At a Glance Contact us: 914.337.3544 Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Fridays 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM A Newsletter by and for the people of Christ Church Bronxville – Mother Kate Malin + Dear Friends in Christ, …T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock March 2008 VOL. LXII, No. 2
A Newsletter by and for the people of Christ Church Bronxville The Spire March 2008 VOL. LXII, No. 2 Dear Friends in Christ, There is nothing like traveling with fourteen teenagers to a foreign coun- try, to meet up with four hundred other teenagers from around the world, to re- mind you that you are no longer young. That your fingers are nowhere near the pulse of the emerging cultural identity of those coming of age in the twenty- first century. That, frankly, it’s easier to comprehend a ballad sung in Catalan by an aging flamenco dancer than to follow an energetic American teen’s mono- logue on the merits of Facebook. And yet, much to my surprise, that chasm we used to call the “generation gap” was no match for my experience at Taizé. A profound and mysterious transformation took place as our group of travelers entered the doors of the church, found a space together on the hard floor and sat down to worship. We became one. With each other, with our sisters and brothers from Toulouse and the Czech Republic and Wisconsin and Austria, and with the Brothers who call the Monastery at Taizé home. In the silence of prayer. In our breathing and in the rhythmic shifting of our bodies as we turned to listen to scripture read aloud in three different languages. Qui- etly turning the pages of our songbooks, humming and chanting and singing, our distinctions softened. Our colors blurred and blended, our voices bor- rowed words from other languages and our love of Christ Jesus bound us to one another in joy and hope and prayer. One of the brothers, Maxime, who led Bible Study after morning worship, offered an interesting challenge. He asked us to think about how we prepare our faces to meet the world: with make up, with tough or dispassionate expres- sions, with masks that hide our true selves. He suggested that, in prayer, we drop those masks and face God as we really are. “Prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet.” That line from T.S. Eliot’s poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock ran through my mind. Eliot’s landscape of artificiality and spiritual malaise surely resonates today. What if, in prayer, we simply try to drop the masks we wear and present our true selves to God? What if, in prayer, we trust that our true, open faces tipped up toward the light of God’s love are what God most desires to meet? As we move toward Holy Week here at Christ Church, consider accept- ing Br. Maxime’s challenge to prepare yourself to meet God as you really are in the services of Holy Week. Let us dare to walk the way of the cross together. Let us invite the profound and mysterious transforming power of God’s love into our hearts, to disturb our broken universe, that we all may be one. – Mother Kate Malin + At a Glance Contact us: 914.337.3544 Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Fridays 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM www.ccbny.org Children’s Formation 2 Music at CCB 3 Adult Formation 6 Outreach 7 EYC trip 4 March Highlights 8 Do I dare Disturb the universe? …T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Transcript
A Newsletter by and for the people of Christ Church Bronxville
The Spire
March 2008 VOL. LXII, No. 2
Dear Friends in Christ,
There is nothing like traveling with fourteen teenagers to a foreign coun-try, to meet up with four hundred other teenagers from around the world, to re-mind you that you are no longer young. That your fi ngers are nowhere near the pulse of the emerging cultural identity of those coming of age in the twenty-fi rst century. That, frankly, it’s easier to comprehend a ballad sung in Catalan by an aging fl amenco dancer than to follow an energetic American teen’s mono-logue on the merits of Facebook. And yet, much to my surprise, that chasm we used to call the “generation gap” was no match for my experience at Taizé. A profound and mysterious transformation took place as our group of travelers entered the doors of the church, found a space together on the hard fl oor and sat down to worship. We became one. With each other, with our sisters and brothers from Toulouse and the Czech Republic and Wisconsin and Austria, and with the Brothers who call the Monastery at Taizé home. In the silence of prayer. In our breathing and in the rhythmic shifting of our bodies as we turned to listen to scripture read aloud in three different languages. Qui-etly turning the pages of our songbooks, humming and chanting and singing, our distinctions softened. Our colors blurred and blended, our voices bor-rowed words from other languages and our love of Christ Jesus bound us to one
another in joy and hope and prayer. One of the brothers, Maxime, who led Bible Study after morning worship, offered an interesting challenge. He asked us to think about how we prepare our faces to meet the world: with make up, with tough or dispassionate expres-sions, with masks that hide our true selves. He suggested that, in prayer, we drop those masks and face God as we really are. “Prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet.” That line from T.S. Eliot’s poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock ran through my mind. Eliot’s landscape of artifi ciality and spiritual malaise surely resonates today. What if, in prayer, we simply try to drop the masks we wear and present our true selves to God? What if, in prayer, we trust that our true, open faces tipped up toward the light of God’s love are what God most desires to meet? As we move toward Holy Week here at Christ Church, consider accept-ing Br. Maxime’s challenge to prepare yourself to meet God as you really are in the services of Holy Week. Let us dare to walk the way of the cross together. Let us invite the profound and mysterious transforming power of God’s love into our hearts, to disturb our broken universe, that we all may be one.
