Christ Church Cathedral An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas
September 2013 christchurchcathedral.org
Charting the Cathedral’s future “Cathedrals have a particular reach into ‘peripheral’ groups — those who are a long way from, and even hostile to, religion. A sixth of people who never attend a religious service as a worshiper visited a cathedral in the last twelve months. This means that somewhere The Very Rev. Barkley between 1.5 and 3 Thompson million people who might be called spiritually unreceptive visit a cathedral each year.” — The Very Rev. Douglas A. Stoute, dean, The Cathedral of St. James, Toronto The mission of Christ Church Cathedral is “to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ through word and deed to the parish, the diocese, and the downtown community.” Throughout its history, Christ Church has pursued this mission in faith and with dedication. Charting the history of my three immediate predecessors: under Dean Pittman McGehee, the Cathedral reclaimed its teaching ministry and created COMPASS to direct those in need to crucial social services. Dean Walter Taylor oversaw the creation of New Hope Housing and more fully engaged the downtown as a locus of involvement for the Cathedral. Dean Joe Reynolds led the initiative that resulted in The Beacon, which has become in its six years of operation a hub of outreach to the homeless for the entire city. Dean Reynolds’ tenure also saw the return of the diocesan offices to the Cathedral campus. As the inheritor of their good and courageous work, I am privileged both to lead and to walk alongside Cathedral parishioners as we consider what the next chapter in our shared lives will be.
FUTURE, page 2
The Cathedral Choir stands before the high altar at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
On tour with the Cathedral Choir Talk about a working vacation. Touring England this summer was equal parts exhilaration and exhaustion for the members of the Cathedral Choir, who sang a total of
Make plans to participate in an upcoming Cathedral “Visioning Charrette” Include your voice in charting the course for the continuing spiritual journey of Christ Church. Charrette Dates: Sunday, September 22 Sunday, October 6 Sunday, October 20 Sunday, November 10*
12:30–3:30 p.m. 12:30–3:30 p.m. 12:30–3:30 p.m. 2–5 p.m.
* This charrette will be bilingual and is primarily for parishioners who attend the 1 p.m. Spanishlanguage Eucharist. Lunch will be served at the first three charrettes. Refreshments will be served at the fourth charrette. Each charrette will include a bilingual table for Spanish-speaking parishioners. Childcare will be available for children from nursery age through five years old. (For more information on the Visioning Charrettes, see the dean’s column in this issue of The Bulletin.)
six Evensong and two Eucharist services over the course of nine days in London and York. Morning sightseeing gave way to afternoon rehearsals and evening worship “in residence” at the great English cathedrals of St. Paul’s and York Minster. Nancy Ellis, a longtime member of the choir who has traveled on all of its six tours, says that the choir grows musically each time it travels. Under the direction of Canon for Music Robert Simpson, the choir goes above and beyond to prepare the challenging music it will sing. “Bob insists that we settle for nothing other than our best,” Ellis said. “All these efforts and experiences are brought back with us to Houston.” The sometimes intense combination of travel, rehearsal and performance also serves to bring the choir closer together as a unit. “One of the unexpected benefits was getting to know other members of the Cathedral Choir on a more personal basis,” said Richard Buffett, who joined the choir early last year. “It was an honor to be a part of this wonderful choral group and to represent Christ Church Cathedral and the City of Houston.” Ellis said, “It’s fun to travel with people I
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