French Vespers Publicity

Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)

January 6, 2003 Monday

Correction Appended

SECTION: METRO; Pg. 3

LENGTH: 277 words

HEADLINE: Algiers Point church helps kick off bicentennial fling; Luminaries attend celebratory service

BYLINE: By Keith Marshall; Staff writer

BODY:

For the vicar of Mount Olivet Episcopal Church, it was a dream come true. On a typical Sunday, perhaps 25 parishioners assemble in the small wooden church at Algiers Point. Sunday evening, it was standing room only for a Vespers service conducted and sung in French as part of the celebration of the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase.

"We are singing with joy; the land that we celebrate in this service is singing with joy," the Rev. Jean M. Meade told the gathering of more than 200 people. "This gathering shows how many people in this region love the French language and culture."

The audience for one of the first official bicentennial events included former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Lindy Boggs, City Council Member Jackie Clarkson and French Consul General Patrick Rolot and his wife -- as well as a representative of Haiti, Edmond Heberne.

But the real significance of the evening lay in the individual contributions from members of several churches in the area. A U.S. premiere of a French anthem, sung by the Jesuit Boy Choir, as well as canticles and musical arrangements by Albinas Prizgintas, organist at Trinity Episcopal Church, reflected the efforts of many in the community to celebrate the state's French heritage.

At a typical French country reception that followed the service, Boggs reflected on the significance of the evening.

"Where else would you find this kind of enthusiasm for the heritage of France in the New World?" she asked. "It's this spirit of ecumenical participation that makes our celebration unique -- a reflection of how the culture of two centuries ago continues to shape our lives today."

CORRECTION-DATE: January 7, 2003 Tuesday

CORRECTION:

Church is not oldest: A photo caption in Monday's Metro section incorrectly stated that Mount Olivet Episcopal Church in Algiers was the first Episcopal church west of the Mississippi.

GRAPHIC: STAFF PHOTO BY JENNIFER ZDON The congregation enters Mount Olivet Episcopal Church at Algiers Point for a vespers service Sunday commemorating the Louisiana Purchase bicentennial. The service, led by the Rev. Jean Alden M. Meade, vicar, was given in French and English at the first Episcopal church west of the Mississippi -- founded in 1854 -- to a standing-room-only crowd. [103920]

LOAD-DATE: January 6, 2003

Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)

January 5, 2003 Sunday

Correction Appended

SECTION: METRO; Pg. 1

LENGTH: 459 words

HEADLINE: Louisiana Purchase is celebrated;

Algiers church to host French prayer service

BYLINE: By Dennis Persica; West Bank bureau

BODY:

The commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase kicks into high gear with a vespers service in French at an Algiers church today and a talk by the author of a new book on America's most significant land deal next weekend.

The sale of the nearly 900,000-square-mile Louisiana Territory from France to the United States was negotiated in April 1803, and the land was transferred that December. A full calendar of events is planned throughout the state this year leading up to Dec. 20, when the transfer of the territory to the United States will be re-enacted at the Cabildo.

The vespers, or evening prayer, service will begin today at 5 p.m. at Mount Olivet Episcopal Church, 530 Pelican Ave., in Algiers Point. The service will be conducted in French and will be followed by a wine-and-cheese reception.

Albinas Prizgintas, the music director at Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans, composed music for the service. Soprano Marina Hayman of New Orleans and contralto Susan Carswell of Mandeville are the soloists. The Jesuit High School chorus also will sing.

The church, built in 1854, is one of the oldest still in use in Louisiana.

LOAD-DATE: January 6, 2003

Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)

January 5, 2003 Sunday

SECTION: LIVING; CLASSICAL NOTES; Pg. 11

LENGTH: 478 words

HEADLINE: Bicentennial puts the focus on French music

BYLINE: By Keith Marshall; Classical Music Writer

BODY:

Throughout the year, classical music celebrations of the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial will abound -- from chamber music to an opera based on the life of the Baroness Pontalba. One of the first takes place today in a small wood-frame church in the Algiers Point historic district. Founded in 1846, Mount Olivet, a picturesque structure that dates from 1854, is said to be the oldest Episcopal church west of the Mississippi. The moving force behind the performance is the Rev. Dr. Jean Meade, an enthusiast of French language and history.

"The Vicar of Mount Olivet," said Meade. "That's my title. It sounds so English, don't you think? But I bring a passion for French history and music to the church."

Meade spent the month of August assisting at the American Cathedral in Paris. By the time she returned to New Orleans, she was determined to assemble all forces necessary to present a celebration of Vespers (evening prayer) in French at the church. The resulting "priere du soir" will honor both the bicentennial and "the deliverance of our city at the Battle of New Orleans."

Meade first sought the advice of Albinas Prizgintas, music director of Trinity Episcopal Church, in her search for two French canticles she could use in the service. Instead, he composed two new pieces, in French, a Cantique de Marie (Magnificat) and Cantique de Simeon (Nunc Dimittis)."I was astonished at this wonderful, loving gift. But he didn't stop there; he also arranged a traditional French carol to serve as the anthem."

Meade was on her way. Her next step was to e-mail to the cantor of the American Cathedral: Could she find a version in French of a particular hymn that Meade could use to conclude the service? No problem.

"Things kept happening," Meade added. "Aaron Ambeau, choral director at Jesuit High School, heard of the service and asked if his chorus could perform "Antienne a la Sainte Marie," a work he discovered in a Cistercian Monastery in Provence. It has been performed only at Jesuit, so this will be something of a public U. S. premiere."

The ecumenical service begins at 5 p. m. at Mount Olivet Episcopal Church, 530 Pelican Ave., on Algiers Point, and is free and open to the public. (The order of service will be printed in both French and English.) Afterward, the congregation can join in a traditional French celebration of "galette des rois" (French king cake), wine and cheese.

. . . . . . .

Keith Marshall can be reached at kmarshall£timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3466.

LOAD-DATE: January 6, 2003

Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)

April 24, 2003 Thursday

SECTION: ALGIERS PICAYUNE; Keeping the Faith; Pg. 1

LENGTH: 1136 words

HEADLINE: Local church offers service in French

BODY:

Mount Olivet Episcopal Church, 530 Pelican Ave., Algiers Point, will hold a Vespers service in French on Sunday at 5 p.m. as part of the commemoration of the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase.

The service will be followed by a reception with wine and cheese in the parish hall and garden.

Vespers, or priere du soir, is derived from the Benedictine tradition, and is a service in which people of different faith traditions can participate, said the Rev. Dr. Jean McCurdy Meade, pastor of Mount Olivet. The program will be printed in English and French so everyone can follow it, and some of the singing will be in English.

The Mount Olivet Choir, joined by singers from other parishes, will lead the music under the direction of Lisa Cairns, the church organist-choir director. The Venerable Ormonde Plater, archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, will chant the Gospel.

The public is invited to attend.

LOAD-DATE: April 24, 2003