The kindled fireSeveral weeks ago I was privileged to

spend part of a Saturday morning with the Cathedral’s adult lay worship servers

at their annual training session. My remarks to the group centered on the ways in which Celtic spirituality (one of my passions) pertains to our Anglican form of wor-ship.

As I prepared my talk, I re-read many of the

stories of the Irish saints. Of all those col-orful tales, my favorite is the very first one about St. Patrick:

When Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary bishop in the mid-400s af-ter having fled years before as a runaway slave, his first stop was to a hill within view of Tara, the home of the Irish high king. There, on the eve of Easter, Patrick lit the Easter Vigil fire.

The pagan Irish king saw the fire from Tara and called his druid priest to him, inquiring what it was. “Oh king, may you live forever,” the druid replied, “This fire will never be put out unless it is put out this very night. He who has kindled it will overpower us and you. It will spread over the whole country and will reign forever and ever!”

And so it did. Beginning with Patrick, a long line of holy men and women evan-gelized Ireland with a form of Christian-ity that was equally potent and gracious. Rather than antagonize the locals, Celtic Christianity embraced and incorporated those spiritual beliefs and practices al-ready present in Ireland that were good and true.

Rather than declaring men and women unequal, Celtic Christianity uplifted both on their spiritual merits, granting holy (and female) St. Brigid the authority of a bishop. (The Pope in Rome was obviously unaware!)

Rather than wall itself away from the

Christ ChurCh CathedralAn Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas

June 2013christchurchcathedral.org

The Very reV. Barkley

Thompson

Fire, back cover

Of all the ministries at the Cathedral, few can claim to be as comforting in the most lit-eral sense as the Prayer Shawl Ministry. Knit-ters at the Cathedral have poured time, love and prayer into beautiful shawls and blankets, bringing cozy consolation to those in pain or transition.

“The prayer shawl ministry is one of the warmest ministries at Christ Church Cathe-dral,” said knitter Roni Coulson. “You literally wrap yourself in love.”

Several years ago, when parishioner Nor-ma Jones was ill, she received a prayer shawl from another church. Ramona Bomar heard about this and suggested to Dean Joe Reyn-olds that the Cathedral start its own prayer shawl group, and she inadvertently became

the founder of a new ministry. Over the years, the ministry has produced

countless prayer shawls, which have been sent all over the country and as far away as South Africa.

“I think this is evidence of caring,” Bomar said. “And you would be amazed at the feed-back.”

The group keeps a scrapbook filled with letters, emails, photos and thank-you notes. People with all kinds of ailments or unfor-tunate circumstances fill the pages, wearing their shawls draped around their shoulders and contented smiles upon their faces.

In February, the Cathedral received an email message from Mary Ann McKinney, a

Whenever his limousine stopped at a traf-fic light, former New York City mayor Ed Koch would roll down his window and ask the person in the car alongside him, “How am I doing?”

Mayor Koch claimed that these conversa-tions were the best gauge of the health and vibrancy of the city he served, and he always took to heart the feedback received from his fellow drivers.

This summer at Christ Church Cathedral, your vestry wants to check in with you and

ask “How are we doing?” From your perspec-tive, how are things going at Christ Church? What excites you about the Cathedral? What pastoral concerns do you have, and what hopes might you share?

During June, July and August, your Ves-try will be calling every parishioner on the membership roll. These are not stewardship calls, but rather they are your opportunity to make your voice heard. We hope you’ll an-swer the phone and share your thoughts with your lay leadership.

shawls, inside

Keep ear open for Vestry “comfort call-a-thon”

Gifts of love, made by hand

Mary Arciniega knits a prayer shawl, which will be blessed and given to those in pain or transition.

Our Cathedral Family

We celebrate with E new members John and Traci Arellano; Anastasia

Stone; Eric and Karen Fryar; Kate Weyrich; Kathryn, Elaine and Gary Krause; Sophie Knobloch; Ken and Barbara Brown; and David Moore.

E Cathedral members David Beard and Jenny Hughes, who were married April 13 in the Cathedral.

E Cathedral members Amie Parker and Johnny Schexnayder, who were married April 27 in the Cathedral.

E Callie and Aaron Stewart upon the birth of Eleanor Ann Stewart on February 1. Eleanor’s grandparents are Cathedral members Terri and Andy DiRaddo.

