This past August, 2009 marked 15 years since the installation of Peter Elliott as Dean and Rector of Christ Church Cathedral. And Sunday, September 27th the Cathedral community pulled out all the stops and let Peter know how much his 15 years of ministry has blessed the parish, city, diocese and beyond.
In a humourous but sincere tribute, all 7 Rector's wardens who served during Peter's tenure performed a musical tribute to the tune of YMCA and long time parishioner Lesley Godwin reprised her extremely accurate impression of Queen Elizabeth II and led the 300 in attendance at the party in a rousing rendition of 690 on Burrard the Cathedral's unofficial official song of tribute.
An anniversary party would not be complete without a gift and this ocassion was no exception. The organizers commissioned parishioner, chorister and professional Architectural Photographer Martin Knowles to photograph, print and frame an inside and an outside evening image of the recently installed Tree of Life Stained Glass Windows designed by Susan Point. Martin did a tremendous job and these two beautiful framed photographs will be meaningful additions to Peter's living spaces for many years to come.
The party began 10 minutes after the 10:30 Celebration of Choral Eucharist concluded. Following the dismissal Cathedral Organist and Director of Music Rupert Lang performed a moving rendition of the piece that Peter had requested frequently over the last 15 years,
"Melancholy Baby."