CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas
JULY 2016 CHRISTCHURCHCATHEDRAL.ORG
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Cathedral Choir on the move The Apostle to When their choirs are on summer break, the cathedrals of England invite select choirs from around the world to apply to fill in for them. As it has every few years since 2000, the Cathedral Choir has had the honor of representing Christ Church Cathedral by singing at several of these treasured sanctuaries. This year’s concert tour includes Durham, Bristol, and St. Paul’s cathedrals. “For a choir to sing in these great cathedrals is the liturgical equivalent of performing at Carnegie Hall,” says Canon for Music Robert Simpson.
“It is a privilege for us to have been selected and entrusted with maintaining the musical excellence of these three great cathedrals while we are there,” he says, “It is a responsibility we take very seriously.” When the choir leaves on its sixth such tour July 20, members will be packing their purple vestments as well as their music. This trip will be a return visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, but a first chance to sing Evensong and Sunday services at Durham and Bristol cathedrals. “These extraordinary opportunities are
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The Cathedral Choir during a recent tour to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London
Cathedral communications gains new leadership
VICTORIA (TORIE) LUDWIN
Dean Barkley Thompson is pleased to announce that Victoria (Torie) Ludwin joined the Cathedral ministry staff in June as minister for communications. Ludwin will work with the clergy and staff to connect members, newcomers, and the downtown community with the programs, events, fellowship, and service in abundance at the Cathedral. “Both Torie’s background and gracious demeanor will be great gifts to our Cathedral staff. Those who
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the Apostles
In 2003, author Dan Brown published his sensationalistic novel The DaVinci Code, and three years later the book was followed by a movie of the same title starring Tom Hanks. The DaVinci Code caused controversy by its supposition THE VERY REV. that Jesus married Mary BARKLEY Magdalene, who then THOMPSON bore him children. Because of this storyline, interest in the person of Mary Magdalene spiked. As a result, many people developed a renewed interest in the apocryphal gospel accounts of Mary, especially in the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Philip, discovered in the Egyptian desert in 1896 and 1945, respectively. At one point, the Gospel of Philip mentions a kiss between Jesus and Mary, and some keyed onto that particular passage as real-life evidence of Dan Brown’s fictional thesis. Alas, both the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Philip were written at least a century after the events of Jesus’ and Mary’s lives (and long after all four biblical Gospels.) The Gospel of Philip is also a Gnostic text, and in Gnosticism the “kiss” serves as a metaphor for the transmission of sacred knowledge. So, rather than Jesus experiencing a romantic interlude with Mary, the Gospel of Philip portrays Jesus passing along to Mary privileged and holy information about salvation and grace. That actually tells us much more about the real Mary Magdalene and her relationship with Jesus than any fanciful storyline in a cloak-and-dagger novel can do. There are many problems with the apocryphal gospels, and good reason
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