All Saints’, 2005
Dear Christ the King Church:
The 60-day devotional I recently found in my mailbox reminded me of the many
ways that Christ the King blesses its parishioners. Notes on CTK’s liturgy,
music, social efforts, fellowship, and just overall distinctiveness really resonated
with me. It returned me to so many feelings of growth, communion, wonder, and
joy that I experienced during my time there.
When I moved to Houston in 2001 it was like another world. I had come from college
in Fargo-Moorhead and plunged into the real world in a much larger, harsher,
and hotter city than I had ever seen. CTK provided a parish home for me. The
Sunday liturgies, the programming, the friendly, welcoming people and the outstanding,
supportive pastors and staff provided refreshment for a faith that had begun
to dry up in me. I was blessed to be a part of the community and lucky to have
found it so early on.
I am filled with gratitude. To a large degree, it is as a result of these experiences that I am now in theology school. As your 60th anniversary approaches, I wanted to take the time to thank you all for being who you are. I pray that you will continue your incredible ministry with the community and with the world.
As a symbol of my appreciation, I will be sending, ad majorem Dei gloriam, the facsimile edition of The St. John’s Bible. The first volume, The Gospels and Acts will arrive shortly, The Psalms is due for next spring, and the remaining five will be published within the next four years.
This monumental effort and proud achievement of the community where I now study is the first of its kind for the western hemisphere. Using methods that have been all but abandoned since the invention of the printing press, The St. John’s Bible will be the first complete calligraphic, illuminated manuscript of the Bible in nearly 600 years!
One of the great gifts of the Roman Catholic tradition is its art, and this is no exception.
The text and illuminations are multi-dimensional, much like iconography or liturgy. They convey new ideas and reveal new layers of meaning every time you experience them. (Many of the illuminations are already functioning as pedagogical aids in Sunday school and graduate school classes alike!) I hope that this gift will inspire.
May God bless you as you celebrate 60 years!
Grace and Peace,
Timothy Traynor