Letters
from 26 September to 2 October 2005
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I love
it so much I named my beagle after it
Regarding
today's essay where it read:
We were
momentarily outraged, but then quickly remembered the time a few
months back when we caught ourselves desperately searching for a
rock or a bottle to throw at the organist because he was accompanying
'Alleluia! sing to Jesus' with Wesley's Alleluia, and not with Hyfrydol,
as God surely intended.
I can
only agree wholeheartedly, "Hyfrydol" is one of the greatest hymn
tunes ever written. I love it so much, I named my beagle Hyfrydol
(Hyvvie, for short).
John Merullo
Trinity Episcopal Church, Houston
Houston, Texas, USA
26 September 2005
(Ed: Please
see our hymn
popularity contest from November 2003)
What's
ancient and what's modern?
I have
no doubt that you will receive a flurry of letters in response to
your recent editorial on music in the church. Perhaps even more than
sexuality, debates on the "proper" musical style for divine worship
have raged throughout the church's history and that isn't likely
to change.
Part of
what you alluded to in your article bears repeating: the music of
the liturgical church WAS the contemporary music of the times in
which it was played. Can you imagine a person-in-the-pew uttering
the comment "Oh, this is so 17th century!" while in worship in the
mid 1800s? Sadly, much of what people talk about as "modern" worship
(folk masses, etc..) is in fact rooted in the 1960s. In the rush
to be relevant and cutting edge the church has often simply moved
from the 18th century to the late 20th century--still 40 years behind!
Contemporary
music has its allure and its place, and it varies in quality and
message as much as hymns do. I think the most promising avenue that
is being pursued is "blended" worship--the use of both ancient hymns
and modern music in a liturgical context. The challenge is to find
music that both connects with people and transforms them by bringing
them into the presence of God. Much of the fondness for ancient hymns,
I fear, stems more from nostalgia than from faithfulness.
Like the
gold miners panning for gold, Generation Xers and Millennials absorb
and connect with spiritual messages through music from across the
spectrum. Hymns, U2 songs, and a wide variety of both "secular" and "sacred" songs
serve to incarnate hopes, dreams, and spiritual longings. The task
of the church is not to dismiss these new forms of worship, nor to
simply whitewash otherwise unchanged church services with them, but
to use what already exists to reach new generations with the timeless
message of the Gospel. After all, isn't that what "modern" hymns
did for those of previous generations?
Tom Sramek,
Jr.
St. Alban's Episcopal Church
Albany, Oregon, USA
frtom@peak.org
26 September 2005
Why is
nothing being done to heal the wounds?
Once
again, thank you to
Anglicans Online for the wonderful work they are doing in the Anglican
Communion.
This website
to me, when looking at the conflict within our
Communion, is the only symbol of unity I can look to for sanity
within the global church.
We, when
reading weekly comments from my brothers and sisters sent to Anglicans
Online, are crying out to the one symbol of unity (the Throne of
Canterbury) to bring peace and calm within our Communion. But it
seems this plea is not being heard by any of the Primates especially
the Archbishop of Canterbury. I said a few months ago farewell to
the Communion I so dearly love, but like many return to see if all
is okay at home.
Are the
Primates visiting these websites, where we ordinary, powerless Anglicans
can raise our voices? Is the Archbishop of Canterbury listening to
the voices of the Folk, he has pledged to lead?
Then why
is nothing being done to heal the wounds within the Communion? Most
Reverend Father in God, The Archbishop of Canterbury, where are you?
Holy Father
makes us holy
Holy
Jesus make us Holy
Holy
Spirit make us Holy
HOLY
GOD MAKE US WHOLE
Damian
Bellairs
Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
damien@firstgarment.co.za
27 September 2005
U2charist
"We've
not seen any long-term success at adapting traditional liturgy
to popular music"?
Hmmm...
I thought we'd been using popular music in worship for about, well,
1900 years. Sounds like a reasonable degree of success to me. That
is until we stopped engaging popular styles music for the sake of
being "church-y."
Just because
we aren't singing Bob Dylan's "The Times they are a Changin'" at
folk masses any more (unless we are trying to be retro) doesn't mean
the adaptation of traditional liturgy to popular music did not stick.
It just means that the popular music has changed, just as our langage
has changed.
Saying
that traditional liturgy and popular music are doomed to failure,
and that we Anglicans just need to accept the idea that our worship
*must* include unpopular music is like saying that we need 16th century
language to make our worship divine, nevermind Archbishop Cranmer's
firm belief that our worship be in the language of the people, the
vernacular.
I invite
you to this Sunday evening's U2 Eucharist(aka U2charist...you had
to know something like this was coming!) at St. George's, where you
will see young and not so young alike praise the One called "I am" from
the depths of their being, worshipping to the beat of "Mysterious
Ways," and yearning for their souls' "Elevation." And you might find
your own spirit seized and inspired to sing out "Yahweh!" --all in
the context of a traditional Eucharist, of course.
Paige
Blair
St. George's
York Harbor, Maine, USA
pblair1@earthlink.net
28 September 2005
We are
still in His hands
Like most
families in St. Bernard Parish, our family fled to Houston on the
approach of Hurricane Katrina. We did not have time other than to
pack a few things, gather our family and pets and 'head out of Dodge.'
While
on the road during a trip that lasted 14 hours, I thought about the
small church we have in our parish. I am Senior Warden of
St. Mary's Episcopal in Chalmette, Louisiana. St. Mary's is the only
Episcopal church in St. Bernard Parish(County). We had barely enough
time to leave, I did not check on the church. I knew I locked the
church up securely the Sunday before. I felt very guilty and asked
God for forgiveness. Also, while I was praying driving away from
the storm, I prayed that whatever fate has in store for us, that
we (all of the families of St. Mary) and the church was in 'His Hands.'
Needless
to say, the hurricane came and went. The impact of Katrina was devastating
and will be felt for years to come.
About
two weeks after the storm, Helen Meyer, our Altar Guild coordinator,
called me to check up on the family and see if I had an opportunity
to return to the parish and our church. Up to this point, the parish
was closed due to tremendous destruction, remaining floodwaters and
lack of essential services. I told her that I was not allowed back
in, but we both agreed that whoever was first on the scene will call
the other.
A week
later, Helen called saying that she was able to go and was in complete
shock on what she saw. Apparently a tornado had destroyed most of
the roof of St. Mary's . Flood waters rose and left a foot of sludge
and moved everything in its path. The Robson Hall, our parish hall
sustained major roof and structural damage and probably needs to
be torn down. Helen was able to retrieve the altar cross and candlesticks
covered in sludge and promised to get them cleaned and store them
for safekeeping. She truly represents the best in the Altar Guild.
Helen continued that the 'Risen Christ' cross still hangs in the
back of the altar along with the paintings. She asked me is there
any way in the world to save them. First off, I was in shock that
there was anything worth saving, and told Helen I will check on the
church myself within the next day or so.
My wife
and I made the journey back home to our parish at the first opportunity
the local authorities allowed us. Our first stop was the church.
I was in total shock. Most of the roof was gone except for a small
portion over the altar. There in the mist of destruction hangs our
risen Lord, untouched. I have posted pictures
of what we saw that morning.
'Christ
has died. Christ is risen Christ will come again.' I
still do not know how we can secure the statue and paintings. I need
help with that. All I know is we are still in 'His Hands.'
Carl Gaines,
Jr., Senior Warden
St. Mary Episcopal
Chalmette, Louisiana, USA
cgaines5@excite.com
28 September 2005
Help
me find Benedictine groups
Dear
friends,
This is
an open query to all readers of Anglicans Online. I am trying to
put together a resource guide of groups which meet to study the Rule
of St. Benedict and the Benedictine way of life. I would appreciate
hearing from people who are involved with such groups.
Diana
Smith
St. Alban's
Washington, DC
dianas@mindspring.com
29 September 2005
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