– Mother Kate Malin +
At a Glance
Contact us:
914.337.3544
Monday-Thursday
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Fridays9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
www.ccbny.org
Children’s Formation 2
Music at CCB 3
Adult Formation 6
Outreach 7
EYC trip 4
March Highlights 8
Do I dareDisturb the universe? …T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
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Children’s Christian Formation
Godly Play (Pre-K-1st Grade)Mar. 2nd Jesus The King/ Children’s Lenten EventMar. 9th Youth Sunday/ No Children’s ChapelMar. 16th The Mystery of Easter Mar. 23rd EasterMar. 30th Jesus is Risen: The Road to Emmaus
Second GradeMar. 2nd Lent-Part I/ Children’s Lenten EventMar. 9th Youth Sunday/ No Children’s ChapelMar. 16th Lent-Part 2Mar. 23rd EasterMar. 30th The Liturgy: Part 2-The Creed and the Trinity
Third GradeMar. 2nd SamuelMar. 9th No Children’s Chapel/Mar. 16th David-Part IMar. 23rd EasterMar. 30th David-Part II
Fourth GradeMar. 2nd Jesus’s Last Days-Part IIMar. 9th Youth Sunday/No Children’s ChapelMar. 16th Jesus’s Last Days-Part IIIMar. 23rd EasterMar. 30th The Resurrection and Ascension
Fifth GradeMar. 2nd The Denominational Church Era/ Children’s Lenten Event in afternoonMar. 9th No Children’s Chapel/Mar. 16th People of the Denominational Church EraMar. 23rd Easter
Sixth Grade Mar. 2nd What is Hinduism?/Children’s Lenten Event in afternoonMar. 9th Youth Sunday/ No Children’s ChapelMar. 16th Study of HinduismMar. 30th What is Buddhism?
School Calendar
Youth SundayMarch 9th is a Youth Sunday: no Children’s Chapel or Church School. We’re looking for volunteer ushers in 3rd through 6th grade who are not in the Sing ‘n Ring choir for March 9th. Parents should contact Deb-orah Ross if their children are interested. at [email protected].
March 9th 6:45 AM
For 6th – 8th graders (and others who wish to join). Meet at 6:45am and re-member the time change! For more information, contact Mike Conaton at [email protected].
Sunday Nursery Contact Sign InAs part of our effort to provide the best care pos-sible for our children, we’ve provided a new information form for families who use the Christ Church nursery on Sundays. We invite all par-ents dropping off children to complete the new form on their next visit. On subse-quent visits, all you’ll need to do is sign in.
Breakfast Run
Easter Egg HuntPlease bring your basket and join us for our annual egg hunt on Sunday, March 23rd, at 10:00 am. For all children through 6th grade.
Music and Flowers for EasterWould you like to give thanks for or remember someone this Easter? If so, please use an Easter Remembrance envelope to enclose your gift and indicate whether it benefi ts the glorious music or beautiful fl owers this Easter.
Envelopes are in the Narthex. If you are out oftown, you may call the Parish Offi ce (914-337-3544)The deadline is Wednesday, March 19th for names to be included in the Easter bulletin.
