The Martyrs of Memphis

Tuesday, September 9, 2008 -- Week of Proper 18
Constance, Nun, and her Companions (Commonly called "The Martyrs of Memphis," 1878

Today's Reading for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 983)
Psalms 45(morning) 47, 48 (evening)
Job 29:1-20
Acts 14:1-18
John 10:31-42

I wrote my Morning Reflection last Tuesday on these passages. My eye went to Proper 18 instead of Proper 17. For that meditation, go to: http:lowellsblog.blogspot.com and look down the right column of "Previous Posts" -- click "The Witness of Goodness"
or go to http://lowellsblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/witness-of-goodness.html

Today is one of my favorite feasts in the church calendar, the commemoration of Constance and her Companions, also called "The Martyrs of Memphis." Their story is compelling, but they are also reminders of all of those who stay and serve in dangerous and catastrophic situations, helping others even at the risk of their own lives. The backdrop of their story is the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1878 in Memphis, Tennessee. It was the third and worst epidemic in a decade.

Imagine some of the numbers. A city of 50,000. With the threat of the illness, 30,000 fled the city. Many of the 20,000 left behind were those who were too poor to afford to get away, as we saw in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Yet when disaster strikes, there are some who respond with singular heroism and nobility. Among those was a young priest from Hoboken, New Jersey, the Rev. Louis Schuyler, who responded to the Tennessee Bishop Quintard's appeal for help, and traveled into the heart of the pestilence to serve the need.

Before the epidemic ended, over 90% of the population had contracted the fever; more than 5,000 people had died.

At the center of the plague was St. Mary's Cathedral and the adjacent Girls' School. Dean George C. Harris and Sister Constance of the Sisters of St. Mary organized the relief work. Among their allies were six of the sisters, several priests and three physicians, two of whom were Episcopal priests. The heat of Memphis in August was horrible. The symptoms of the dying were pitiful and the conditions for the care of their corpses putrid. Often it was the dying who struggling to bury the dead. Four of the six sisters of St. Mary died. Young Fr. Louis Schuyler and the Rev. Charles Parsons, Rector of Grace and St. Lazarus Church died -- all of them serving those who fell ill before them.

The story of Fr. Schyuyler is told in a compelling historical novel, The Chasuble. The description of the horrors where they served is moving. Schyuyler is buried along with the Rev. Charles Parsons in a joint grave with a marker inscribed "Greater Love Hath No Man." The High Altar in St. Mary's Cathedral is a memorial to the four Sisters who died, Srs. Constance, Thecla, Ruth and Frances. Fr. Parson's grandson was a member of my Jackson, Mississippi parish. In his 70's and suffering from emphysema, Bob Parsons traveled to Memphis for the historic first celebration of the newly authorized Feast of the Martyrs of Memphis in 1981. I'll never forget his joy and pride.

Whenever we read of war and pestilence, of natural and man-made disasters, underneath each of those stories are humble people like these who stay and serve, and some who intentionally walk into the danger to give their small measure of relief. Constance and her Companions are symbols of that selfless and costly service. May we give them our respect. When we can, may we give them the resources they need. If we are called, may we respond with similar courage.

Lowell

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About Morning Reflections
Morning Reflections is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html


The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life

We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.

Lowell Grisham, Rector

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas