The Rev. Barkley Thompson has accepted the call to be the ninth dean and 20th rector of Christ Church Cathedral. Thompson has served as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roanoke, Va., since 2007. He will assume his new role on February 7 of next year and his first day to preach and celebrate will be Sunday, Feb-ruary 24.

Thompson’s tenure at St. John’s was marked by growth, includ-ing the establishment of endow-ment and capital funds, the restoration of the church building and organ, and the revitaliza-tion of programming for children and youth.

Before becoming rector of St. John’s, Thompson led a “restart” parish in a sub-urb of Memphis, Tenn., which grew from 40

One of the wisest people (and best preachers) I have known was a great enthusiast for the “ecumenical move-ment” toward restoring the visible unity of whole Church. He said that he would like to spend a year going between all the great divided families of the Church to appreciate the unique gifts of each.

He would spend Eas-ter with the Russian Orthodox for the grandeur of their celebration of the Res-urrection, Lent in a Benedictine monas-tery because of the ordered simplicity of life there, Holy Week with the Lutherans because of their insistence on the central-ity of the Cross, and so on.

But Christmas he would keep in one of the great Cathedrals of the Church of England because of the central place the Incarnation has in the heart of Anglicans. We have always affirmed first and fore-most that God is with us in Jesus Christ, “the Word made flesh,” who dwelt and dwells among us.

The Incarnation is at the heart of our daily lives. We can be confident that God is with us, because Christ came in the flesh to be among us and give himself to us. This is why we gather at his table every Sunday.

He is with those we love, in the midst of our families gathered on Christmas and every day, as well as with those we may not much understand or like. He is there in the crowds on Christmas, in the beautiful and in the homely, in the grand and the poor among us. He is there in the flesh and blood and hearts of them all.

Because “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.” And we be-held his glory, Christmas and every day.

See you all on Christmas gathered at his table.

The Word made flesh

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRALAn Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas

CHRISTMAS 2012CHRISTCHURCHCATHEDRAL.ORG

THE REV. ED STEIN

Christmas EveMonday, December 24

4:00Family Service, Holy Eucharist Rite II,

and the Christmas Play. Childcare is available at this service.

6:00Festival Eucharist, Rite II, in Spanish

7:30Organ Prelude by Bruce Power

8:00Choral Eucharist, Rite II, with Parish Choir

10:30Prelude with Cathedral Choir and Orchestra

11:00Festival Eucharist, Rite I,

with the Cathedral Choir, Orchestra and TimpaniBishop Andrew Doyle, celebrant

Christmas Services

Christmas DayTuesday, December 25

10:00Eucharist and Carols

Cathedral names new dean

The Rev. Barkley Thompson

members to over 400 in four years.In a letter to the Cathedral community, the

members of the search committee expressed their enthusiasm for the new dean. “Barkley has a deep and abiding appreciation for

NEW DEAN, back

b In memory of their nephew, Tyler Bludau, and in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Fred Grimes Sr. and of Gavin Franco by Shirley Bludau and Mike Grimes.

b In memory of Lucinda Blakely by Sam and Dorothy Crocker.b In loving memory of the Rev. Hope Jenneker and of Lillian

Puccio by the Coulson family.b In thanksgiving for the lives of Dawson Hamilton, Bea

Powell, Donna Berglund, Enid McNiece, Jim Brannon and Joy Stapp by the Coulson family.

b To her all-forgiving family: Marie, Janet, Doreen and Joan, with love from Roni.

b Asking His blessing on the Altar Guild, The Beacon, Tuesday Morning Women’s Bible Study Group, the Rev. Jimmy Grace, Ramona and the prayer shawl ministry by Roni Coulson.

b In honor of John’s parents, Martha and Charles Unger, and of Kathy’s aunt, Elizabeth Welch Doyle, by Kathy Welch and John Unger.

b In memory of her husband, Mack Goble; her brother, Jim B. Russell III; and her son-in-law, Kent Smith, by Dolores Goble.

b In memory of Bill Young and Donna Young by the Bill Young family.

b In loving memory of her mother, Diane Tobola, and in thanksgiving for their children, Grady and Tillie, by Erin and Toby McMillin.

b In fondest memory of Charles E. Sanders by Rana Sanders.b In appreciation of the contributions to the life of the

Cathedral by the Bookstore by Wendy Bentlif.b In loving memory of Kent H. Smith by his wife, Carolyn, and

his son, Clarke.b In loving memory of Mack Goble by his daughter, Carolyn,

and his grandson, Clarke.b In loving memory of Jay Barnhart by Carolyn Goble Smith

and family.b In honor of Dolores Goble for her courage and grace by her

daughter, Carolyn, and her grandson, Clarke.b In loving memory of John D. Kirkland by Kate S. Kirkland.b In thanksgiving for the Martin family: Heather, Scott, Abigail

and Katherine by Donna Boyd.b In memory of Howard Barnstone, Robert C. Richter Sr. and

Madie M. Richter, Eugenia Richardson, Robert McKann, and Foxy by Robert C. Richter Jr.

b In memory of his beloved grandfathers, Etwin Warschak and Jerry Brown, and in honor of his very special and loving parents, Michael and Darlene Brown, by Eric Brown.

b In thanksgiving for the Priest Crew: Brooke, Ryan, Jackson, Mason and Allison by Donna Boyd.

b In loving memory of John Eikenburg by his family.b In appreciation of the dedicated service of our housekeepers,

Blanca Ortiz, Victoria Avila and Liz Henderson, and of our sextons, Ardell Ray, James Taylor, Frank Guevara and Larry Thomas, by “Doc.”

b In loving memory of Edward B. Mayo by Donna K. Donelson and William F. Lassiter.

b In honor of the marriage of Harry Webb to Diane Borchardt by Adrienne and Stewart Braden.

b In loving memory of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Schindler, by Ron Schindler.

b In memory of her father, Jack Moore, and her grandparents, F. I. and Laura Moore and Alvin and Roxie Ann Hayes, by Andrea Moore.

b In loving memory of Robert Pulley by Donna K. Donelson.b In loving memory of beloved mom Phyllis Webb; uncles

Alex, Pete and Philip; Webb and Keese grandparents; niece Kelley Maddox; dear friends Stu and Cynthia Hellmann; and cherished father, Robert Braden, by Adrienne and Stewart Braden.

b In loving memory of her parents, Neva and Henry Donelson; her grandparents, Jim and Ellen Thrift; and her beloved Ada Mouton Chandler by Donna K. Donelson.

b In memory of Garrett Luce, Carolyn McLemore, Kenneth Trace Grantham, Nicholas Leon Howard III and Carter J. Hamilton by Michael and Lillian Howard.

b In memory of her mothers, Frances L’Huillier and Mid Adams, and of her husbands, Ken McBeth Sr., and Bill Auvenshine, by Martha Frances.

b In honor of Dr. Leah Ellen Harrison, celebrating her dedicated service to the Religion and the Arts Council, and in loving honor of his partner of fourteen years, Gary Don Foy, by George Thomas Parsons III.

b In memory of Joseph Adams Harris Scott and of Harvey Mellor Shepherd Jr. and in honor of Emily Scott Shepherd by Sister Mary Winifred.

b In loving memory of Steven Oaks by Susan Oaks and Mary Jones.

b In memory of Paul Bayless Harrison, beloved husband; of Sam and Helen Miller, beloved parents; and of Emma White, beloved sister, by Blanche Harrison.

b In memory of Robert Donald Strong and of Henry and Frieda Weick by Sylvia Strong.

b In loving memory of Gilda and James Dadura by Anne Dadura.

b In memory of her husband, William F. Woods III, by Anne R.Woods.

b In honor of their grandchildren, Rosie, Charlie, Inga and Lucy, by James W. and Janie T. Stevens.

b In memory of Joseph and Lillian Puccio by their family.b In memory of Anne Hall, Ronald Hall, Laura Hall and Robert

Green by Lisa Puccio.b In memory of Barbara Karkabi by Annie Benzon.b In memory of Mike Deily by Linnet F. Deily.

