Today we celebrate the Festival of St. Mark, Evangelist. Author of the second Gospel, Mark was originally from Jerusalem, where his mother’s home served as the center of the Church in that city. Mark would accompany Paul and Barnabas from Jerusalem to Antioch and then from Antioch on Paul’s first missionary journey. Barnabas would then go on a second missionary journey with Mark to Cyprus. Tradition holds that Mark was instrumental in founding the Church in Alexandria, where he served as the first bishop and died a martyr’s death.

Today we commemorate Johann Walter, Kantor. Having begun his service — as a composer and bass singer — in the court of Frederick the Wise at the age of twenty-one, Johann Walter would go on to publish a collection of hymns that would become the basis of many subsequent hymnals. Walter would serve for a total of thirty years as kantor in the cities of Torgau and Dresden. Additionally, he aided Martin Luther in the preparation of the German Mass.

Today we commemorate Anselm of Canterbury, Theologian. Born in Italy, St. Anselm is most strongly and closely associated with England, where he served as Archbishop of Canterbury for many years. A brilliant scholar and writer, Anselm is best remembered for his work Why God Became Man, which professes Christ crucified for sinners.