Cathedral Congregation News
May 2017
Cathedral Congregation News is published on the fifteenth of each month. Contact the editors with content or
email address information at [email protected].
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Unexpected Grace…one man’s journey into
grace after unspeakable tragedy
In Robert Frost’s poem, “Death of the
Hired Man,” a husband and wife argue
about taking back an old hired hand
who left them under difficult
circumstances years before. The
husband’s viewpoint is, ‘Home is the
place, where, when you have to go
there, they have to take you in.’ His
wife replies, ‘I should have called it something you somehow
haven’t to deserve.’ And it is in that response that I see the
meaning of grace: the love, mercy and favor that God bestows on
us whether we are deserving or not. We don’t earn grace, we
receive it and hopefully it fulfills, comforts and sustains us and,
under the best of circumstances, it enables us to extend such favor
to those around us.
These thoughts came to me while preparing for our Sunday
afternoon discussion on You Will Not Have My Hate by journalist
Antoine Leiris who wrote the book in response to the murder of
his wife Hélène at the Bataclan Theater in Paris on November 13,
2015. In the face of unspeakable tragedy, evil need not have the
last word. As he struggles with his grief, he comes to grace in
unexpected ways.
—Edie Ching, Congregation member
Caritate Dei: Out of Love for God
“Over the doorway to the dining room
was a sign bearing the inscription:
Caritate Dei. …The power and the
presence of the resurrected Christ
brings about this kind of generosity
Weekday Evensong
with Chorister
Valediction
Thursday, May 18, 5:30 pm
At this
special
Evensong
we recognize the choristers
who are completing their
service and also officially
welcome the new boy and
girl choristers who have
been training to become
members of the choir next
year. Learn more »
Summer Evening
Yoga in the Garden
Thursdays, May 18–
June 29, 6–7:15 pm
Join us in
the All
Hallows
Amphitheater for a Yoga
Class taught by Master Yoga
Instructor, Neva Ingalls. All
levels are welcome. Fee
payable before each
session. Download the
flyer »
Martha’s Table
Ministry
Sunday, May 21,
8:30–11:15 am
Fifteen
minutes in
where we give just to give, where we
love to love with no strings attached.
All because Christ is risen.”—The
Very Rev. Randolph Hollerith, Easter IV sermon
In the dean’s sermon last Sunday, May 7, he challenged us to lift
ourselves to the level of joy, of passion, and purpose lived by the
early Christians. “That sort of passion, that sort of spirit, that
should be ours, too—yours and mine. It should fill this place. It
should fill our lives from morning until night.”
What follows are excerpts transcribed from the audio of Dean
Hollerith’s sermon—offered to help guide us as we live out the
good news of the Resurrected Christ.
[The early Christians] “believed that this man called Christus had
risen from the dead. But here is the fact that makes all the
difference. They believed it totally and completely and they lived
with an incredible sense of joy and purpose. Sometimes I wonder
if we really get it these days. We are so far removed from the folks
we read about in Acts and we really have to adjust our thinking to
understand what it meant in the first 250 years to call yourself a
Christian.”
“Accounts at the time looking from the
outside are few. Lucian of Samosata
wrote ‘Christians display an absurd
generosity and have a sacrificial
concern for other people they
didn’t even know.’ They didn’t care
what the world thought of them. They
had been touched, moved, set on fire by
the power of the empty tomb. By the
Truth and life-giving joy of the Resurrection. And they lived with
such joy, such passion, and such purpose. They were willing to
live so openly with that absurd generosity that they were willing
to risk their very lives to proclaim the truth that God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten Son so that everyone who
has faith in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
“This is the crazy nature of our faith
that makes no sense to so many and
while it may feel tame to us on any
given Sunday, it is anything but tame.
The power of the Resurrection is what
made Martin Luther King crazy enough
to have a dream and to die for it. The
power of the Resurrection is what made
Mother Teresa crazy enough to think
your kitchen
will help feed
homeless
people in our
area. Drop
off sandwiches and fruit at
Hearst Circle at NCS. Learn
more »
Spotlight on Gun
Violence Prevention
Sunday, May 21,
coffee hour
The Gun
Violence
Prevention
Group invites you to learn
more about the June 2
Prayer Vigil and why the
Cathedral will be bathed in
orange on that day. Learn
more »
Newcomer Welcome
Sunday, May 21,
10:15 am & 12:45 pm
Learn about
the
congregation
and its
ministries. Meet in N-4.
