Change Font Size:   A A A

Jul 08, 2011

Celebrating 300 years of St. Paul's with Houston Fundraiser

St. Paul's
St. Paul's Cathedral during the bombing of London

On Tuesday, October 25, Episcopal churches and individuals in the Greater Houston area will celebrate the 300th Anniversary of the completion of Sir Christopher Wren’s architectural masterpiece, St. Paul’s Cathedral.

 

This fundraising dinner will provide the Cathedral with much needed funds to restore the Wren Library and, for the first time, allow public access to it; establish a named fund in honor of the “Greatest Generation”,  the 28,000 military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice and whose names are inscribed on the Role of Honor in the American Memorial Chapel; and support the Cathedral in its missions and outreach to the 14,000 economically disadvantaged children per year, many from the immediate neighborhoods.

 

The evening event, A Night in London During the Blitz, will present the sights, smells and sounds of a daunting time in history and remind us of what Sir Winston Churchill called England’s “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 Dean of the Cathedral, Bishop Graeme Knowles, will be in Houston for an evening that recalls and draws inspiration from that past, with the sound of pipers and the lifting of song, and celebrates the future of this great structure with a personal statement from Secretary George Schultz and other luminaries. 

 

In addition to helping restore parts of the Cathedral, the event provides the unique opportunity to build a personal relationship with what some consider to be the mother church of the Anglican Communion. The Cathedral experiences thousands of visitors from America each year. By participating in this event, patrons can become more than just a visitor. They can become part of the history of the institution.

 

The dinner will be held at the Houston Country Club on Tuesday, October 25 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/.