April 19
1054 : Passing away of Pope St. Leo IX, who was notable for his efforts to end the practice of simony (buying of religious offices) and the practice of priests marrying. He also had to spend ten months in prison after his capture while leading an army against the Germans.
1529 : In Germany, a document signed by Lutheran leaders in fourteen cities lodged a “protest” at the Diet of Spires (Speyer), demanding a freedom of conscience and for the rights of the minorities. Thus, the German Lutheran Reformers came to be called the “Protestants.”
1552 : Demise of Olaus Petri, a leading reformer of Sweden, who with his brother Laurentius, the first Protestant archbishop of the land, could convert a lot of people through their writings, hymns, and examples.
1560 : Death of the German reformer Philip Melanchthon, who had composed the Augsburg Confession of 1530. Peaceful in character compared to Luther, he called upon the Lutherans and the Zwinglians to put aside their differences for the sake of the reformation of the church. He is also known for his extensive efforts to develop the German educational system, which led to the foundation of the universities at Marburg, Koenigsberg and Jena and to the recognition of the University in Leipzig.
1887 : Charting of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
1930 : Frank C. Laubach, American pioneer linguist, wrote in a letter while serving as a missionary in the Philippines, “Fellowship with God is like a delicate little plant, for a long nurturing is the price of having it, while it vanishes in a second of time, as soon as we try to seat some other unworthy affection beside Him.”
1941 : Robert F. Wagner, Sr. introduces a resolution in the U.S. Senate demanding that the U.S. policy should favor the “restoration of the Jews in Palestine,” which was supported by 68 Senators.
1959 : Nomination of a priest named Mina El-Baramousy to become Pope of the Coptic Church of Egypt, against his will, because he always preferred solitude. Mina, who once ran away not to be made a bishop, breaks into tears as he is elected to the highest post. He was installed in May as Kyrillos VI, the 116th Patriarch of the Coptic church.
Edited by: T. Chempilayil MCBS
Courtesy: www.studylight.org