Seabury Society

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Seabury Society

Seabury Society Seal Seabury Society Seal The Seal of the Seabury Society
Named after	Rt. Rev. Samuel Seabury
Founded	1843 (1843), Reestablished 1865 (1865), Reestablished again 2019 (2019)
Type	Anglican Devotional Society
Legal status	Nonprofit
Location	Los Altos, California
Motto	Pactum serva Keep the Faith
Board of directors	Brandon LeTourneau, Tyler Dumont, Jacob Hootman, Steve Macias, Matthew Brench
Parent organization	Anglican Church in North America
Website	seaburysociety.com

The Seabury Society is an Anglican Devotional Society reestablished in 2019 and incorporated in 2021 by members of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). As the name indicates, the Society claims the Right Reverend Samuel Seabury –the first North American Bishop– as its patron and namesake. The Seabury Society is the third in a line of several Anglican Societies within the United States to have done so. As is typical among religious institutions of this sort, members are expected to keep a simple rule of life as well as are obligated to celebrate the commemoration of the Consecration of Samuel Seabury (November 14) with "particular solemnity." The Society also holds the Translation of Seabury's Relics (September 12) as an optional day of commemoration.

History

The Seabury Society is one in a line of several Anglican Devotional Societies which have adopted the name of Samuel Seabury, the first Bishop in the United States.

The first Seabury Society was founded in Trinity Parish, New Haven, in the year 1843. The Society consisted predominantly of church women who would give a yearly tax from amongst themselves to aid in the missionary efforts of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Theodore I. Holcombe writes: "Miss Edwards, the President of the Bishop Seabury Society of New Haven, with her friends, entered the mission field at Nashotah in 1843, and the sum total of their offerings from that time to the close of his [James Lloyd Breck's] mission life in California was upwards of $10,000, convincing evidence indeed of how loyal and devoted these noble women were to the great missionary." These efforts were later extended by a second "Junior Seabury Society" consisting of younger parishioners who would take up the work of the women once they had become too aged to continue. This first Bishop Seabury Society was mentioned frequently in the letters of the Rev. Dr. James Lloyd Breck, who relied on them for help with the foundation of Nashotah House Theological Seminary as well as his California Missions. Specifically, the Society was responsible for supplying the Rev. Dr. Breck with surplices for his seminarians to wear in chapel during Divine Worship and in their later ministry as ordained clergy. The Rev. Dr. Breck wrote to the Seabury women in 1858: "You have been now, for many years, following me up in my frontier life. We rejoice in having co-laborers, which are thus always with us. It tends greatly to relieve our loneliness, and adds greatly to our faith."

Twenty-two years after the founding of the first Seabury Society at Trinity Parish, on Ascension Eve, 1865, the Bishop Seabury Society for Episcopalian students of Brown University was founded. This younger 'Seabury Association' (as it came to be called) consisted of young High Churchmen preparing for Holy Orders within the Protestant Episcopal Church. These students would often assemble at St. Stephen's Parish to hear the Rev. Morgan Dix, the Rev. Ferdinand C. Ewer, S.T.D., and other Tractarian sympathizers come and speak on various topics pertaining to Church life. These young men would also assist the bishop by taking services in smaller parishes and distributing Religious Literature written by Oxford Movement leaders such as the Rev. Dr. Pusey – these zealous efforts unsurprisingly strengthened and grew the Church in their region. The Rev. Henry Waterman, D.D. writes: "The thriving Mission at South Providence, now grown into a parochial organization, with its parish priest and its beautiful chapel, was originally and largely indebted to the active labors of the Bishop Seabury Association. We trust that its future history will be marked with the same "ready mind and will" for Christian work; and the affection of its members for the Church's principles and spirit will thus avouch itself to be a practical substantial reality."

The current Seabury Society, re-founded in 2019 by members of the Anglican Church in North America, claims continuity with the visions of both previous Societies: "one-hundred and fifty-four years after the founding of this second Devotional Society, the name was taken up once more to provide both clerics and laity within the American Church the ability to continue in the same work of the Kingdom as those who came before us." In continuity with this first Society, the current Seabury Society still provides surplices for Anglican Church in North America seminarians and missionaries during their yearly Advent Surplices for Seminarians giveaway. Continuing the work of the second Seabury Association, the current Seabury Society distributes free Anglican literature through their Tracts, Liturgical Guides, Liturgies & Hymnody, and books for seminarians.

As of 2021, the Society has officially appealed to the Anglican Church in North America's Religious Life Task Force, led by the Rt. Rev. J. Alberto Morales, O.S.B., D.D. – the Bishop of the Diocese of Quincy – to be recognized Provincially as a Christian Society under Title I, Canon 7 §5 of the ACNA Constitution & Canons.

Rule of Life

All Members of the Seabury Society:

• Are Baptized & Confirmed members in good standing of the Anglican Church in North America.
• Uphold the Constitution & Canons of the Anglican Church in North America – Fulfilling the duties pertaining to the laity (Title I, Canon 10 §2) or clergy (Titles II-III), according to whichever vocation is held.
• Assent to the Jerusalem Declaration.
• Pay dues ($20 monthly) in support of the Society’s several Initiatives and publications.
• Pray the Office Daily, either publicly or in private.
• Attend the Service of Holy Communion on Red Letter & Lord’s Days, communing frequently –unless reasonably prevented.
• Fast throughout the appointed Days & Seasons –unless reasonably prevented.
• Celebrate the Feast of Samuel Seabury (November 14) with particular solemnity.

Initiatives

The Seabury Society invests donations and member dues into a number of initiatives within the Anglican Church in North America. These initiatives are divided into resources for Seminarians, Religious or Societal Ministries, and the Vocational Deacons. The Society makes resources available to each initiative and works to help the initiatives flourish within the Province.

Seminarians

The Seabury Society has put together several resources for qualified Anglican Church in North America Seminarians. To ensure that resources are allocated to the right individuals, Seminarians gain access to these resources by joining the Seabury Society's Seminarian List. To join this list, a seminarian must assent to both the Provincial Canons and Jerusalem Declaration, provide proof of being at least a postulant for Holy Orders within the ACNA, and proof of enrollment in a Seminary. Once a seminarian is added to this list, they may take advantage of the resources provided by the Society. Currently, the Anglican Church in North America lists seven seminaries within the province. There is no indication that a student must be enrolled in one of these seven seminaries to use the Seabury Society's resources.

Surplices for Seminarians

The first Seabury Society founded in 1844 supplied the Rev. Dr. James Lloyd Breck and his seminarians at Nashotah House with surplices to be worn during services. The current Seabury Society continues this practice by providing Anglican Church in North America seminarians with free hand-crafted English (also called Sarum or Warham) Surplices. At the beginning of Advent each year, those who have joined the Society's Seminarian List may request to be entered into a giveaway. A number of contestants are then selected at random by the Society and mailed their Surplice in early Christmastide. In the past, the surplices are accompanied by a card containing prayers taken from the ACNA's 2019 Book of Common Prayer to be said before donning the surplice. The Surplices have been made by hand by Molly Holleran of Seamly Seams, and the number donated varies depending on the fund available to the Seabury Society in a given year. In 2021, the Society began giving away blue Reader Scarves (also called Tippets) and Preaching Bands along with the Surplices. These additional items are historically associated with Anglican Lay Readers.

Books for Seminarians

In 2021 the Seabury Society announced that it had begun donating select publications to be given away to any qualifying ACNA Seminarians. Any Seminarian on the Society's Seminarian List may request one copy of any of the books listed on the Seminarian page. The first of these books offered to seminarians was the Society's joint reprint of the Rt. Rev. Walter C. Klein's two books Clothed With Salvation (published in 1953) and A Priest Forever (published in 1965). The Rev. Isaac Rehberg writes in his review of the volume: "Between the two books by Klein and the vast supplementary material in the appendices, LeTourneau and the Seabury Society have provided the seminarian or cleric with a wealth of material for reflection and application." Since this publication the works offered by the Society for Seminarians for free has only grown.

Devotional Resources

File:Seabury Holy Card.jpg

Bishop Samuel Seabury Holy Card.

The Seabury Society describes itself as a Devotional Society. It has produced many resources aimed at making contemporary Anglican Spirituality accessible. The Society has put out several print resources, notably a short revision of Bernard Iddings Bell's The People’s Book of the Holy Eucharist, reformatted to serve as a companion to the ACNA's 2019 Book of Common Prayer entitled A People's Companion to Holy Communion. "All in all, this is a very helpful and informative resource, especially for people who are new to liturgical celebrations of Holy Communion. The explanations are concise, the devotional prayers are rich, and it pairs very nicely with the ACNA Prayer Book and Catechism (with references to both throughout)."

