There is a Christmas story that every new member of the Church of the Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square learns soon after joining.
It is about two friends in 1868 - a rector and his organist - and the inspiration that grew from procrastination.
Yesterday afternoon, as church volunteers arranged sprays of red flowers around the altar and children put on costumes for the Christmas pageant, the story of the carol that put the 150-year-old church on the Christmas map was recalled by members.
"It's our claim to fame," said Soozung Rankin, a member for three years, whose 10-week-old son, Robert, was about to debut as Baby Jesus in the manger tableau.
The story begins with a trip to the Holy Land by the church's vicar, the Rev. Phillips Brooks. It was 1865, and Brooks was so moved by what he saw that he penned a poem.
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie.
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/entertainment/20081225_Christmas_carol_had_its_origin_in_a_Phila__church.html
1 comment:
I attended Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem PA in my High School and College years. That parish had (and continues to have) a strong music program. In the 60's and 70's that included a Men and Boys Choir. This Carol was part of the Christmas Eve service every year. Thanks for this history which stirred many fond memories.
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