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

[Marion Thompson]

I began to watch around Jeb Bush’s remarks.  Didn’t enjoy the fleshy voices of the choir ladies, but the effect was great when the organ was going full tilt and all were signing Joyful Joyful.   Big music and spectacle always moves me.  Whatever deal she may have made with the devil, Melania always looks dignified in public, and yes, in the glimpses I saw she was smiling and relaxed beside Obama.

Marion, a pilgrim

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Marion Thompson
Sent: April 21, 2018 3:22 PM
To: magdalen at herberthouse.org
Subject: RE: [Magdalen] Funeral Service at Saint Martin's, Houston.

And somewhere near the end, was it the Bishop of our great state Texas – oh my.

Marion, a pilgrim

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From: Eleanor Braun
Sent: April 21, 2018 2:18 PM
To: Magdalen
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Funeral Service at Saint Martin's, Houston.

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.
>