E Lauren and David Cobb upon the birth of Avery Elizabeth Cobb on April 13. Avery’s grandmother is Cathedral member Mary Ann Cobb.

We extend heartfelt sympathy to E the family of Randall Furlong who died April 19. He

was the husband of Caroline Shipp Bowles Furlong. E the family of Philip R. Neuhaus who died April 23.

He was the father of member Joan Neuhaus Schaan. E the family of Cathedral member Mary Ann Boyd

who died May 13. Mary Ann was the wife of member Lawrence “Larry” Boyd.

The Flowers on the Cathedral Altar E on June 2 are given to the glory of God in loving

memory of Joseph Adam Harris Scott and Harvey Shepherd, and in thanksgiving for their parents by Norman and Frances Kittrell.

E on June 9 are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Clifton E. Speir by his wife, Barbara Speir, and his family.

E on June 16 are given to the glory of God in thanksgiving for the Ordination of the newest Deacons in the Diocese of Texas by the Commission on Ministry and the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Texas.

E on June 23 are given to the glory of God in honor of Grace Holland and Camille Holland on their birthdays by their grandparents, Antha and Bill Holland.

E on June 30 are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Zinkie and Fox Benton by Jane and Bill Curtis.

Bishop Andy Doyle will hold a town hall meeting on Tuesday, June 4, from 7–9 p.m. in Reynolds Hall to discuss the transfer of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System to Catholic Health Ini-tiatives.

The transfer, which will be finalized early this summer, will provide more than $1 billion to establish the Episco-pal Health Foundation in the Diocese of Texas. This will be one of the largest

health foundations in the state of Texas.Bishop Doyle will discuss the

11-month-long study undertaken by the Health System to review the chang-ing healthcare landscape, the options considered, along with the guiding principles for the process, the creation of the new Episcopal Health Founda-tion and future strategic goals to meet the new opportunities now before the diocese.

During the first generation after Christ, the whole Church could usually fit in the largest room of a house; the bishop and all the presbyters (a Greek term meaning “priests”) and deacons would preside at the community Eucharist every Lord’s Day with all the baptized present. And then growth hap-pened.

Congregations soon needed to gather in additional places around the city. The bishop would des-ignate a priest to preside in each place, and would himself visit occasionally. But the place where the bishop main-tained his permanent teaching seat (or “cathedra”), from which he presided regularly, remained the central gath-ering point for the whole region. As purpose-built churches appeared, the town’s “cathedral” would often be built on the site of that original house or hall, with the bishop living nearby.

In America there were no bishops, much less cathedrals, for the first centu-ries of colonization. Cathedrals did not become part of the Episcopal Church until the late 19th century. In our dio-cese, Christ Church lived its first centu-ry as a parish church — granted, as the oldest church in Houston and second-oldest in the state. Not until 1949 was it designated by the bishop and council of our diocese as the cathedral church for all.

So what does that mean?In a frivolous sense, it means we —

like most American cathedral churches — began to take on the trappings of an English cathedral, with purple cassocks for the clergy and choir (the color of bishops); and special titles for the cler-gy (dean and canon).

But what should a cathedral really

be doing? William Temple, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote that “the supreme aim of a cathedral is, by

its own beauty and by the ser-vices held within it, to give con-tinuous witness to the things unseen and eternal, and to offer continuous and reverent wor-ship of God on behalf of all.”

Another former archbishop, Michael Ramsey, added, “There is always a struggle between

two leading conceptions of a cathedral. One represents the cathedral as a wor-shipping community, the other as cen-tral power station, so to speak, of the diocese. Some large elements of the for-mer conception can be combined with it and indeed ought to be.”

Our task as a cathedral in the sprawl-ing Diocese of Texas is more difficult than it would be in a geographically compact English diocese. Marble Falls, Marshall and Matagorda are a good long way from Houston.

So a big part of our mission is to be welcoming and engaging hosts when-ever the whole community of the dio-cese gathers here. This means coming forward to volunteer for hosting duties, and it certainly requires that we show up and meet people.

On Saturday morning, June 15, the bishop will ordain all the new deacons for the whole diocese here at the Ca-thedral. This is a major diocesan event. People from all over will come to see someone they know being ordained that morning. Consider attending the service, even if you don’t know any of the ordinands. Think also about com-ing forward to help greet and host and usher — for these and all things that go into serving as the cathedral for this diocese.