Please consider contributing to this special offering. If you have contributed in the past, please consider increasing you contribution. Every donation – even
those of $10 and $25 – help defray the costs of this special celebration. However, the cost of fl owers and brass is over $5,000. Allow me to start: I will personally contribute $100 in thanksgiving for all of our choristers. Will 50 more people join me?- Christopher Wells
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MusicChoir Schedule AnnouncementsEaster Day Choir Schedule: Primary Choir – 8:30AM Rehearsal for 9:00AM service Sing ‘n Ring – 8:30AM Rehearsal for 9:00AM service Voice for Life Trebles – 8:30AM Rehearsal for 9:00AM service Schola Cantorum – 10:30AM Rehearsal for 11:15AM service Christ Church Choir – 8:30AM Rehearsal for 9 and 11:15AM service, breakfast served between services.Handbell Session VCORRECTION: Rehearsal dates are Wednesday March 26 and Wednesday April 2.Session V is open to ringers of all ages, but specifi cally intended to allow an opportunity for parents and children to make music together. Make it a family event! Contact Christopher Wells to sign up.Rehearsals: Wednesday March 26 6-7:30PM Wednesday April 2 6-7:30PMPerformance: Sunday April 6 9:00AM Warmup 10:00AM Ring in Church Parish ChoirSunday March 30 9:00AM Rehearsal 10:00AM Sing in ChurchYou know the routine... you’ve heard Ken Richardson’s famous announcements in church.... now you just have to come! Come alone, come with a friend, or come with a parent. Mark you calendars now – Sunday March 30th, 9AM in the Choir Room.
Palm Sunday: Procession with Bells into the Church singing “All Glory Laud and Honor”The Passion according to St. Matthew, chanted with choral responsesSolus ad victimam – Kenneth LeightonMein teurer Heiland (Aria from St. John Passion) – Johann Sebastian BachThe Passion ChoraleTenebrae: The Lamentations of Jeremiah – Thomas Tallisplainsong psalms, responses, and canticles led by The Christ Church Camerata
Maundy Thursday: Choral Eucharist with Palestrina’s Missa BrevisUbi caritas and Tantum ergo – Maurice Durufl eChants from The Music of Taizeled by The Christ Church Choir and Schola Cantorum
Good Friday: The Passion according to St. John, chanted with choral responsesGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina 8-part Stabat Matera cappella anthems during the veneration of the crossled by the Christ Church Camerata
The Great Vigil of EasterThe ExsultetSpatzen Messe – Wolfgang Amadeus MozartSurrexit Christus hodie – Samuel ScheidtAlleluja, Christus Surrexit – Felice AnerioImprovisation sur le “Te Deum” – Maurice Durufl é
Easter Day Brass Quintet Prelude including Bach’s “My Spirit be Joyful” for Brass and OrganCraig Phillips – On This Bright Easter Morn for Choirs, Brass, and OrganAlleluja, Christus Surrexit – Felice Anerio Easter Hymns arranged for Congregation, Choirs, Brass, and Organ including “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”, “He is Risen!”, and “The Day of Resurrection”Toccata from Symphonie V – Charles-Marie Widor
Some of the most profound musical settings fi nd their place in Holy Week. At Christ Church, you will notice the stark contrast of this music from our regular repertoire. Notably, the organ is not used from the end of the Palm Sunday Mass until the great Easter Acclamation at the Great Vigil of Easter (Saturday) when the organ is turned on and the choir bursts into the fi rst Gloria of the season. Through attending, praying, and listening, the solemn liturgies of Tenebrae, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and The Great Vigil of Easter, one will fi nd even greater meaning in The Day of Resurrection.
Music for Holy Week
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Episcopal Youth Community (EYC)
Valentine’s Day 2008 was far less than typical for the 14 students who chose this day to embark on a spiritual journey- Christ Church Bronxville’s annual pilgrimage to the monastery at Taizé in France. Armed with high expectations and the affi rmations of students who had taken the trip in years past, 14 young people gathered at Christ Church where, 11 days later, they would return as 14 friends sharing a deep bond woven tight with faith and a deeper understanding of self and each other.Located in the south of Burgundy, France and founded in 1940 by the late Brother Roger, Taizé is the spiritual home to over one hundred brothers from more than 25 nations. Their religious backgrounds range from Roman Catholic to various Protestant traditions. Leading lives of celibacy, simplicity, spirituality and community, the brothers dedicate their lives to promoting “a pilgrimage of trust on earth.”Before arriving at the monastery, the pilgrimage went to Barcelona, Spain. From authentic Spanish
cuisine to traditional Flamenco dance the students spent their evenings immersed in the Spanish culture. During the day they enjoyed such sights as the FC Barcelona Football Stadium, the Picasso Museum, the Sagrada Familia and other buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi, and the monastery and choir at Montserrat.However, it was not until February 19 that the true journey began. After a day full of travel, the group - soon to be known as “The Americans”- arrived at the monastery just in time for an evening prayer service. Despite their exhaustion they were all deeply excited to experience Taizé.
