Manteo & Virginia Dare

Little certainty surrounds the fate of the English settlers who inhabited Roanoke Island's lost colony, but it is known that in August 1587, Native American Manteo and English baby Virginia Dare were baptized. Manteo's baptism was the first recorded baptism of the Church of England in North America, while Dare was the first child born to English settlers on the North American continent. These first two baptized Christians within our Anglican tradition show amazing breadth, a grown Native American and an infant immigrant from England.

The icon pictured here was given to me by Bishop Clifton Daniel of the Diocese of East Carolina who said, "The baptisms of the Lost Colony mark a peaceful beginning to multi-cultural relations in North America. A commemoration of this event allows us as a people to reflect on this beginning and the changes that have shaped our nation and shed light on the challenges we face today."

Bishop Daniel's sermon on the first commemoration of a feast celebrating their baptisms (held last year) is online here: Commemoration of the Baptisms of Manteo & Virginia Dare. His diocese hopes to have The Episcopal Church mark the date of their baptisms in the calendar of Lesser Feasts and Fasts.

This is one of many proposals which will face the once every three years The General Convention of The Episcopal Church this July. I will be there as a clergy deputy of The Diocese of Georgia along with King of Peace member Bill Bruce, who will be on hand as a lay alternate deputy of the diocese, serving some of the time to "spell out" deputies or take their place if someone must leave.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor