They Grow Up So Quickly

(Photo courtesy of Christopher Beasley)

It was a few years after this photo (from her first day of school, so maybe more than a few) was taken that Sarah Beasley began singing with her parents Chris and Shirley and brother John in Regina Pacis Cantorum. We were able to watch her grow up before our eyes.

Here's what Sarah looks like these days, posing before a stained glass window of St. Cecelia, patron saint of music:

She graduated from Ohio Northern University this spring with a music degree, and she has now taken that degree to Alexander II Magnet School in Macon, GA where she has just started her career as a music teacher. Congratulations, Sarah!

Now to catch up quickly on the rest of the Beasleys:

• Chris and Shirley have become "empty nesters" in the Atlanta area. They are still choral singers.
• John joined the Army; lives in Chevy Chase, MD near Washington, DC; and has two daughters with wife Emily. He still produces anime-inspired artwork.
• Michael did not sing with RPC, but he was an altar server at St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral. He graduated from the University of Nevada and joined the Navy. At last check he was attending Navy Nuclear Power School in Charleston, SC.

Another Future RPC Singing Location (We Hope and Pray): Cathedral of St. Paul

Sandy (at the lower left) and I got to tour the impressive Cathedral of St. Paul in the heart of the Minnesota capital following her graduation ceremony in Minneapolis. We took way too many photos to put here, so I'll just stick to a few. Kathy was here during last year's colloquium; have you ever visited it?

St. Paul guarding the cathedral and city that bear his name.

Looking in from the front center doors.

Statues of the four Evangelists are located at the corners of the front of the cathedral.

I lost count of all the side altars. There are several behind the main altar as well.

The choir loft. The organ keyboard, or *an* organ keyboard, is behind the main altar.

The altar and dome above it.

Paintings abound as well.

Before he became Pope Pius XII, Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli visited the Cathedral of St. Paul in 1926.

The cathedral dominates its portion of the St. Paul skyline. The surrounding Cathedral Hill neighborhood is worth visiting with its historic homes, museums, and quaint restaurants. The Minnesota State Capitol is only a short walk over I-94.

A Reminder/Disclaimer

(Image from reddit via worldwideinterweb.com. It's a little fuzzy at that size, so no, it's not your eyesight.)

Only Kathy speaks for Regina Pacis Cantorum. No one else in the choir does, not even me; anything I write here has to meet with Kathy's tacit permission. This also serves as a reminder to conduct ourselves well as members of RPC when dealing with other churches. It may be the difference between us gaining access to a parish or not.