www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship The Kliros "The Presentation" by Fr. Osgood Fuller

This past Christmas my wife surprised me with an antique book of poetry by Episcopal Fr. Osgood fuller titled The Life of Christ in Song: Advent and Christmas Time

It was published in 1878 in Yspilani, Michigan. The poems have a depth which makes clear how there once was a strong affinity between the Episcopal Church and the Greek Archdiocese.

This is particularly evident with the poem "The Presentation"; for not only does it allude to Theosis, the words fit perfectly with the Byzantine melody used for the 9th Ode of the Canon of the Feast:



Mary, of Virgins, the rarest,
Bringeth the Dutiful One
Who from the realm that is fairest
Came as her Beautiful Son.

See her! the lovely believer,
Angels upon her await!
Thankfully now to receiver her
Opens the Beautiful Gate.

In the great Temple whose story
Filleth the dim-lighted past,
Mary presenteth the Glory
Long by the Prophets forecast.

Hopefully, that she may deem Him
Free for His heavenly ways,
Lo, she is there to redeem Him
Infant and Ancient of Days.

Through whom forever and ever
Hope is revived in the world
Through whom the god-like endeavor
Banners of Truth are unfurled.

Simeon, who has long waited,
Greeteth the Child of his prayer;
‘Til his white soul is elated
Over the Saviour so fair.

Anna, the Prophetess, coming
Blesses the Lord for the sight
Which unto her is the summing
Up of Redemption’s delight.

Angels of purity, wing ye
Out from your modest retreat;
Deartest Emmanuel bring ye
Make our humanity sweet.

‘Til its old temple is glorious
With the long waited for light
And our new life is victorious
Over all foes in the fight.

I read it silently the first time. Then I read it out loud in meter. It's a very beautiful poem. Happy Feast!

Thank you.

There is a much longer poem title "Easter Even" which fits the melody of the third stasis of the Lamentations and covers many of the same sentiments. (Yes, I will digitize and post later!)

What we won't know this side of the Kingdom is how an Episcopal clergyman born in Maine in the 19th century, and who lived in LP Michigan decades before any Orthodox communities could have assimilated both Orthodox theology and Orthodox hymnody.

God the Holy Spirit be praised!

As the blessed Great Feast of the Presentation aka Meeting of the Lord aka Candlemass aka Groundhog Day draws near I cannot help bumping this thread because Father Fuller's poem/hymn is such a wonderful illustration of the work of the Holy Spirit "when and where He pleases" (borrowing a phrase from Martin Luther's explanation of the Third Article of the Creed in his Small Cathecism)

Is there any other explanation for how a New England born Episcopal Priest relocated to a midwestern community with a Greek name could be so attuned to the hymnody of Orthodoxy?