[Magdalen] Reformation and Forgiveness

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

Earlier this year marked the passing of J. Christoph Arnold, a leader of
the local Bruderhof, an Anabaptist Community located near us. Arnold has
written a great deal about forgiveness, and a new work was premiered here
using his words as the text.

This time also marks the Reformation (the 99 theses) of 1517.

We sang a piece by Mendelssohn, a cantata by James Fitzwilliam (based on
selections from Arnold's words), and Bach's "Ein' feste Burg". It's all
here on this clip. Some discussion at the beginning briefly clarifies how
it all came about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAlEAUoca5I&feature=youtu.be&t=0m01s

This space is the former seminary of Mount Saint Alphonsus, which the
Bruderhof purchased from the RCC a few years ago, and has spent a great
deal of time and money re-purposing as a residence and school. The details
of the chapel are truly breathtaking. I just returned from a trip to
Europe, and this space compares very favorably with a lot of superb spaces
we visited over there.

A terrific day was had by all. Enjoy!

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy