The year was 1891. We remember the baptism of Brahmabandhav Upadhyay. The reading is from Sadhu Sundar Singh.

The year was 1591. We remember Friedrich Spee, a pastor, and hunter of witch hunters. The reading is a lenten prayer from Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

The year was 1915. We remember former slave and evangelist Amanda Berry Smith. The reading is “The Ballad of Mary’s Son” by Langston Hughes.

The year was 1925. We remember noted famed missions founder, Dr. Kate Waller Barrett. The reading is the Lenten hymn "Lord Who Through These 40 Days" by Claudia Frances Hernaman.

The year was 1943. We remember Christoph Probst, Hans Scholl, and Sophie Scholl. The reading for today is a short inscription from Sophie Scholl's diary.

The year was 1869. We remember the baptism of Ranavalona II. The reading for today comes from Christopher Smart, a reflection on Abraham, "Faith."

The year was 1977. We remember Ugandan martyr Archbishop Janani Luwum. The reading for today comes from Henry Vaughn, “The Revival.”

The year was 1401. We remember the Lollard uprising of the 15th century and the fracturing of the church in England. Today's reading comes from Walter Brueggeman, "A Way Other Than Our Own, Devotions for Lent."

The year was 1516. We remember Queen Mary I, daughter of Henry and sister of Elizabeth. The reading for today comes from Christina Rossetti, "Lent."

Today we celebrate a blessed, happy, solemn Ash Wednesday. The reading for today comes from Malcolm Guite, “ Ash Wednesday.”

The year was 600. We remember how Gregory the Great unified the western world by decreeing that "God Bless you" was the only form of post-sneeze benediction. The last word for today comes from Stanley Hauerwas, from his commentary on…

The year was 1905. We remember Lewis Wallace. Today's reading comes from John Newton, "Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare."

The year was 1628. We remember Valentine "The Stroker" Greatrakes. The reading for today comes from the English poet Joseph Addison, "Ode."

The year was 1882. We remember Henry Highland Garnet. Today's reading comes from Charlotte Brontë, the last lines from her longer poem entitled "The Missionary."

The year was 1915. We remember a queen of Gospel hymnody, Fanny Crosby. The reading for today is from Crosby, “Cast Thy Care on Jesus.”

The year was 1929. We remember when the Lateran Pact recognized the creation of Vatican City as an autonomous country. The reading is Thomas Campion’s “Lenten Hymn.”

The year was 1543. We remember Johann Eck, the "dreck." The reading for today is "New Prince, New Pomp" by the Early modern poet Robert Southwell.

The year was 1849. We remember the creation of Vatican City as an independent city-state in 1929. The last word for today comes from the "Third inkling" Charles Williams.

The year was 1587. We remember Mary Stuart, Mary Queen of Scots. The reading for today comes from English poet Robert Herrick, "His Prayer for Absolution."

The year was 1878. Today, we rank the top four popes of all time. The reading is from Martin Luther, "On the Freedom of the Christian."

The year was 679. We remember St. Amand, the Frankish Missionary bishop of Neustria. The reading for today comes from Angelico Chavez, "Jesus at the Well."

The year was 1851. We remember John Pye-Smith, the theologian, headmaster, and geologist. The last word for today comes from Sarah Maitland, from her "A Joyful Theology."

The year was 856. We remember Rabanus Maurus, a Benedictine monk. Our reading is a hymn from Maurus, "Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire."

The year was 1788. The Reverend Richard Johnson preached the first Christian sermon in Australia, under a tree in the Sydney cove. The reading is from John Newton, "Father Forgive Them."

The year was 1864. Today, we will remember Adelaide Anne Procter, one of the most famous Victorian poets who was a devout Catholic and advocate for the poor and distressed. The reading is from Procter, "The Shadows of the Evening Hours."