The collect for today, the commemoration of Edmund J. Peck (1850-1924), Priest, Missionary to the Inuit, Translator (source):
God of our salvation, whose servant Edmund James Peck made the testimony of the Spirit his own and gladly proclaimed the riches of Christ among the Inuit people, give the joy of your gospel to us also, that we may exalt you in the congregation of all peoples and praise you in the abundance of your mercies; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
The Epistle: 1 St. John 5:6-12
The Gospel: St. Matthew 28:16-20
Born in England and orphaned at age thirteen, Edmund James Peck served in the Royal Navy for ten years before studying theology at the Church Missionary Society’s preparatory institute in London. Recruited by Rev. John Horden in 1876, he sailed for Hudson Bay and began working among Inuit and Cree communities. Peck learned Inuktitut and Cree and translated Christian materials into Inuktitut, helping expand literacy and access to Scripture. He married Sarah Ann Coleman in 1885; they had three children. In 1894, he established the first Anglican mission on Baffin Island (Nunavut) at Blacklead Island, where he remained until 1905.
Peck is particularly renowned for his work in developing a syllabic writing system for the Inuktitut language. This innovation was crucial for teaching literacy and disseminating religious texts, allowing the Inuit to read the Bible and other Christian literature in their own tongue. He also engaged in translation work, rendering hymns and prayers into Inuktitut. Beyond his religious duties, Peck was an ethnographer, meticulously documenting Inuit customs, beliefs, and language, contributing valuable historical and anthropological records.
From 1905 he lived in Ottawa as superintendent of Arctic missions until failing eyesight led to retirement in 1919. He died in Ottawa on 10 September 1924.
More information on the life and work of Edmund J. Peck is posted here and here.