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Nov 21, 2011 | EDOT Staff

300 Years - One Cathedral, A Singular Work of Inspire Genius

On Wednesday, February 29 you are invited to join with other Episcopal churches and individuals in the Greater Houston area to celebrate the 300 Anniversary of the completion of Sir Christopher Wren’s architectural masterpiece, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.

 

This fundraising dinner will provide the Cathedral with much needed funding to restore the Wren Library and, for the first time, allow public access to it; support the Cathedral in its educational outreach mission to an estimated 14,000 economically disadvantaged children per year, many from the immediate neighborhoods; establish the “Houston Greatest Generation Fund” in honor of those who confronted Nazi tyranny , including the 28,000 US military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice and whose names are inscribed on the Role of Honor in the Cathedral’s  American Memorial Chapel

 

The evening event, A Night in London During the Blitz, will invoke the words and music that helped sustain the hearts and minds of the British people during a most daunting time in their history, described by Churchill as “their finest hour.”   

 

During World War II, the dome’s stubborn survival against the Nazi onslaught came to symbolize the triumph of good over evil, of human rights over the threat of totalitarianism. 

 

The honored guest speaker is Nicholas Soames MP, grandson of Sir Winston Churchill. The evening will draw inspiration from that past, with the sound of pipers, and a stirring grand finale: an old-time sing-along featuring the “hits from the Blitz” in the style of a “Last Night at the Proms.”  The evening also celebrates the enduring significance of this great structure with a personal statement from former Secretary of State George P. Schultz.

 

In addition to helping restore parts of the Cathedral, the event provides you with the unique opportunity to build a personal relationship with what some consider to be the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion.  The Cathedral receives thousands of visitors from America each year. By participating in this event, you can become more that just a visitor. You can become part of the living history of the institution.

 

The dinner will be held at the Houston Country Club on Wednesday, February 29 at 6:30 p.m. Dress is Business Attire or National Dress, and decorations will be worn.  For more information about the evening and to purchase tickets, please go to www.stpaulsusa.org.  And to learn more about St. Paul’s Cathedral, please visit http://www.stpauls.co.uk/.