. Barnabas, Apostle	June 12	(Translated from June 11) Relatively little is known about Barnabas, but for an account of what is, click here.
The Nativity of St John the Baptist	June 24	For a lengthy and very interesting account of him, click here.
Irenaeus, Bishop and Theologian	June 28	A Bishop of Lyons who died in 202, His principal work is the *Refutation of Heresies*, a defense of orthodox Christianity against its Gnostic rivals. For a full and interesting account, click here.
St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles and Martyrs	June 29	Two of the most important figures in early Christianity. They share a day because it is the anniversary of a day in about 248 AD when the remains of both were moved to keep them from the forces of Emperor Valerian, who was persecuting Christians at the time. Presumably because of this, many churches are dedicated to both. For more details, click here.
Women's Suffrage	July 20	A special day commemmorating Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Ross Tubman, four American pioneers of Black rights and women's rights. For details, click here.
Mary Magdalen, First Witness of the Resurrection	July 22	Mary Magdalen has been much in the news lately because of the popular bestseller *The DaVinci Code*. This book is fun but it is definitely fiction; for a very interesting and more serious account of the Magdalene, click here.
Thomas à Kempis. Priest, Monk, Writer	July 24	He was a German, the author of *The Imitation of Christ*, who died in 1471. For details on his life and works, click here.
St James, Apostle and Martyr	July 25	James was the son of Zebedee the fisherman. He and his brother John were among the original 12 Apostles. There are a number of Jameses in the New Testament and this one is often called St James the Greater to distinguish him from the others. Tradition says that he traveled to Spain and although he was beheaded in Jerusalem, becoming the first martyr among the Apostles, his body is said to be buried at the great pilgrim center of Compostela in northwestern Spain. In any case he is the "Santiago" who is the patron saint of Spain (Iago is the old Spanish form of James). Because he is said to have rescued a drowing child in the sea there, his symbol is the scallop shell or cockelshell, which may be seen on building friezes all over Spain. Hence also the dish "Coquilles St. Jacques", scallops served on the shell. For more details, click here.
Mary and Martha	July 29	Two sisters of Bethany, mentioned several times in the Bible accounts of Jesus's ministry. Jesus was a guest in their home at one point. Their brother Lazarus was resurrected by Jesus. Mary is often seen as representing Contemplation, and Martha, Action. For more details, click here.
William Wilberforce, Renewer of Society	July 30	Wilberforce lived from 1759-1833 and was a member of the British Parliament. He was intstrumental in the abolition of slavery and the slave trade in Great Britain, among other things. For more details, click here.
Ignatius of Loyola	July 31	Mystic, educator, preacher. A Spanish Basque who lived from 1491-1556, he was the founder of the Jesuit order. For a full and very interesting account of him, click here.