St. Paul’s hosts Assumption Feast, filling in for stricken Christ Church

August 17, 2012 By Francesca Norsen Tate, Religion Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Christ Church-Cobble Hill for many years has hosted summer feast day Eucharist liturgies and cookouts, on the Fourth of July and on Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the Deanery of St. Mark, a cluster of Episcopal parishes in western Brooklyn.

But this month, following a July 26 storm that led to a lightning strike and the tragic death of a passerby, as well as to severe damage to church building, St. Paul’s Church will host the Assumption Day feast and barbecue, on Saturday, Aug. 18.

The clergy and music directors of both churches decided to go ahead with the Eucharist and barbecue, as a way to bring the community together during this crucial time, and to hold it on a weekend when more could attend. The Feast of the Assumption (Dormition in the Eastern Orthodox tradition) is observed on Aug. 15, which falls on a Wednesday this year.

St. Paul’s Church is at Clinton and Carroll streets, five blocks south of Christ Church.

As of press time, the scheduled guest preacher is the Rev. Deacon Chris Ballard, curate at St. Luke-St. Matthew Episcopal Church in Ft. Greene. A joint choir, under the direction of Christ Church’s music director, Don Barnum, will sing works honoring the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. Motets include are Ave Maria (Arcadelt setting); Gloria, set to a Morley fauxbourdon, O Gloriosa Virginum of Palestrina; Laudemus Virginum (Medieval setting), O Sacred Feast (20th century composer Healy Willan).

The Eucharist starts at 4 p.m. and the cookout follows.