The reV. Canon ed sTein

The supreme aim of a Cathedral

Town hall on St. Luke’s transfer

Parish Choir welcomes all to sing during summer

Add something new and fun to your summer Sundays by singing with the Parish Choir at the 9 o’clock Eucharist. No musical experience is required.

Simply come to the second floor of the Latham Build-ing by 8:20 a.m. any Sunday you wish between now and the end of August. A hymnal, a vestment and a warm wel-come will be waiting for you.

For more information, call the canon for music, Robert Simpson, at 713-590-3311.

“Sing over me” every Monday afternoon, Beacon volunteers lead a group of homeless men and women in a writing workshop. One of our writers, Michael Crawl, writes deeply inspiring poetry. Most often, he has a pen tucked behind his ear to capture those spontaneous verses. The workshop is a celebration and a reminder to Michael and his classmates that no matter where they sleep, they are writers and artists and poets, and most importantly, children of God. To hear Michael read one of his poems, visit beaconhomeless.wordpress.com.

la misa en el parqueLa congregación Latina observará la primera Misa en el Parque

el domingo, el 16 de junio en el Bayou Parkland Pavilion en Her-mann Park, en lo que esperamos será una celebración anual.

Vamos a reunirnos para las 12:00 p.m. para la convivencia y re-frescos. Tendremos la Santa Misa a la 1 p.m. como usual con toda la música, oración y celebración, dando gracias a Dios para todas sus bendiciones, especialmente nuestros padres. Después de la misa, aprovecharemos la tarde para comer, tomar refrescos, y jugar.

Todos participarán en proveer la comida para su familia y quizás un poco para compartir. Todos pueden traer cualquier juego fa-miliar que deseen. También habrán juegos organizados. Los instru-mentos musicales también son bienvenidos. ¡Vengan todos!

Church in the parkThe Latino congregation will observe the first Church in the Park

on Sunday, June 16, at Bayou Parkland Pavilion in Hermann Park in what we hope will become an annual event.

We’ll meet around noon for fellowship and refreshments. The Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at 1 p.m. as usual with music, prayers and celebration for the many gifts God has given us, espe-cially our fathers. Afterward, we will spend the afternoon eating, drinking and playing games.

Everyone should bring food for their families and maybe a bit more to share with others. Bring whatever favorite games you want. There will also be some organized games. Bring your musical instruments, too. Everybody come!

It’s summer break, and you’re looking for fun things to do. We’ve got you covered for the evening of Friday, June 28. Gather in the Bishop’s Courtyard starting at 5 p.m. for a free hot dog cookout, followed by a rousing good time at Minute Maid Park for Episcopal Night at the Ballpark. If it rains, no problem, we’ll head to Reynolds Hall for a “cook-in.”

You’ll also have the opportunity at the cookout to mix and mingle with parishioners from across the diocese, 125 of whom joined us last year. For some of these guests, it was their first time at the Cathedral, and so this year, a guide will be on hand to provide a tour of our beautiful, historic worship space.

We’ll plan to walk to the ballpark (just five

easy blocks) at around 6:30 p.m. so you’ll be in your bullpen box seats in time to see Bish-op Jeff Fisher throw the first pitch and to hear the national anthem sung by an Episcopal church choir. After you’ve cheered on the As-tros, hopefully to a victory over the Los An-geles Angels, sit tight for the “Big and Bright Friday Nights” colorful fireworks display.

Reserve your tickets online now at www.christchurchcathedral.org or in person on Sundays through June 23 in the cloister. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for children 12 and under, including free parking in the Cathedral garage. Pick up your tickets in the cloister on June 23 or at the pregame cookout. Let’s go Astros!

hot dogs and fellowship at episcopal night at the Ballpark

parishioner from Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston. In 2011, a Cathedral priest visited and delivered a shawl to McKin-ney’s mother-in-law, Thomasine, during the final stages of her life.

“I just want to thank all of the people involved in this wonderful ministry,” McKinney wrote. “[The prayer shawl] kept her warm and brought so much comfort to her, my husband, and me. It was her constant companion during her last few weeks of life.

