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The
feast of Pentecost celebrates the gift of God’s Spirit
to the church, which enables it to carry on the ministry
of Jesus Christ in the world today. Sometimes called the
“birthday” of the church, the historical Pentecost story
tells of flames like fire over the disciples’ heads as
they were filled with power and emboldened to speak in
Jerusalem of the life of Jesus and the meaning of the
recent events that they had just witnessed (crucifixion,
resurrection, etc). The Feast of Pentecost begins the
longest season in the Church’s liturgical calendar,
lasting until Advent – 4 weeks before Christmas – begins
a new church year.
Christ Church of Hamilton/Wenham has a
long tradition of participation in, and encouragement
of, the various arts that enhance liturgy and worship –
visual arts, music, performance, dance, etc. The
Liturgical Arts Committee is a loosely organized group
comprised of poets, writers, artists, musicians and
people interested in utilizing these elements as part of
corporate worship. The committee, led by Christ Church
Rector, The Rev. Jurgen Liias, invites and seeks out
members of the parish and larger community willing to
pursue ideas and helps them implement and incorporate
these ideas to enrich the worship life of the Church.
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This liturgical work of art consists of
over 60 colored silk banners suspended from the ceiling
of Christ Church, stretching from the large stained
glass “Resurrection Window” over the altar all the way
to the back wall of the Nave (about 50 feet). Each
banner ranges in size from 8’ to 12’ long and from 12”
to 40” wide. The colors are taken from the stained glass
windows of the church. The composition is designed to
look as if the colors and shapes of the silk emanate
from the window over the altar and flow back across the
congregation to the “flame” windows on the rear wall.
Conception and design of “A Visual Presence” is by
church member Ruth Susen Riley, a professional visual
artist from Newburyport. The banners were sewn by ten
church members: Pat Beckwith, Gwen Carr, Amy Deik,
Fozzie Hill, Margery Kennelly, Rose Osborne, Ruth Riley,
Huntley Skinner, Carol Tischner and Penny Wingate.
Construction and installation work was done by Ruth
Susen Riley and seminarian Bill Mackey with help from
The Rev. Martha Giltinan, Tom and Huntley Skinner,
George and Penny Wingate and Karen O’Keefe.
Christ
Church
PO Box 2057
149 Asbury St.
South Hamilton, Mass 01982
(978) 468-4461
Ruth Susen Riley can be emailed at
ruth@rsrileyfineart.com |
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