Readings:
Psalm 25:1-14
Isaiah 11:1-10
John 6:37-51Preface of a Saint (3)
PRAYER (traditional language)
Most gracious God, who didst send thy beloved Son to preach peace to those
who are far off and to those who are near: Raise up in thy church witnesses
who, after the example of thy servant Vida Dutton Scudder, stand firm in proclaiming
the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
PRAYER (contemporary language)
Most gracious God, you sent your beloved Son to preach peace to those who are
far off and to those who are near: Raise up in your church witnesses who, after
the example of your servant Vida Dutton Scudder, stand firm in proclaiming
the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Last updated: 24 June 2006
The Commemoration of Vida Scudder was provisionally approved by General Convention, June 2006
VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER
EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE
(10 October 1954)
Vida Dutton Scudder (December 15, 1861- October 9, 1954),
educator, activist and founder of the Episcopal Church Socialist League was
born to Congregationalist missionaries in India. In the 1870s, Vida and her
mother were confirmed as Episcopalians by Phillips Brooks. After studying
English literature at Smith College and Oxford University, Scudder began
teaching at Wellesley College. Her love of scholarship was matched by her
social conscience and deep spirituality. As a young woman, Scudder began
the College Settlements Association, joined the Society of Christian Socialists,
and began her life- long association with the Society of the Companions of
the Holy Cross in 1889. In 1893, Scudder took a leave of absence from Wellesley
to work with Helena Stuart Dudley to found Denison House in Boston. Scudder
experienced a breakdown in 1901 due to the stress of teaching and activism.
After two years of recuperation in Italy, she returned renewed and became
more active in church and socialist groups; she started a group for Italian
immigrants at Denison House and took an active part in organizing the Women’s
Trade Union League. In 1911, Scudder founded the Episcopal Church Socialist
League, and formally joined the Socialist party. Her support of striking
textile workers in the Lawrence, Massachuetts strike in 1912 drew a great
deal of criticism and threatened her teaching position. Though she initially
supported World War I, she joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation in 1923,
and by the 1930s she was a pacifist. Throughout her life Scudder’s
primary relationships and support network were women; her closest companion
was Florence Converse, who shared in her religious faith and political ideals.
After retirement, Scudder authored sixteen books on religious and political
subjects, combining her intense activism with and an equally vibrant spirituality.
She was the first woman published in the Anglican Theological Review.
from the Episcopal Women's History Project
You can find more about her from a site devoted to Anglo-Catholic Socialism