“She received last rites from our priest, Jim Nutter, and peace-fully died a few hours later. However, since that time, the shawl has become a great comfort to my husband. He uses it quite a bit and finds comfort in it just being on the bed or on the back of a chair.”

The knitters of the prayer shawl ministry are overwhelmed with similar stories. They are eager to share tales ranging from an elderly man leaving hospice after receiving a shawl, to a newborn with heart defects who has found a way to survive. But the purpose is not nec-essarily to incite a perceived miracle, but to simply give someone the much-needed comfort of knowing they are cared for and loved.

“How can you describe that type of love?” Coulson said. “It is in-tangible. It is really a gift from God to be doing it. It gives me goose pimples to think that we are able to offer this to people.”

Each prayer shawl is blessed at the altar and then tagged with a short note detailing who made that particular shawl and when it was blessed. The knitters are an exceptionally welcoming and caring group that can be found at the back of Reynolds Hall ev-ery Sunday during the education hour, knitting and handing out shawls to anyone in need.

shawls, from cover

May Fete, Tulip Reception and Destination Unknown

In PIctures

Right: A reveler takes a spin on the “Wheel of

Clergy,” hoping to land on Canon John Logan’s

picture to win a prize.

Far right: The standard-bearer for the nursery leads her classmates

into the courtyard.

Right: Alice Puccio pins a crown of paper flowers on the

head of a maypole dancer.

Far right: Dean Thompson and Lisa Puccio, the minister for children

and families, watch the procession of children.

Below: The maypole dancers admire their handiwork as the May Fete crowd looks on.

Left: Attendees of the Tulip Reception share their stories of life at the Cathedral.

Below: Angie Spivey and ellen Harrison enjoy the fellowship of the reception.

Above: The Cathedral youth enjoy fun around town at the Destination unknown lock-in, including food-truck dining, bat-watching, go-karts and bowling, and visits to the Art Car Museum and David Adickes’ sculpture studio.

Carry Christ Church Cathedral in your heart and Bishop “Flat Andy” Doyle in your pocket on your summer travels. Take your photo with Flat Andy at the churches you visit outside the Houston area and send the pictures to us. We’ll collect them in an online gallery so everyone can see the worship spaces you blessed with your presence.

Send the photos by email to info@christchurchcathedral.org or post them to the Cathedral’s Facebook page. (Or both!) You can also use the hashtag #flatandy to share your adventures on Twitter and Instagram.

Safe travels, and may God protect you along the way as you enjoy the intentional break from work and school that summer brings. And, when you’re not on vacation, we’ll see you in the Cathedral pews!

“Take mewith you!”

says

June 29 satrscM Morning Prayer10 a.m. in the Cathedral. Sung by young choristers in the Royal School of Church Music’s summer workshop.

June 16 sun

church in the Park12–4 p.m., Bayou Parkland Pavilion in Hermann Park. The Latino congrega-tion will celebrate Eucharist and enjoy games, food and fellowship outdoors.

June 19 wed

Vestry Meeting4:30–6 p.m., Jeffers Conference Room.

wednesdays

cathedral 20s & 30s6:30–8 p.m., various locations. Weekly discussion group and social gathering of young adults. Will not meet June 5.

thursdays

Buscando la luz6:45–8:30 p.m., Mellinger Room. Span-ish-language discussion group.

uPcomIng July 21–27

Middle-school Mission trip Bastrop. Helping those affected by last year’s wildfires. ($)

august 4–10

high-school Mission trip New York. Urban ministry and Hurricane Sandy relief work. ($)

sePteMBer 25 wed

come to the table Annual fundraiser and gala dinner in sup-port of The Beacon. Underwriting oppor-tunities are available. ($)

tHIs montHJune 2 sun

rhythms of grace1 p.m., Jones Basement. Worship ex-perience for special needs children and their families resumes with lesson: “Paul Spreads the Good News.”

calendar of eventsVisit www.christchurchcathedral.org or call 713-222-2593 to learn more about these and other events at the Cathedral.

