CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas
DECEMBER 2016 CHRISTCHURCHCATHEDRAL.ORG
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Community of memory, community of expectation
The Treble Choir, who sang at Loyalty Sunday (pictured here), will perform a Christmas concert with the Houston Chamber Choir on December 10 and 11 at Villa Matel.
The sound of Advent
From contemplative to joyous, music selections — both presented and participatory — will be setting the tone at special services, programs, and performances during Advent and Christmas.
An Anglican tradition since 1880 Traditional English carols and music at the Festival of Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 4, at 5 p.m. will feature the Cathedral Choir. Through its alternating scripture and
song, the service recounts the fall of Adam, the promise of a Messiah, the Incarnation, and the Great Commission to preach the Good News. The music of Advent can be contemplative and austere — but also rich and powerful — as it reflects the longing, hopefulness, and joy anticipating the coming of Christ, according to Anglican history materials.
ADVENT, page 6
Untermeyer and Curtis to sign books In addition to the full array of books and gifts available at the Cathedral Bookstore, ready for holiday gift-giving, the Bookstore will also be hosting two signings in December of books by Cathedral members, both from Texas A&M University Press. On Sunday, December 11 from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Bill Curtis will be at the Cathedral Bookstore to sign his new book, to release December 8: A Vision of Place – The Work of William Curtis and Russell Windham Architects. Reflecting on two decades of the practice of classical contemporary architecture, this handsome monograph provides an
SIGNING, page 2
During the season of Advent, I am always reminded that Christ Church Cathedral is both a community of memory and a community of expectation. As a community of memory, we bear the sacred story both of Jesus and of the Episcopal Church in Houston for over 177 years. As a community of expectation, our mission is always to embody in VERY REV. our words, actions, and THEBARKLEY ministries the vision of THOMPSON God’s kingdom. We are to proclaim God’s hopes for the world from our corner at Texas and Fannin. We are blessed to share this community on a historic campus that is among the most cherished places in Houston. Our campus provides a quiet and sacred oasis in the midst of the city. The physical space of the Cathedral is also our greatest tool for evangelism, as many visit and hear the Gospel here for the first time because they are attracted to the aesthetic beauty of our worship space. Preserving our historic campus is, therefore, an expression of our fidelity to God. It is a sacred responsibility, and one that the Vestry and I take very seriously. The last time any significant preservation work was done at Christ Church was more than twenty years ago. Extensive work on the exterior of our buildings hasn’t been done in forty years. A campus-wide study commissioned by the Vestry’s Building and Grounds Committee last year revealed that there are, indeed, areas that need attention. In response, this fall the Vestry and I have created a special task force that
COMMUNITY, page 8