Dear St. Paul’s Family,
It has been a while since I have written one of these, and after discussion from the vestry, we will continue to put out the Messenger. One question that has come up, is why we change the service music (the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, etc.)? The answer is that it changes with the liturgical season. We try and keep the music settings that match the season. Epiphany through Ash Wednesday this year, we used the Schubert Mass setting, with a Gloria from the hymnal. I had a number of positive comments and we will continue to use that setting for that period. We are currently using the Bodine setting for Lent, and we will be returning to the Willan setting for Eastertide and part of ordinary time (Sundays after Pentecost). Likely we will move to a different setting for September until Advent.
Part of the Anglican Patrimony is our music! We sing and typically do it better than most denominations. Author Garrison Keillor wrote this regarding Episcopalians: “
If you’re new to Anglicanism, juggling books may not be a part of your skill set. The old joke is between juggling a prayer book, a hymnal, and a bulletin—along with sit, stand, kneel—it is more of an exercise class than a mass. The vestry discussed this at our March meeting. We’re looking at ways to try and fix that, but hopefully not go back to a full bulletin. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Blessings,
Fr Garland
512-808-7477
rector@stpaulsbythelake.org
