Nicholas Ferrar is on the church calendar (TEC: 1 Dec., CoE: 4 Dec.). This advent, I find myself interested in him, his family, and the religious community of Little Gidding. Maybe one of the reasons for my interest is because of Ferrar's business background before starting Little Gidding (1626). I too have a business background. However, in my retirement, I have yet to begin anything as noteworthy as Little Gidding. Here are a few reads about Nicholas Ferrar and an image of a recent evensong service at Little Gidding (2009), which I found on the Internet. Nicholas Ferrar (wiki article) Blog from Anglican Church, Dayton, Ohio LittleGiddingChurch.org.uk Blog from Laniersbooks.com Evensong service at Little Gidding (http://maddrey.blogspot.com/2009/07/little-gidding.html). Click on the image to zoom in on the gathering.
Wow, Ferrar lived and died in the same historical moment as Herbert! God really loves snatching the good ones away early. The idea that this community existed long before Newman has always fascinated me. It's also very humble, and inspiring in that.