[Magdalen] Funeral Service at Saint Martin's, Houston.

[Eleanor Braun]

Well it pretty much followed the BCP Rite 1 burial service.

A tiny detail that threw me off....in the retiring procession both the US
flag and the Texas flag were carried, but not the Episcopal flag. I've
never seen a state flag in procession, and these days very rarely the US
flag.

Eleanor

On Sat, Apr 21, 2018 at 2:07 PM, cantor03--- via Magdalen <
magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:

>
>
>
> Even though I tuned in somewhat late, I saw the
> entire Barbara Bush televised funeral service.
>
> Funerals tend to be highly personal, even sometimes
> in denominations with a strong fixed liturgy like the
> Anglican churches.  This funeral seemed not to evidence
> much from the Anglican Tradition, being as it was a sort
> of free form prayer service with no reference to either
> the Prayer Book Eucharist or Morning Prayer.  The BCP
> final Burial Office and the opening funeral anthems were used.
>
> There were two standard hymns that one finds across the
> board in the various Christian denominations, including
> that ever popular "Amazing Grace," augmented with
> trumpets on the last verse that made it seem to be out
> of an English Coronation.
>
> Saint Martin's is newish, and very large by USA standards.  Even
> with the place packed for this funeral, there appeared to be at
> least a 3-4 second reverberation time.  What a marvelous
> place for choral music.
>
> Two Protestant warhorses sung by church choir and a soloist
> were "In the Garden," and "Jerusalem."  They are (?too)
> frequently heard in my family Methodist Church, and in this case,
> must have been something the senior Bushes brought with them
> from (was it?) their youthful Presbyterian background.  Barbara Bush
> was apparently Confirmed in 2015.  At least that's what the Rector
> of Saint Martin's implied.
>
> Several bishops in rochet and chimere were there, and the Bishop
> of Texas gave the final Comendation and Blessing.
>
>
> David S.
>