Blenders

Two cultures, one god

Grace Episcopal Church honors Native American saint

The Rev. James Knowles, of Oklahoma, dipped an eagle feather into a small pot of burning cedar Saturday and brushed the smoke toward worshippers gathered outside Syracuse's Grace Episcopal Church.

"It's just a way to recognize cleansing," Knowles told about 80 people who stood in the garden of the church at 819 Madison St. After walking among the crowd for the traditional Native American smudging, Knowles asked the people to face east to begin a prayer to the four directions. As he read a prayer that praised the sun, the alligator, the moon and the turtle, worshippers turned as he described the qualities of each direction.

The service capped a daylong celebration of David Pendleton Oakerhater, the Episcopal Church's first Native American saint. Oakerhater, a Cheyenne, converted to Christianity and was baptized at Grace Episcopal Church in 1878. Three years later, he was ordained a deacon at the Syracuse church before returning to Oklahoma, where he started schools and missions among the Cheyenne. He died in 1931 and is buried in Oklahoma. The Episcopal Church added him to its calendar of saints in 1985. His name, O-Kuh-Ha-tah, means "Making Medicine."

Events such as the celebration of Oakerhater's history at Grace Church remind the world that both the Native American and Christian traditions share beliefs, she said.

"There's only one God, whether we call him the creator or the spiritual father," she said.

(The Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY, April 17, 2005).

[TBC: "For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him" 1 Corinthians:8:5-6 [5] For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) [6] But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
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