John the Baptist Days

Prayer Book Cross, 1892

I regret posting this after the passing of John the Baptist Day, but this essay has more to do with it’s octave– or, roughly the time between June 24th to July 1st– close to our Independence Day (July 4th). However, the inspiration for this article really comes from the Canadian BCP which provides a special collect and reading for roughly the same time period, in this case, commemorating John Cabot’s landing. However, we in the United States, or at least on the Pacific Coast, may ritualize a similar event given Drake’s landing ironically falls upon the same famous date of June 24th. Let’s consider how an American, or at least a Pacific Coast, commemoration might be done after a review of Drake’s voyage, and his claim for England in that western part of North America once called ‘New Albion’.

I have two wonderful histories on Sir Francis Drake’s landing in California and the prayer book service given on June 24th, 1579 (about 80 yrs after Cabot’s wayfaring on Newfoundland). Such is especially fitting given recent desecration and removal of historical monuments, even recent removal of George Washington’s bust from Christ Chapel VA. We might ask what can loyal yet solitary Episcopalian do to preserve this precious past, even if it only be our homes or families?

My first source is from Percy Dearmer’s Everyman’s History of the Prayer Book, and the other comes from California’s second missionary Bishop, William F. Nichols, who wrote in Harper’s Weekly an article entitled ‘A Bit of Elizabethan California’. First, Dearmer’s chapter for the Prayer Book in North America reads,

“Curiously enough, however, the first use of the Prayer Book on what is now American soil was not on the Atlantic but on the Pacific coast. Sir Francis Drake, before serving as vice-admiral in the memorable defeat of the Spanish Armada, set out upon his hardly less memorable cruise around the world. In 1579 his ship’s party spent six weeks on shore in what is now California, and it is known that the services of the English Church were there conducted by the chaplain, the Rev. Francis (or Martin) Fletcher. The site of the first service, as near as it can be determined, is now marked by the huge ‘Prayer Book Cross’, erected in the year 1892 and dedicated on July 26th of that year by the present Bishop– then Assistant Bishop– of California, Dr. W. F. Nichols. A year earlier than this Californian service Frobisher’s party had explored the Hudson’s Bay country, now a part of Canada, and his chaplain, ‘one Maister Wolfall,’ had held services and celebrated Holy Communion.” p. 139-141

While a number of other Prayer Book services in the course of British navigation soon followed along the Atlantic coast after Frobisher & Drake’s respective expeditions, I was truly surprised to learn both Drake and Cabot are remembered on June 24th, St John’s Day. In Canada, June 24 is also known as ‘Discovery Day’– the date when Cabot found St. Edwards Isle, naming it St. John’s– obviously after the liturgical date of the landing. The town of St. John’s in Newfoundland retains the older name of the Island. Meanwhile, the date for Drake’s first Prayer Book service is given in an 1894 article written by the Rt. Rev. William Ford Nichols, of California, published in Harper’s Weekly. Nichols designed the famous Prayer Book Cross which stands in San Francisco CA, partly overlooking the site of Drake’s anchorage. The massive Cross displays the inscription below:

“Front side: A MEMORIAL OF THE SERVICE HELD ON THE SHORE OF DRAKE’S BAY, ABOUT ST. JOHN BAPTIST’S DAY, JUNE 24 AD 1579, BY FRANCIS FLETCHER, PRIEST OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, CHAPLAIN OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE, CHRONICLER OF THE SERVICE.

On the reverse: FIRST CHRISTIAN SERVICE IN THE ENGLISH TONGUE ON OUR COAST, FIRST USE OF THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER IN OUR COUNTRY, ONE OF THE FIRST RECORDED MISSIONARY PRAYERS ON OUR CONTINENT. SOLI DEO SIT SEMPER GLORIA.”

Notice the relief on the front side says ‘about St. John Baptist Day’. However, Drake anchored on the coast from June 17th to July 23rd– a bit over a month. The coincidence of this date with Cabot’s landing is likely twofold. First, summer offered the best times for long voyages by sail. Combined with the precedence of Nativity of St. John in the Anglican Calendar– not only being an important quarter day but the only major holy day during the said time period– there is little doubt the crew observed this solemn occasion midst repairs. The monument’s reverse side, which enumerates the significance of Drake’s anchorage, was composed by Bishop Perry, where Perry recounts the importance of Drake’s visit, in his History of the American Episcopal Church.

Of course, Drake’s circumnavigation left its mark by naming northern California “New Albion” on nearly all European maps produced from the 17th into the 19th century. Not until Cpt. John C. Fremont disprove the existence of a Great River of the West was ‘New Albion’ removed from navigation charts (along with that legendary river) and replaced with ‘Alta California’. In some old maps Drake’s Estuary is ironically called ‘St. Francis Drake’ Bay or Point, foreshadowing the 1771 Spanish mission Dolores & consequent name, “St. Francis’ or San Francisco Bay.

Other artifacts stemming from Drake’s voyage include a reported brass Medal left behind, inland from the Estuary as well as a chair made from the timbers of Drake’s Golden Hinde. This chair was later presented to Charles II upon the Restoration. The silver medal had mappings of the known world (c. 1580) etched on either face. Together, such artifacts evidence English claims upon the continent, even its Pacific coast, anticipating later Anglo settlement and extension of the same civilization.

hedging bets on New Albion’s location– small print around 42 degrees on coast, large print over majority of inland Spanish north America.

How Cabot’s voyage is memorialized by the Canadian Prayer Book 1962 provides an example for locally celebrating  Drake. It’s not totally off the mark to employ this example since the 1962 Canadian Book is authorized in many continuing Anglican churches, including the UECNA. And, while only a small number of continuers are indeed Canadian, the 1962 might be treated as a secondary source for select prayers or forms (given Ordinary approval)– or merely a model for other occasional services, like National feasts and fasts. Many already use the Canadian 1962 for its Compline service. Anyway, the rubric in the 1962, p. 281, provides following collect, epistle, and gospel for the octave of St. John the Baptist. It says,

rubric and collect for the week between John’s & Dominion Days

Given the rubric also permits an alternative reading from the ‘Collect for Canada’ (page 278), we’re not stuck with a state prayer but may use a more national one, as seen below. It reads:

How would this all translate to a celebration for Drake’s Anchorage?  First, the dates are roughly approximate. For ‘Dominion week’, it stretches from June 24th, or the Nativity St. John, to July 1st, or Dominion Day itself. In America (or Pacific states) it would be very similar– from June 24th to Independence Day, or July 4th. What might be the liturgical content? Limiting ourselves to the contents of the 1928 BCP, the closest counterpart to the 1962 national rubric is either our own ‘state prayer’ (there’s a number of familiar types– for the President [p. 17-18, 32], Congress, or Judges) or the 1928 BCP’s ‘Prayer for Country’, on page 36,. These could just be repeated along with the collects of the daily office from June 24th to July 4th.

Indeed, in a perfect world, it might be a happy event to insert a rubric in the American book to this effect, recommending the ‘Prayer for Country’, repeating on the dates June 24th to July 4th (with equivalent mention of both Drake’s anchorage and coming Independence Day). The span is a bit longer than a single Octave as in Canada, but Christmastide and Easter season aren’t strictly eight days duration either. Furthermore, given these times of monument desecration, we might add the ‘Prayer In Time of Tumult’, p. 41. It was not uncommon in the 18th century for rectors and curates to write their own prayers, especially for private use. Yet, sometimes these same private prayers would find themselves in public worship (likely assuming Ordinary approval).

Lastly, we have ‘Concerning Services in the Church’, p vii,  generous guidelines regarding the above. This section was added in 1943/45 to the American BCP, enabling greater flexibility with the book. It allows the Minister, under direction of the Bishop, to appropriate “other devotions taken from this book or set forth by lawful authority within this Church” for special occasions. Happily, the 1962 Canadian Book is already set forth ‘by lawful authority’ in the UECNA, as said in of our C&C. Anyway, the 1943 directive reads:

see red margin marks

Regarding the select readings for the Daily Office or Holy Communion, the epistle and gospel given in the 1962 are solid. These are 1St.Pe. 2.11 & St. Matt. 22.16. Frankly, I recommend replacing the readings on Independence Day for these. Otherwise, the rubric in the daily office after the three collects which reads, e.g., “The minister may here end the Evening Prayer with such prayer, or Prayers, taken out of this Book, as he shall think fit” (p. 31), is sufficient warrant to add the Prayer for Country.

Conclusion: The 1962 gives us a model for a service commemorating Drake’s expedition, the first Prayer Book service (and likely Holy Communion) in these United States, as well later settlement, in that region called New Albion (now known as Oregon & California), even fulfilling the Rev. William Smith’s vision for a Christian Protestant empire on the North American continent. In the midst of tearing down the old boundary stones of our once benevolent Empire, scattered Anglicans can recall God’s past favor with Anglo-Israel, reverencing to our heroes, as Providence elected them, in our homes as well as in remnant parishes. Indeed, as we approach July 4th, Anglicans have much to ponder as we find ourselves in a new era, or perhaps interregnum, suffering exile from institutions.

Note: In 2017 the UECNA condemned the desecration and removal of monuments. You may read the General Convention’s resolution here.

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