Ruin to Renewal: A Creole Evensong
The Clergy and People of the Downtown Deanery of New Orleans,
Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana
All Souls, Grace, Holy Comforter, Mount Olivet, St. Anna’s, St Luke’s, St. Mark’s, St. Paul’s, St. Philip’s,
invite you to Evensong
at Grace Church
3700 Canal Street (on the Canal Street streetcar line)
New Orleans, Louisiana
at 6PM
Friday September 21, 2007
In traditional languages of New Orleans
(French, Spanish, and English)
with traditional New Orleans and Louisiana music
(Jazz, Gospel, a prayer drum circle, organ and choirs, and more)
Several of our churches in this deanery were flooded or otherwise sustained great damage from hurricane Katrina two years ago (and St. Mary’s, Chalmette, was destroyed.) Through the generosity of Episcopalians and others all over the country, and because of enormous hard work of clergy, parishioners and deeply appreciated volunteers who have come to help us out, most of our churches are restored. Grace Church, which has murals by the noted 20th Century Louisiana artist John McCrady, took on 5 feet of water. The murals are up so high they were not ruined, thank the Lord. Here is a chance to come and see the restoration, admire the murals, listen to and sing along with the music, and be renewed as you participate in the spiritual and physical renewal of Grace, and of all our restored churches, by your prayers and presence.
The service will be led by the Very Rev Dr. Jean McCurdy Meade, Dean of the Downtown Deanery, assisted by Deanery clergy, including Fr. Stephen Craft, Rector of St Philip’s, and Fr. Shola Falodun, Rector of the newly–formed All Souls in the 9th ward. Fr. Walter Baer, Rector of Grace Church will give the welcome and Fr. Will Hood, Rector of St. Paul’s, which also had severe flood damage, will preach. Fr. Bill Terry, Rector of St. Anna’s, has arranged for all the musicians; Fr. Richard Banks, Chaplain at Holy Comforter and of the Hispanic Ministry at Grace is coordinating the Spanish language part of the service. Dr. Meade and Deacon Ormonde Plater are coordinating the French. The bulletin will be in all three languages.
A festive reception, organized by Noretta Stackel of Mount Olivet, president of the Louisiana Episcopal Church Women, and all the ECW members of the Deanery, along with Deacons John Holbert and Quin Bates, will follow with a Zydeco band for dancing. On display in the adjacent chapel will be WATERLINE, a photo installation by Bette Kauffman. The photo installation consists of 8x12 photographs of flooded houses and buildings mounted on white foam core and installed edge-to-edge with only the waterline in each photograph aligned.