It did not take long for the students and chaperones to adjust to life at Taizé. A typical day included prayer three times a day, Bible study with peers from an array of different countries including Austria, Czech Republic, Chile, Germany, Korea and France, and work around the monastery. By complying with the schedule at Taizé students were able to exercise selfl essness in order to gain a better understanding of self.Personal desires were put on hold in order to understand the true nature of what one needs in order to survive; in return one was able to comprehend that sometimes the less one has, the less one desires, and the happier one is able to be. In their free time the chaperones were able to observe a very unique experience at Taizé. Due to the abundance of teens taking residence at the monastery this year, every student had the opportunity to experience different cultures in a very personal way. Met with overwhelming enthusiasm, the American students were encouraged to share bits of their popular culture with foreign residents, and in return were able to indulge in a cultural experience unlike any other. Afternoons and evenings were fi lled with song and dance in an array of languages. These impromptu festivals never failed to end in cheering and laughing from onlookers and participants alike. Between Americans teaching others “The Hokey Pokey” to learning “The Pony Dance” from the French, deep bonds were made that gave Taizé a deeper sense of community than many of the pilgrimage veterans had
Pilgrimage to the Taizé Monastery
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ever experienced. By the end of the week there were no longer lingual and cultural barriers throughout the church; an amalgamation of Austrian, French and American teens fi lled the house of worship as everyone celebrated their unity and respect for each other’s cultures and backgrounds. The fi nal night at Taizé was nothing short of a celebration of new friends, a new understanding of different cultures and a respect for each and every resident at the monastery. Teens sang and danced as adults chatted and laughed over tea. The Christ Church teens were disappointed that their stay was coming to an end and chatted into the night about how much they would miss their new friends and the simplicity of life and pure joy that they were able to experience at Taizé.
Scheduled to depart at sunrise, the Christ Church group was thrilled to be greeted at the bus stop by some of their closest French friends; they wanted to say a fi nal goodbye. Joining hands to take part in one last dance, their exhaustion no longer mattered as smiles contagiously spread among those involved as well as on lookers and chaperones. As the shuttle bus pulled to a stop and the American teens prepared to say goodbye to Taizé, their new foreign friends serenaded them with a traditional French song which they also translated into English; “I am happy, completely happy” was the chorus. Though goodbyes are never easy, there seemed to be a common understanding among the Christ Church teens that this was not the end, but merely the beginning of a life long journey that, should they choose to embark on it, would bring an abundance of completely happy moments to their lives as well as the lives of the people around them. Back in America, armed with a deeper understanding of faith and the unity of its practice, the teens went their separate ways to become messengers of their experience at Taizé and the hope that understanding, as a result of faith, can bring to the World.
Personal desires were put on hold in order to understand the true nature of what one needs in order to survive; in return one was able to comprehend that sometimes the less one has, the less one desires, and the happier one is able to be.
ONE Tuesday March 11th from 6-8 PMCelebrating the Role of the Arts in our LivesJoin us in Taylor Hall as we explore the role of visual and performed arts in spiritual formation and offer an introduction to the new Spirituality and the Arts Program at Christ Church. The process of making and experiencing art can be a form of contemplative practice as well as an expression of creativity. Art can be a window to the Divine and a vehicle for a deeper prayer life. It can provoke us into new consideration of our faith, delight our senses and stimulate our imaginations. This ONE Tuesday will look at a variety of artistic expression as artists and educators present their experiences of how art informs faith and faith informs art. A light supper will be served, childcare is available for children four and under, and a project for budding young artists will begin in the Undercroft after supper. For more information, contact the Rev. Kate Malin at [email protected].
First Friday Films: “Evil and Good”First Friday Films presents MonsterFriday, March 14th at 6:30 PMOur series on “Evil and Good” in fi lms continues with this remarkable movie, marked by Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning performance as Aileen Wuornos, a real-life serial killer and prostitute who murdered at least seven men in Florida. Monster traces her relationship with a young woman named Selby (Christina Ricci, The Ice Storm, Buffalo 66), which intertwines with Wuornos’s murder spree. This morally and emotionally complex fi lm fi nds compassion for Wuornos while unfl inchingly confronting her brutal crimes; it will stick with you for some time afterward. Join us at 6:30 pm in Taylor Hall for refreshments and we will begin the screening at 7:00 pm.
