Bob Chambers Fêted At Holy Angels

Sunday, October 29, 2006

......On Sunday evening, October 29th, a surprise party was celebrated in honor of Bob Chambers who earlier in the month marked his 75th birthday. Family, close friends, parish staff and choir members joined in a formal dinner in the Guild Hall of Holy Angels parish. Surf and turf was the menu, red and white wine flowed and ample praise filled the air in thanksgiving for Bob and his lifetime of service to Holy Angels and the Oblates.

......The Invocation before the meal is reproduced here:

Father of our Lord Jesus,
we're gathered here tonite to return thanks to You
for your abundant blessings to us.
Singular among these blessings
we count Bob Chambers
in this month marking his 75th birthday. (3/4 of a century!)

From his earliest years,
he has been associated with Holy Angels parish
and with the Oblates who have staffed it;
- certainly from the time he was at his mother's knee
in the choirloft….
(and perhaps even earlier - he may have lept for joy
in her womb as she piped a Gregorian "Gloria"
at a Solemn High Mass one Sunday!)
- a very Biblical image ("Bob the Baptist"?)

Suffice it to say that for a lifetime,
Bob has been kind to us
he has cared for us
he has worked for us and with us
he has served us
and has shared our bread of joy and our bread of sorrow.

Together with Bob we are grateful today
for the harvest-fullness of life itself,
for the blessings of health,
and the fruits of the Spirit
which have come to him and to us over these years.

We thank you, almighty God
for the food which we are about to receive from your hands
and for the gift of fellowship at this table.

Renewed by this nourishment of body and spirit,
grant that with Bob, we may continue
our earthly pilgrimage in joy and peace
until we arrive one day
at the eternal Banquet Feast with You. AMEN.

Attached is a picture gallery of the event: