The CATHEDRAL TIMES

The Feast Day Of Thomas Aquinas

By the Very Rev. Sam Candler, Dean of the Cathedral

The Episcopal Church, in our appointed feast days, actually remembers the brilliant Roman Catholic theologian, Thomas Aquinas. Of course, when Aquinas lived in the 13th century, the Episcopal Church (as the Church of England) was still a part of the Western Catholic Church centered in Rome. His feast day is January 28.

Here at the Cathedral of St. Philip, in Atlanta, some eight centuries after Thomas lived and thousands of miles from where he lived, we will observe the Feast of Thomas Aquinas at our afternoon evensong on Sunday, January 29.

Amidst the profound theology of Thomas, he also wrote texts for hymns. And he wrote two famous texts for the Feast of Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ). One such text was the hymn we often sing at communion, “Humbly I Adore Thee.” What a beautiful opening stanza, translated as, “Humbly I adore thee, verity unseen/ Whom thy glory hidest, ‘neath these shadows mean.”

I give thanks for his life and theology, by combining his spirit with that of Teilhard de Chardin; and I write my own poem this week as a tribute to them. Here it is:

HOLY COMMUNION (a sonnet after Aquinas and Teilhard)

The ocean and the beach are the wine and the bread, The chalice and the paten who nourish the world. The sea and the earth are the chalice and the paten, The golden dome and the generous plate.

The marsh creek and mud are the blood and the body, The holy mysteries offered twice daily in the tide.

“O memorial wondrous, of the Lord’s own death; Living Bread that givest all thy creatures breath, Grant my spirit ever by thy life may live, To my taste thy sweetness never failing give.”

So I sing to the earth and the sea. So I offer my heart and desire.

The hovering sky overhead is the Spirit, With warm and wild illuminating fire.

This SUNDAY

8:45 A.M., 11:15 A.M. AND 4 P.M.: IN-PERSON AND ONLINE

CATHEDRALATL.ORG / THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. PHILIP APP / FACEBOOK / YOUTUBE

7:45 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, MIKELL CHAPEL

Celebrant and Preacher: The Rev. Canon George Maxwell

8:45 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, CATHEDRAL

Celebrant: The Rev. Canon George Maxwell

Preacher: The Very Rev. Sam Candler

Cathedral Singers:

William Mathias (1934-1992), Let the people praise thee, O God

Philip Stopford (b. 1977), The Beatitudes

11:15 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, CATHEDRAL

Celebrant: The Rev. Canon George Maxwell

Preacher: The Very Rev. Sam Candler

Cathedral Choir:

Ēriks Ešenvalds (b. 1977), Beatitudes II

Ēriks Ešenvalds, O salutaris hostia

11:15 A.M. LA SANTA EUCARISTÍA, MIKELL CHAPEL

Officiant and Preacher: The Rev. Deacon Juan Sandoval

4 P.M. CHORAL EVENSONG FOR THE FEAST OF THOMAS AQUINAS, CATHEDRAL

Officiant and Preacher: The Very Rev. Sam Candler

Cathedral Schola:

Käthe Wright Kaufman, Preces & Responses

Hugh Blair (1864-1932) in B minor

Ēriks Ešenvalds (b. 1977), O salutaris hostia

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), O sacrum convivium

Cathedral GIVING BY DESIGN

This weekend we celebrated the inaugural Cathedral Giving By Design, which carried on many of the traditions of the 50 years of the Cathedral Antiques Show in a new format. Friday night kicked off the festivities with a “Welcome Home” party and live auction, and Saturday we gathered to hear an esteemed panel of experts discuss design trends, all followed by the Tour of Homes.

Many thanks to all who supported the event, with proceeds going to the incredible work of Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence.

Sunday Afternoon Recitals

JOSEPH RUSSELL, ORGAN

St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29 — 3:15 P.M.

IN-PERSON AND ONLINE AT CATHEDRALATL.ORG/RECITALS

John Weaver (1937-2021), Fantasia for Organ Frank Bridge (1879-1941), Adagio in E Major

Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933), Clair de lune, Op. 72, No. 2

Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933), Rondo alla Campanella, Op. 156 Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986), “Toccata” from Suite, Op. 5

Outreach

ST. VERONICA’S GUILD EPIPHANY DRIVE Q&A

During St. Veronica’s January Epiphany Drive, common questions asked at the Atrium table on Sundays include:

Q: Who benefits from the funds you are raising?

A: The funds help underwrite the cost of personal care items like soap and toothpaste that the Guild provides throughout the year to Crossroads Community Ministries, Church of the Common Ground, Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, and Emmaus House.

Q: Are you buying the soap, toothpaste, etc. that you give?

A: Yes. In the first weeks of the pandemic we realized we could not collect items from donors, but ministries urgently needed many supplies like soap to help people maintain personal hygiene. Serendipitously, we learned that by purchasing in bulk we could meet the specific needs of ministries as well as check quality and control cost. We have continued the practice, as it also consistently provides the total amounts needed by the ministries.

Q: If I have collected lotion, shampoo, soap, etc. on trips, can I still give them to you?

A: Yes, new, unopened items can be left in the Information/ Security Office and will be distributed to the ministries. We appreciate the support of our ministry.

Q: What is the significance of the camel logo for the Epiphany Drive?

A: Glad you asked. The Wise Men reportedly rode camels to bring their gifts to the Christ Child. We hope the camel logo inspires gifts. Although the official Epiphany Drive is ending this month, all monetary donations small and sizeable made during the year will be gratefully received and carefully used to purchase the thousands of personal care items given throughout the year.

Donate at the Atrium kiosk, or cathedralATL.org/epiphany.