May Fete! May Cake! May Joy!
This Sunday: May 2, 2021
This coming Sunday, the Cathedral celebrates May Fete, a tradition at least 120 years in the making! On this day, we honor the children of the Cathedral and celebrate our community with a glorious spring festival.Due to Covid restrictions this year’s May Fete will be a little bit different but no less wonderful. You’ll see some new twists on some old traditions as we gather in person and online for this very special day.
The Worship:
On Sunday at 10a we will have three simultaneous services that will allow our community to spread out across the campus.
In the Cathedral, Canon Becky Zartman will lead us in worship from the 1892 Book of Common Prayer- a thoroughly retro May Fete experience. Extraordinary music will be provided by our accomplished staff singers and of course Bob Simpson and Daryl Robinson.
Our Spanish language service will be led by Canon Simon Buatista in Sanders Hall, with glorious music provided by the joyous Mendaliz ensemble.
And in Nancy’s garden, I will lead us in a Rite 2-Bluegrass mass with live music from the Lonestar Bluegrass Band.For those of you who may not be familiar with Nancy’s garden, it is the beautiful grassy lawn in front of the Diocesan Center and alongside the parking garage. Feel free to bring a blanket or a camping chair to enjoy the Bluegrass service.
The Traditions:
Following worship, those who attended worship in the Cathedral and Sander’s Hall, will pour into the Bishop’s Courtyard for the crowning of the May Fete King and Queen and the annual dancing of the maypole. Meanwhile over in Nancy’s Garden, participants will be treated to more live music from the Lonestar Bluegrass Band, as we furiously prepare for the arrival of the King, Queen and their court of dancers. Together we will create as many paper flowers as we can to adorn the entrance on Texas avenue so that we can greet our new King and Queen in a most royal fashion.
The King & Queen will then process down Texas Avenue to Nancy’s Garden, cut the threshold ribbon and be greeted by their royal bluegrass subjects. There will be a reprise of the Maypole Dance so that everyone shares an experience of pageantry.
The Fun:
Following the official festivities, all participants are invited to enjoy refreshments from Reynolds Hall- aqua fresca, tamales, hot dogs and cupcakes- and enjoy them in the outdoor spaces of the Bishop’s Courtyard and Nancy’s Garden. Nancy’s Garden will also play host to a socially distanced cake walk. All attendees are encouraged to bring a store-bought, pre-packaged baked good to contribute to our cakewalk prize table. Our hope is that everyone who participates in the cake walk will leave with a treat.
What to wear?
May Fete is a spring festival- so dress in whatever way celebrates spring for you.If you want to wear a seersucker suit or a kentucky derby hat- go for it. If birkenstocks and a tie-dye t-shirt are more your speed that’s great too.You can even wear a fancy flower crown..In anycase,it’s likely to be warm and humid that day in downtown Houston, so dress for comfort.
In order to contact trace and keep our numbers reasonable, you must register for one of the three services taking place at 10 a.m. in order to attend May Fete. Your registration is your ticket to all the May Fete fun.The festivities will follow immediately after the services and we expect them to wrap up no later than 12:30.
Online:
But what, you ask if you can’t make it to May Fete in person? Never fear, the Cathedral’s got you covered. A Live-streamed worship service will be available at 11a.m. And Canon Becky Zartman will be our May Fete roaming reporter, zooming out live with scenes of all the shenanigans.
Get your May Fete on!
Whether you join us online or in person, next Sunday is a celebration of Easter joy. Join us for this one of a kind event, as together we breathe new life into tradition, and celebrate the many gifts of Christ Church Cathedral.
Come on everybody! It’s time to get you May Fete on!
Grace and peace,
The Reverend Canon Kathy Rock Pfister, Vicar
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