CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas
FEBRUARY 2017 CHRISTCHURCHCATHEDRAL.ORG
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A letter from the Dean Dear Parish Family and Friends, Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Christ Church Cathedral experienced abundant blessing in 2016. Two things especially stand out: a day and a project. The day is September 11. It may seem strange to call this day a blessTHE VERY REV. BARKLEY ing, since September THOMPSON 11 was the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11. Yet, we commemorated the solemn occasion by hosting the Rev. Dan Matthews, Sr. as our guest preacher and teacher. Dan was the rector of Trinity Church-Wall Street in lower Manhattan on 9/11, and on September 11 he riveted us with his harrowing account of that day. 9/11 was horrible, but Dan’s story was one of hope. Later that same day, two hundred parishioners attended the inaugural service of “The Well,” our new 5 p.m. Sunday Celtic Eucharist. The Well serves as a lovely complement to our morning services, and those who have attended report that it provides a peaceful, contemplative, and nourishing way to begin the week. The project is “Turn Toward Love,” which we launched over the summer in response a series of violent episodes across the country between citizens and law enforcement officers. Turn Toward Love sought to redirect people’s energy away from animosity and suspicion and toward reconciliation and grace. It was simple in design: panels made of wood and wire, coupled with tags and twist ties. The panels were placed along Texas Avenue, and people were encouraged to affix their own messages of love and lament. The civic response was overwhelming. Soon, all the panels were full to overflowing with the hopes of passers-by. Local media covered Turn Toward Love on the
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Hines Center cross and panels embody the “earthly divine” With the Hines Center’s recent installation of a soaring Celtic cross and riveting trio of panels hand-carved by artist Ronnie Sexton, Cathedral parishioners have an opportunity to experience their spiritual power, symbolic imagery, visual appeal, and skillful artistry. (And if so moved, it’s also fine to touch the lustrous wood, which appears to glow in low light.) A year in the making, the carvings “bring more depth and meaning to the spaces they occupy,” says Hines Center Executive Director Brooke Summers-Perry. Carved in cypress wood, the Celtic cross rises 11 feet as a focal point and centerpiece within the Hines Center’s labyrinth space on the first floor. In the prayer room upstairs, the 4-ft. vertical panels hang side-by-side as a backdrop to meditation, visio divina (praying or encountering the divine through images), and other programming. All the pieces are “meant to be experienced, not just viewed,” Summers-Perry says. Their interactive quality makes them part of spiritual practice. How viewers respond to the pieces, however, will differ by their life experiences or even
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A generous donation by Cathedral parishioner Donald McDonald enabled the commissioning of the Celtic cross and panels.
New Baptismal Font dedicated for the Golding Chapel A beautiful, wooden baptismal font for the Golding Chapel was commissioned by the Cathedral in 2016. Working with Trevor Floyd, a nationally known vendor for custom liturgical furnishings, the Cathedral identified Marvin Johnson, a local woodworker, to design and build the font. The cost of the new font was underwritten by contributions made in memory of Philip and Priscilla Wandel and through the generosity of their estate and their children. The Wandels’ children and children’s spouses are Gail and Mike Hendryx, Debby Francis, John and Molly Wandel, and Marjorie Crawford. The font was dedicated during the 11:00 a.m. service on January 8 and is now the primary font used in the Golding Chapel.