A Child of Our Time
Sunday, April 13 at 4 p.m.
The St. James Cathedral Choir sings A Child of Our Time: Choral Responses to the St. Luke Passion on Palm Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. This devotional performance is centered on two choral masterpieces: Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence (Four motets for a season of penitence) by Francis Poulenc and Five Spirituals from A Child of Our Time by Michael Tippett. Both works were composed during the outbreak of World War II in 1939 during a time when fascism was overtaking Europe.
Tippett’s oratorio A Child of Our Time is a response to Kristallnacht, Germany’s violent pogrom of 1938 which precipitated the holocaust. This oratorio is intentionally patterned after Bach’s Passions, with five beautifully arranged spirituals punctuating the story as Bach had done with Lutheran chorales. By incorporating the music of African-American slaves, Tippett universalizes the narrative of resistance in the face of persecution, underscoring our shared humanity.
Poulenc’s musical response to the coming war is more oblique. Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence sets four traditional texts from the liturgies of Holy Week, yet the title would suggest these motets were fitted to the particularly dark and turbulent times in which they were written. Poulenc was keenly aware of current events, served briefly as a French soldier during the invasion of France in 1940, and later supported the activities of the French Resistance.
At a particularly grave and dangerous time, Tippett and Poulenc were both openly homosexual. They created art as an act of resistance, and their perspective as outsiders gave them a special ability to uplift the voices of the persecuted and the oppressed. While their music was not intended as a commentary on the Passion, these motets and spirituals frame the narrative of Christ’s betrayal, suffering, and death in a striking way. Perhaps this is because the Passion is the ultimate story of the redemptive triumph of justice over persecution, humanity over authoritarianism, and the power of God over the instruments of evil.
Plan your visit
When you visit St. James Cathedral, expect to receive a warm welcome! Whether you are a committed follower of Christ, a first-time visitor who is joining a friend, or fall somewhere in between, you're not just welcome, you belong.
It is not uncommon for people to either dress casually or formally when visiting the Cathedral. Our priority is that you to feel comfortable. Children are always welcome at St. James. There is an open space to the front right of the pews for children to play under your supervision and a changing station for parents of our youngest members under the church in the restrooms.
The cathedral is accessible to people with limited mobility. An access ramp is located at the west end of the building, 65 E. Huron St.
Map & Parking
We are conveniently located 2 blocks from the red line. Exit at Chicago Avenue, then south two blocks to the corner of Wabash and Huron.
We are one block west from the 3, 10, 26, 146, 147, and 151 bus lines on Michigan Avenue. Exit at Superior or Erie if southbound, exit at Huron if northbound.
Reduced-rate parking is available on Sundays at ROW Parking Garage, 50 E Ohio Street, for $2 up to 6 hours. Parking is also available at Ohio Ontario Self Park, 33 W Ontario, for $10 up to 18 hours daily. Get a reduced-rate parking voucher from the St. James Commons reception desk.