Martyrs of Memphis

Today is the day set aside to honor the courage and sacrifice of the Martyrs of Memphis, who stayed in Memphis during the Yellow Fever Epidemic to care for the sick and dying.

We give thee thanks and praise, O God of compassion, for the Heroic witness of Constance and her companions, who, in a time of plague and pestilence, were steadfast in their care for the sick and the dying, and loved not their own lives, even unto death. Inspire in us a like love and commitment to those in need, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever.

from A Sermon preached upon the Occasion of a Eucharistic Commemoration of the Clergy and Sisters Who Fell Victims to the Fever in the South:

Moving softly among the ranks of sick and dying, performing those last offices for which man's hand is too rough, comforting the bereaved widow, and upon her death, caring for the homeless orphaned children, went those Sisters of Mercy, whose organization in our American Church had been so timely and providential. "The Sisters of St. Mary! God bless them," we doubt not is the thought of many a living one to-day, as it was the thought of many a dying one, over whose last hours they ceaselessly had watched. They brought the light of woman's loving care to many who else had been denied it; and in their vocation and ministry they counted not their lives dear unto themselves, for willingly and gladly they yielded themselves victims, and many left their healthful home on the Hudson to find death on the Mississippi.

It is these Priests and Sisters of the Church who gave their lives for the testimony of the Gospel of the grace of God, and whom God honored by taking. These are they whom we commemorate to-day.

The picture above is from St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral's Flickr set.