Today we commemorate Elisha. Son of Shaphat from the tribe of Issachar, Elisha was the prophet of God to the Northern Kingdom of Israel for decades. A vocal opponent of Baal worship, Elisha, unlike his predecessor and mentor, Elijah, played an active role in political affairs. In the course of his ministry, Elisha performed many miracles, confirming his status as a prophet sent by God.

Today we commemorate the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. Convoked in AD 325 by Roman Emperor Constantine, the Council of Nicaea ruled against the Arians, who taught that Jesus was not the eternal Son of God, but was a created being. The chief opponents of the Arians were Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria, and Athanasius, deacon to Alexander. It was at this council that an early version of the Nicene Creed was adopted — the full version being adopted in its entirety at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381.

Today we celebrate the Festival of St. Barnabas, Apostle. A Levite from Cyprus, Barnabas sold some land that he owned and donated the proceeds to the early Christian community in Jerusalem. Sent to oversee the Church in Antioch, Barnabas retrieved Paul from Tarsus and accompanied him back to Antioch, and from there to Paul’s first missionary journey. Tradition holds that Barnabas was martyred in Cyprus, by being stoned.

Today we commemorate Boniface of Mainz, Missionary to the Germans. Born in England, educated as a monk, and ordained a presbyter, Boniface decided to become a missionary. Granted a papal commission in AD 719, Boniface set to work planting, organizing, and reforming churches in Hesse, Thuringia, and Bavaria. In AD 743, now as an archbishop, Boniface was assigned to the See of Mainz. A little over a decade later, in AD 754, Boniface was martyred by a group of pagans while working in (what would become) the Netherlands. Boniface is remembered for his faith and his tireless work in spreading the Word to Germanic Europe.