The Seabury Society has employed different artists to produce 'Prayer' or 'Holy Cards' depicting Anglican Saints. These figures are of either the English or American Traditions, in keeping with the Society's effort to further the 'American Anglican Patrimony.' So far Seabury Society Holy Cards have depicted:

• The Rev. Dr. William Augustus Muhlenberg, designed by Nathan Swann.
• King Charles the Martyr, designed by Nathan Swann.
• A card dedicated to the 'American Church' depicting several American Anglican figures, designed by Alypius Loft.
• Jonathan Daniels the Martyr (discontinued), designed by Contemplative Icons.
• The Rt. Rev. Samuel Seabury (forthcoming), designed by Nathan Swann.
• The Rt. Rev. Lancelot Andrewes (forthcoming) designed by Nathan Swann.

Free Resources

The majority of the published resources are free. The Seabury Society has produced free-to-print Baptismal Certificates designed by Nathan Swann for any Parish or Mission that may not be able to purchase their own. Beginning in 2019, Mr. Jacob Hootman, a member of the ACNA Liturgical Task Force, has put together several liturgical arrangements – often consisting of contemporized classical Anglican liturgies – for parish use. In 2021 the Society commissioned Andrew Dittman to compose an original tune for Helen Holcombe Denton's Apostle of the Wilderness to be sung on the Feast of James Lloyd Breck (April 3rd). Likewise, at the Society's request, C.L. Walchesky set the Rt. Rev. Arthur Cleveland Coxe's Seabury's Mitre to music in order to be sung on the Feast of The Consecration of Samuel Seabury (November 14). The Rev. Ben Jefferies (the Assistant to the Custodian of the ACNA's 2019 Book of Common Prayer) has composed a collection of 'Middle Stanzas' to be inserted into the 1982 Hymnal’s By All the Saints Still Striving (#231/232) in commemoration of the various Optional or 'Black Letter Days' on the Church's Calendar.

Anglican Deaconess Association, 2021

File:AnglicanHolyWomen.jpg

Icon commissioned by the Seabury Society for the Anglican Deaconess Association, housed at Cranmer House Theological Seminary

The Anglican Deaconess Association is an organization that helps educate and equip Anglican women for the ancient order of Deaconesses. According to the classical understanding of the order, the Deaconess is not an ordained ministry and those who occupy the office are not considered to be in Holy Orders. To those in the Association, the Deaconess is a lay ministry akin to a monastic or minor orders. Deaconesses continue to serve an important role in the life of the Reformed Episcopal Church, the Missionary Diocese of All Saints, and other branches of the Anglican Church in North America. In 2021, the Seabury Society commissioned an original icon to be gifted to the Anglican Deaconess Association in recognition of their commitment to the Classical Anglican understanding of Holy Orders and their efforts to propagate the ancient order of the Deaconess throughout North American churches. The icon was designed and painted by Eastern Orthodox iconographer Alypius Loft and depicts sixteen Saints and Holy Women within the American and English Anglican Traditions. These women are: The Blessed Virgin Mary, Deaconess Anna Alexander, St. Constance the Memphis Martyr, Deaconess Elizabeth Ferard, St. Brigid of Kildare, St. Hilda of Whitby, Queen Elizabeth I, St. Julian of Norwich, St. Margery Kempe, St. Dorcas, St. Phoebe, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Lydia, Sister Anne Ayres, Mother Marian Hughes, and Deaconess Susan T. Knapp. The icon was presented at the Thursday evening banquet of the 114th Synod of the Reformed Episcopal Church Diocese of Mid-America by the Most Reverend Ray Sutton and Deaconess Canon Annette Johnson. The icon is currently housed at Cranmer House Theological Seminary – a Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church– as it is the first Anglican seminary to offer a formal Deaconess Studies program available for all candidates.

• File:Anglican Holy Women Icon Presented.jpg
  Anglican Holy Women Icon presented at the 114th Synod of the REC Diocese of Mid-America by the Most Rev. Ray Sutton and Dss. Canon Annette Johnson.

References

This article "Seabury Society" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Seabury Society. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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