Community invited to remember loved ones at Requiem Eucharist
Saturday, Nov. 2
Time: 6.00 pm
Admission: free
Requiem Eucharist for All Souls’ Day
All Souls’ Day is the time in the Christian calendar when people come together to remember once again their deceased loved ones. This year, on Nov. 2, Christ Church Cathedral is inviting the community to enjoy a special piece of music and see their loved ones’ names in a visual display. The Saturday service will feature the much-loved Requiem by Maurice Duruflé.
To submit names of the departed to be included in the display, email mmcdonald@christchurchcathedral.bc.ca or drop by the cathedral before Oct. 29, where you’ll find a form set up just inside the main sanctuary. Calligraphers and artists will write each name to create a collage.
Maurice Duruflé’s 1948 Requiem is considered the pinnacle of 20th-century French composition. Rooted deeply in Duruflé’s own spirituality and love of plainsong, this gossamer work sets texts from the “Mass for the Dead.” “A requiem, which translates roughly as “remember or memory” is a piece of music which honours the dead,” said Donald Hunt, director of music at Christ Church Cathedral. “As human beings, for ages we’ve been compelled to ritualize our sorrows, and a cathedral filled with beautiful music is a fitting atmosphere to listen, contemplate, and bring those feelings together as one.”
This piece will be offered liturgically by the Cathedral Choir (Donald Hunt, director) and organist Mark McDonald, assistant director of music at the cathedral. Admission is free, and a freewill collection will be taken during the service for the work of the cathedral.