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday April 5th from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm Embodied Prayer: A Half Day Retreat with Hondi Brasco, Krista Miller and Mo. Kate MalinThe experience of God is something impossible to describe by words alone. The arts can help us experience the soul’s longing in symbolic forms and reveal the holy in ways we might not have imagined. We discover, in the process of creating images, aspects of our soul that were not available through other means. Similarly, getting in touch with the bodily aspects of prayer through movement helps us discover subtle differences in prayer postures as a means of encountering the mystery of God. Join us as we use art and movement to open us to the presence of God. Art materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own. All are welcome. $15.00 registration includes lunch and materials. For more information, contact Krista Miller at [email protected].
Save the Date!
Progressive Dinner
Saturday, May 10th
7 Outreach
On Friday, April 4th at 7pm, duo-pianists Mischa and Cipa Dichter will perform on a concert to benefi t Global Aids Interfaith Alliance at Christ Church in Bronxville.
The concert has been organized by the Westchester-Rockland-Putnam chapter of the New York State Music Teachers Association, and will include performances by local children’s choirs and the world premier of a new piece by American Robert Pollock, commissioned for the occasion by the Composers Guild of New Jersey. The featured choirs will be the Primary Choir from Christ Church itself, led by Christopher Wells, the Chapel School Select Choir led by George Heath and the Elementary Children’s Choir from the Reformed Church of Bronxville under the direction of Nell MacDonald. The children will be joined by SHA!Cappella, a group of Bronxville teens led by Walter Dumelle. The Dichters will play Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, the Shostakovich Concertino and the Three Andalusian Dances of Manuel Infante. Following the concert Mr. Dichter will work with young pianists from the area in a short master class. The concert will be the culmination of the Westchester-Rockland-Putnam Music Teachers Association’s 2008 duet festival, “Let’s Duet Together.” Music students of member teachers will participate in a Playathon on the weekend of March 29 th at a number of locations across the county, also donating the funds raised to GAIA. Global Aids Interfaith Alliance is a non-profi t that works primarily in the African nation of Malawi with AIDS victims and their families. A primary focus of its mission is to help children orphaned by the health crisis, which is why the charity was selected as the recipient of this year’s festival fund-raiser. “There is something so wonderful about this, children working to help other children through their music-making.”
Tickets for the concert are available from the Christ Church Parish offi ce, at 17 Sagamore Rd. in Bronxville, or may be reserved by calling (914) 665-2254. Admission is $30 for adults and $10 for seniors and students.
Concert to Benefi t GAIA
Sing For Hope: A Night at the TonysBenefi ting Young at Arts
Cocktails, Hors d’ouevres, The Stars of BroadwayMarch 17th, 2008 at 7:30 PM
The Bronxville Field Club40 Locust Lane, Bronxville
It is Monday night, and Broadway theaters are “dark” as starperformers take their one, day off – but in our community, forthis one Monday night only, the lights will shine as Broadwaycomes to us!Join us for this rare opportunity to see these Broadway starswhile enjoying cockta ils, hors d’ouevres, and a roaring fi re inthe living room of the Bronxville Field Club.
Inspired by her desire to bring the magic of art to all children, 2007 Drama Desk Award-winning Broadway music director and ASTEP Founding Di-rector Mary Mitchell Campbell (Company, Sweeney Todd) leads a star-studded cast including Tituss Burgess (Sebastian in Broadway’s The Little Mermaid), and others in a not-to-be-missed performance of classic Broad-way hits.
Thanks to the generosity of the donating artists, The Bronxville Field Club, Christ Church Bronxville, The Goldman Sachs Foundation, and The City of Mount Vernon all of this evening’s proceeds will go directly to fund the vital mission of Young at Arts.
The SpireChrist Church Bronxville17 Sagamore RoadBronxville, NY 10708-1599
Saturday Mar. 1st 10:00 AM Chorister Training Workshop 7:00 PM CCB Winter Variety Show
Sunday Mar. 2nd 3:00 PM Children’s Lenten Event “Bringing the Bible to Life” (Taylor Hall)
Monday Mar. 3rd 7:30 PM EYC Event (Taylor Hall)
Sunday Mar. 9th 6:45 AM Breakfast Run
Tuesday Mar. 11th 6:00 PM ONE Tuesday/Choir Dinner
Friday Mar. 14th 6:30 PM First Friday Film “Monster”
Sunday Mar. 16th Palm Sunday
Monday Mar. 17th 7:30 PM YAA Fundraiser: A Night at the Tonys
