Continuing our Visual Tour of the St. Aelfric Chapel here, we’re looking at one of the prayer cards atop the shelf that’s next to the entrance. At this shelf-top people pick up the bulletin for the worship service and grab their books from the shelves below. But there are also a few prayer cards and other things there, picturing a sort of “company of heaven” atop the instruments of our praise, and one of these is of St. Charles the Martyr-King.

King Charles I is remembered with some controversy among some segments of the population, but to the English (Anglican) Church his memory is honorable; indeed, the 1662 Prayer Book contained a special service of mourning to be held every January 30th in recognition of his unjust execution at the order of the illegal Rump Parliament at the end of the English Civil War in 1649. An excerpt of his last words is included on one side of the card:

The Collect on the bottom-right is one of the prayers appointed in the 1662 Prayer Book for his commemoration, and is put forth by the Saint Aelfric Customary as the Collect of the Day on January 30th also. If you want your own copy of this prayer card, it can be purchased from the Seabury Society here: