This week in Christian history: Patriarch Kirill elected; John Donne ordained; first March for Life

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, January 22, 2023

John Donne ordained – Jan. 23, 1615

A portrait of John Donne (1572-1631), an English poet and clergyman. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when John Donne, famed poet and future dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, was ordained in the Church of England.

At a service held at the Bishop’s Chapel, which was adjacent to St. Paul’s, Donne became a clergyman and quickly found himself in positions of prominence.

“This decision clearly met with favor from the king, and he was appointed as a royal chaplain only a few weeks after his ordination. He was presented with a series of lucrative livings, and held the divinity readership at Lincoln's Inn from October 1616,” explained Encyclopedia.

“He was widely regarded as the most eloquent and learned of preachers. Reflecting this fame, his sermons were printed from 1622, and in 1624 he published Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, inspired by a recent illness.”