Meet Me Here

Meet me here, where the old fence ends, and the horizon begins.

Craig Hella Johnson’s oratorio, Considering Matthew Shepherd, transforms one of the most painful and traumatic events in recent history into a cathartic and healing experience. The Cleveland Chamber Choir delivered a beautiful performance last Sunday evening at Trinity Cathedral, taking the audience on a journey through the brutal death of a young gay man in Wyoming twenty-five years ago, and beyond.

The oratorio combines music, poetry, and drama to ask a daring question: can an instrument of suffering and death, such as the fence on which Matthew died, be reimagined as something that held him in his final hours, surrounding him with the presence of God and welcoming him into God’s loving embrace? Could the cold Wyoming night, a part of the natural world that Matthew loved so much, have been a balm for him? Could the presence of Christ have made him feel less alone in his last moments?

Meet me here, where the old fence ends, and the horizon begins.

The performance provided a space for healing and an opportunity to experience the sacred in even the most profane places. Though great art cannot undo the trauma of an act of hatred, the music, lifted by the voices of dozens of skilled performers, allowed hundreds of people to witness this story and leave with more than a sense of grief, but also compassion and hope.

Trinity Cathedral continues to be a vessel for concerts, services, and experiences like this, and we are grateful for the vision and generosity that created this sacred space for all people. Thank you for your continued generosity, which allows this place to continue to be a one of beauty, hope, and witness.