The Cathedral of St. Paul in Erie, the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania, will host its third annual Jazz Vespers summer series beginning June 21. A jazz ensemble will accompany Scripture and hymns, poetry and other written works by Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk and mystic.
Christopher Petit, the cathedral’s director of music and director of choirs at Mercyhurst University in Erie, decided in 2024 to launch a jazz-focused liturgical series because “many people find something spiritual or a connection to jazz.”
“Jazz Vespers is opening up another connection for people to know that the cathedral is a space where we want to provide what’s meaningful to those in the community, and for them to know that everyone is welcome,” Petit told Episcopal News Service. “Different styles of music go with different styles of worship and spirituality, and we want to provide something for everybody.” To read more, click here.