Registration recommended Registration required Registration closed

June 26–29

convergence Austin. Leadership gathering for high-school youth across the diocese to grow in confidence and spirit. ($)

in the Cathedral BookstoreFor adult summer reading, The

Light Between Oceans is a tale of love and loss, right and wrong and what we will do for the happiness of those most dear. It has become a popular book club choice and, having read it, we can attest that it is in fact a book that will keep you riveted from the first

page. This is a compelling yarn about good people, tragic decisions and the beauty found in each of them. Keep a tissue handy! For children of all ages, the Life Picture Puzzle Across Amer-ica book, which asks the reader to “spot the differences” in levels from

novice to genius, may be what you need for

your airplane and car time.Don’t forget that we have cards, books and

a few gift items for occasions such as Father’s Day, the diaconate ordination and weddings. Summer, vacations, and books go hand-in-hand. We will be open through June to assist you with your reading selections. The Book-store will be closed during July.

Weekdays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. • Sunday: 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

June 4 tue

st. luke’s town hall7–9 p.m., Reynolds Hall. Diocesan meet-ing with Bishop Doyle to discuss transfer of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System to Catholic Health Initiatives.

June 7 Fri

Bridge night6–9 p.m., McGehee Conference Room. Newcomers and all levels welcome.

June 14–16

Fifth-grade Mission trip Current fifth-graders experience their first mission trip, serving the under-served in Houston. ($)

June 29 sat

texas Music Festival outing 7:30 p.m., Moores Opera House. Orches-tral performance of music by Strauss and Prokofiev. Register by June 23 for Cathe-dral group rate. ($)

Weeklysundays

summer Place10–11 a.m., Reynolds Hall. Fellowship hour with refreshments hosted by min-istries and councils of the Cathedral. June 2, Community Life; June 9, Justice and Peace; June 16, Children’s Ministry; June 23, Religion and the Arts; June 30, Membership and Evangelism.

June 28 Friepiscopal night at the Ballpark 5 p.m., Bishop’s Courtyard; 7:05 p.m. Minute Maid Park. Pregame cookout and special seating and prices for the Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels. ($)

sundayssing with the Parish choir8:20 a.m., Latham Auditorium. Sing with the Parish Choir any Sunday this summer, no experience required. Hymnal and vestments provided.

June 2 sunimmigration workshop 2:30 p.m., Reynolds Hall. Attorney Margarita Hernandez will discuss existing immigration law and impli-cations of the Dream Act. Presented in Spanish.

June 15 satdiaconate ordination10 a.m. in the Cathedral. Seminar-ians from the around the diocese will be ordained as deacons. Dean Thompson will preach.

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Did you know you can read the Bulletin on our website? If you’d like to go “online-only,” contact Anne Shepard at ashepard@christchurchcathedral.org or call her at 713-590-3301.

If you haven’t made your pledge, please do so now.

We still need your help!Of the $2,500,000 in budgeted pledges for 2013, there are $2,268,347 actual pledges recorded through April 30, with $231,653 in pledges outstanding.

in the cloister gallery: Pamela ruth taylorIn JunePamela Ruth Taylor’s mixed media art seeks to portray the vision of inspiration and memory through color, light and movement.

world behind stone battlements in cathedrals and convents, Celt-ic Christianity kept its church boundaries porous and its gates open to any and all who had need.

How might the Christian world be different if the Irish model of faith had taken hold everywhere those many centuries ago?

In our own day, in our own city, we at Christ Church Cathedral can still kindle a fire. We can pro-claim that those who enter here will not find a dogma that insists they forget everything they al-ready believe to be good and true, but rather will discover how those

things are completed by the grace of Christ.

We can model a church in which all are welcome to kneel be-fore God and receive God’s love. We can be a community whose doors are open and whose people daily engage the world around us in faith, proving that church is who we are in every encounter of our lives and not just a place we go for two hours on Sunday.

If we will kindle this fire, with God’s help it will spread over the whole community and will reign forever and ever. May we have courage, and may God make it so.

Fire, from cover

For years, many of us have crossed San Jacinto Street mid-block to get from our cars to the main campus. For a while, we had traffic cones to alert drivers, but those were removed a few years ago because of city ordinance.

Now, thanks to the work of two of our members, Melissa Noriega

and Chris Bell, we have written approval from the city for our po-lice officers to direct traffic mid-block on San Jacinto on Sunday mornings before and following our services.

Please be extra careful when crossing, even in crosswalks, and cross with the traffic lights.

Cathedral reaches crosswalk agreement