CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas
NOVEMBER 2012 CHRISTCHURCHCATHEDRAL.ORG
The first apostle
On the heels of the heated fascination with the “The Da Vinci Code,” Joan Acocella published a revelatory article in The New Yorker entitled “The Saintly Sinner,” featuring current scholarship with respect to Mary Magdalene. Specifically, Mary had not been a prostitute but was probably a wealthy, land-owning widow KEITH WEBER who financed the early church. She was a disciple, and as the first person to see Jesus after the Resurrection was commanded to go and tell the others. Thus, she qualifies as the first apostle. After reading this article, I recognized that there was a dearth of Magdalene music reflecting the latest scholarship. In an instant, the idea for a commission was born. The next step took years: finding a librettist and a composer with whom the topic had resonance. I shared the concept with Pittman McGehee, former dean of the Cathedral, whose poem, “He Told Me Not to Cling,” turned out to be the very core (the heart, indeed) of the libretto. I then approached composer David Evan Thomas, who is particularly sensitive to issues of poetry and line and is, simply, one of the finest composers going. He took Pittman’s poem and searched the entire literature for every last reference to Mary Magdalene he could find in any place. From this he wrote the libretto, collating bits and pieces into a coherent, engaging whole. And since even the greatest piece of music is nothing until somebody performs it, I asked Robert Simpson if he would involve the Cathedral choirs. I am indebted to him for saying yes. Keith Weber is the artistic director of Grace Song, Inc. He will conduct the world premiere of David Evan Thomas’ oratorio “The First Apostle” on Saturday, November 17, at 3 p.m. in the Cathedral.
Director Sandy Stacy displays a photograph from the early days of Omega House. Cathedral member Eleanor Munger (front center) was a founder of the facility, which was the first residential AIDS hospice in Texas. Omega House will be one of 17 outreach organizations participating in the Alternative Giving Market on November 18.
Comforting those with nowhere to go Eleanor Munger cared. That is probably the simplest way to put it. In 1985, at the age of 74, Munger witnessed HIV/AIDS patients dying, having nowhere to go, and she cared enough to do something about it. Munger, a Cathedral member, was a retired schoolteacher when she began volunteering at a local AIDS clinic and realized many patients were left homeless as they approached the end of their life. They died alone in hospitals, often ostracized from society and their families. In search of a way to provide for these patients, Munger sought help from the Cathedral and Dean Pittman McGehee. At a time when most people were scared of the idea, Cathedral members stepped up to help, in-
cluding Michael Shuff, who would become the executive director, and Dr. Robert Awe, one of the first physicians to treat AIDS patients. Together, and with the help of many others, they founded Omega House, Texas’ first residential AIDS hospice. “The Cathedral played a very important role in the beginnings of the Omega House,” said Munger’s daughter, Eleanor Munger Asbury. “Her faith and the support that the church gave her were enormously important.” In the beginning, McGehee offered the Cathedral as a mailing address, and he urged parishioners to lend a hand. “This venture is founded on faith — a Christian faith — that God loves all children,
OMEGA, inside
Vestry seeks nominations for six positions Six new members of the vestry will be elected at the annual parish meeting on January 20. Five members will be elected for threeyear terms and will replace Katie Barnes, Alison Bell, Neil Giles, Nan Morris and Andy Vickery, who now comprise the Nominating Committee. A sixth member will also be elected to complete Walker Taylor’s remain-
ing two-year term. Taylor recently resigned from the vestry after a year of service as secretary to accept a new job outside of Houston. Please submit your nominations no later than December 2 by email to Andy Vickery at srwarden@christchurchcathedral.org; by mail to the Cathedral, to the attention of the
VESTRY, back cover