Poinsettias at the Rood Screen are given to the glory of God and ...

PoinsettiasChristmas Poinsettias

PoinsettiasChristmas Flowers and Wreaths

b The Advent wreath is given to the glory of God in thanksgiving for the life and work of Jane Brown, Judy Drury and Mary Clarke Mackenzie.

b The candles on the Advent wreath are given to the glory of God in thanksgiving for the life and work of Helen Ann Fisher, Norma Jane Hagan, Ella Mae Hayslip and Norma Jones.

b The greens at the lectern are given to the glory of God in loving memory of John Leroy Jeffers; John Leroy Jeffers Jr, Adrienne Elise Jeffers, Henry Malcolm Lovett, Martha Wicks Lovett, Isham Marion Wilford and Marge Burkhead Wilford by Mary Nell and Malcolm Lovett.

b The greens at the pulpit are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. William A. Kirkland, Mr. and Mrs. A. S. Cleveland, and Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Cleveland Jr. by their family.

b The garlands and flowers on the Rood Screen are given to the glory of God in loving memory Elbert E. Adkins Jr., Henrietta Cargill Adkins and Barbara Sheddon Adkins by their family.

b The flowers at the World War I Memorial are given to the glory of God in thanksgiving for the ministry of Bob Simpson, Bruce Power and the choirs of the Cathedral.

b The flowers at the World War II Memorial are given to the glory of God.

b The wreaths on each side of the nave are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Hugo V. Neuhaus Jr.

b The trees at the sides of the Cathedral Altar are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Jim and Margaret Elkins at Christmas time.

b The poinsettias on the Cathedral Altar are given to the glory of God in loving memory of her husband, Leroy Jeffers, of her son, John Jeffers, and of her granddaughter, Adrienne Elise Jeffers, by Nell Jeffers; to the glory of God in loving memory of Robert Cummins Stuart and Frances Wells Stuart, Rosa Allen Williams, Philip Carleton Koelsch, Rosalie Bosworth Ulmer, Laurence Sautelle Bosworth Jr. and Eloise Shipper Bosworth by Mr. and Mrs. James Gary Ulmer; to the glory of God in loving memory of his father, Nathan Avery, by Mr. and Mrs. Nathan M. Avery; to the glory of God in loving memory of her husband, Thomas Woodward Houghton, of her mother, Dorothy Trone Howe Dupree, and of her father, Knox Briscoe Howe, by Dorothy Knox Houghton.

b The red berries on the Cathedral Altar are given to the glory of God in appreciation for the beauty of Christ Church Cathedral by Charles King Sanders.

b The wreath over the chancel steps is given to the glory of God in memory of her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. S. J. Bain; her parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Haralson; her aunt, Mrs. Sam Wheeler; Sam Wheeler Jr.; Bill Hinnant; and her cousin, Winifred Bain Hinnant, by Mrs. Gary Pearson.

b The garlands and flowers on the choir stalls are given to the glory of God in memory of their parents: Roy Lemuel Nolen Jr., Elizabeth Larkin Nolen Andrew, James Rotefer Thomas and Frances McNeill Thomas by Roy and Evelyn Nolen.

b The wreaths on the choir stalls are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Scott Cawley by his family.

b The greens and flowers at the baptismal font and the flowers in the Chapel of the Christ Child are given to the glory of God in memory of James Walker Cain and Lella Dixon Cain, James Walker Cain Jr., and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Northrop Peck by Dixon Hill Cain and Suzanne Peck Cain.

b The wreath over the east transept door is given to the glory of God in loving memory of Valerie Cox.

b The wreath over the west transept door is given to the glory of God in loving memory of O. Jack Mitchell by his wife, Carolyn, and their sons, Jay and Mark.

b The flowers between the Ashe and Fitch windows are given annually by the Vestry in memory of Mary Louis Fitch Soule to the glory of God in loving memory of her grandmother, Sally Anderson Ashe, and her parents, Charles Louis and Sally Ashe Fitch.

b The wreath over the door from the bell porch into the nave is given to the glory of God in loving memory of Robert Weldon Maurice and Robert Grey Himan by the Maurice family.

b The wreaths on the front doors of the Cathedral are given to the glory of God in loving memory of James Reed and Flora Baggett Cox by James R. Cox Jr.

b The wreaths in the Columbarium are given to the glory of God in remembrance of Ann T. Ruhl, Larry V. Ruhl and Joseph M. Shockler by Daniel Ruhl.

b The wreaths on the doors of the Golding Chapel are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Jesse Rosenfield and Olla Faye Simmons Sharman, Joanne Cristiana Sowell, and William Michael and Estelle McCraney Cassin by the Thomas Cassin family.

b The candles on the Advent wreath in the Golding Chapel are given to the glory of God in appreciation of the wedding guild: Mary Ann Cobb, Vicki Cawley, Bruce Power, Officer Gau, Ardell Ray, Houston Sound and Anne Shepard.

The Cathedral

at Christmas

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Houston, Texas

PERMIT No. 64041117 Texas AvenueHouston, Texas 77002-3183

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Did you know you can read The Bulletin on our website? If you’d like to go “online-only,” contact Anne Shepard at ashepard@christchurchcathedral.org or call her at 713-590-3301.

Help distribute poinsettiasIt is a custom at the Cathedral on the First Sun-

day of Christmas to deliver poinsettias to mem-bers of the Cathedral family who are ill or, for other reasons, were unable to be present for the Christmas services as a symbol of their inclusion in our thoughts and prayers. All members of the congregation are invited to participate in this ministry. Following each service on December 30, come to the columbarium area, where plants and cards addressed to recipients will be avail-able. If you wish to include someone who might otherwise be missed, please come and pick up a plant for that person also.

Service remembers loved ones at ChristmasAs the Christmas season ap-

proaches, many may feel that they should be especially happy and joyful during this time of the year. Quite often, though, this season can be a reminder of the loss of a loved one, of an illness or of a broken rela-tionship that has not been restored. The holiday season often intensifies the emotions, and the painful feel-

ings become greater than ever.In order to acknowledge those

who are hurting and to provide hope in moving forward, a Eucha-rist of Remembrance will be held on Friday, December 21, at 6 p.m. in the Chapel. This service will be a reminder that even in our darkest hour, God stands with us and reas-sures us that we are not alone.

Give a lift to others this holidayMany parishioners are unable to attend evening

events at the Cathedral because infirmities do not permit them to drive at night. Please help us spread the joy of the holidays by offering a ride to and from any of the special services and events at the Cathe-dral during the Advent and Christmas seasons. If you would like to participate in this temporary “special chauffeuring” ministry, please call 713-222-2593.

traditional Episcopalian liturgy and music that should make him feel right at home at the Cathedral,” they wrote. “He also shares with us a love of and commitment to urban ministry.”

Bishop C. Andrew Doyle said he looks forward to working with the new dean. “I am delighted to welcome Barkley Thompson as our new dean of Christ Church Cathedral and as a new clergy member of the Diocese of Texas,” he stated. “I know Barkley’s deep faith, exceptional preaching and proven leadership qualities will bring a renewed excitement to the congre-gation.”

Thompson is a trustee of the Semi-nary of the Southwest in Austin from which he received his Master of Di-vinity in 2003. He also holds a master’s degree in religious studies from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Hendrix College in Con-way, Ark.

Thompson and his wife, Jill, have two children, Griffin and Eliza. The family will join him in Houston at the end of the school year in June.

Look for an interview with the Rev. Barkley Thompson in the January is-sue of The Bulletin or visit the Cathe-dral website to learn more about our new dean and his family.

NEW DEAN, from cover