January 24
1529 Tatars, a union of Turkish ethnic groups, torture John of Kazan because he refuses to convert to Islam.
1539 Belgium issues a mandate against the Mennonites whom it harasses because of their Anabaptist beliefs, according to which only adult baptism and confession of faith are acceptable; they hold infant baptism for invalid.
1818 Birth of Anglican clergyman John Mason Neale, who was one among the first to translate ancient Greek and Latin hymns into English. Hymns like “All Glory, Laud, and Honor,” “Good Christian Men, Rejoice” and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” are his contributions to Christianity.
1844 Fanny J. Crosby, later a notable hymn-writer, is among seventeen students from the New York Institute of the Blind who give a concert for the United States Congress. She recites a thirteen stanza original composition calling for the creation of educational institutes for the blind in every state. This draws “calls for an encore” and earns the admiration of many, including John Quincy Adams.
1975 Rev. F. Donald Coggan was consecrated the 101st Archbishop of Canterbury (Primate of Anglicanism). This was the first Episcopal Ordination in which a Vatican representative – Johannes Cardinal Willebrands – attended an Anglican ceremony since the time of the Reformation.
1989 Rev. Barbara C. Harris of Boston, was ordained the first female bishop in the 450 year history of the Anglican Church.
2006 Unknown gunmen assassinate Elijah Yisa, an Anglican pastor and an ardent evangelist among Nigeria’s Muslims.
Edited by: T. Chempilayil mcbs
Courtesy: www.studylight.org