Learn more »
20s&30s Ultimate
Sunday Brunch
Sunday, May 21, 12:45 pm
Participants
choose a
restaurant
and enjoy one another’s
fellowship. Join us »
Knitting and
Crocheting Ministry
Sunday, May 21, 1–3 pm
Crafters knit
and crochet
items for our
that her work in the slums of Calcutta could make any difference.
The power of the Resurrection is what made Desmond Tutu crazy
enough to believe that a black South African could change one of
the most repressive governments of all time. My friends, I wonder
what might we do, Caritate Dei, out of love for God? Where is
our joy, our passion, our purpose?”
“So many in our country today are like sheep without a shepherd.
There is great need out there, both spiritually and physically. Are
we making a difference? Since the earliest days of the Christian
faith, the followers of Jesus have proclaimed and strived to
exemplify certain virtues: faith, hope, love, wisdom, justice,
courage, humility, integrity, respect. Many of these same virtues
are principles that must undergird our democracy if we are going
to survive as a nation. Now more than ever we need people
willing to extol these virtues; people willing to teach these virtues;
people willing because of the resurrected Christ to exemplify
these virtues.”
“We need something more than our
political ideology. We need glad and
generous hearts. We need the same
kind of generosity of spirit that was
dedicated and demonstrated by those
earliest Christians. David Brooks,
when he was here in February,
lamented that there is a growing belief
in our country that the world is so
dangerous that we can’t afford to be gentle and we can’t
afford to be good. But the radical good news of our faith says
exactly the opposite: because of the Resurrection the only thing
that really matters is our struggle for goodness, and gentleness,
and love.”
“My brothers and sisters, I could wish
nothing more for any of us, that you
and I could be just a little bit like those
crazy Christians: crazy with love and
crazy with hope and crazy with joy.”
“The world needs us now more than
ever. The world needs the good news of
the Resurrected Christ. The world
needs the Good Shepherd. The truth is that when you put it into
action there is nothing easy or comfortable about being a
Christian. There’s nothing easy about following Jesus. But in the
end, my heart tells me it is indeed the Way and the Truth and the
Life. Amen.”
Wear Orange Day
The façade of the Washington National
Cathedral will be illuminated in orange
outreach
partners. Learn more »
Cathedral Choral
Society: Te Deum
Finale
Sunday, May 21, 4 pm
The Lark
Ascending
features
soaring violin solo with
orchestra. Five Mystical
Songs express intense love
and praise. A work by Nico
Muhly is premiered. A
joyous, triumphant Te Deum
serves as a festive season
finale. Learn more »
Blessing of the Bikes
Friday, May 26, 5 pm
The
Cathedral
welcomes
members of Rolling Thunder
at the beginning of Memorial
Day weekend for special
programs that include a
“Blessing of the Bikes,”
special tours and prayers for
those who have not come
home. Learn more »
National Service
Commemorating
Memorial Day
Sunday, May 28, 11:15 am
Join us for a
service
commem­orating the honor
and bravery of those who
have died serving our Armed
Forces. Learn more »
Weekday Evensong
Tuesday, May 30, 5:30 pm
The Hylton
High School
Troubadours
of
Wood­bridge, Virginia, sings
Choral Evensong. Learn
more »
Friday, June 2, from 8 pm to midnight,
to mark the third anniversary of
National Gun Violence Awareness
Day, also known as Wear Orange Day.
Gun violence kills more than 90
Americans a day and injures hundreds
more. The Cathedral will bathe the west front in orange light to
raise awareness about gun violence in the US, to honor those
killed or injured and to say enough is enough. Gather to say a
quiet prayer or simply pay homage to those killed and injured by
guns every day. There will be no speakers.
Cathedral Labyrinth
Walks: Movement
and Meditation
Beyond Words
The Wear Orange campaign began in Chicago to honor Hadiya
Pendleton, a 15-year-old Chicago high school student killed in
2013 by gunfire one week after she performed at President Barack
Obama’s second inauguration. Her friends decided on her 18th
birthday, June 2, 2015, to wear orange—the color hunters wear in
the woods to protect themselves and others. Since then, the
campaign has gone viral. In 2016, more than 200,000 participants
commemorated the day in some 200 events nationwide. In
addition, 125 landmarks, including state capitals, corporate
centers like the Pepsi Center in Denver, Niagara Falls in New
York, and the Empire State Building were illuminated in orange.
The hashtag #wearorange was shared by millions. Join us on the
Cathedral grounds! Have questions? Visit coffee hour on May 21
to speak with members of our Gun Violence Prevention Group.
Grand Spaces
Breakfast
Summer Dialogues
Gun Violence
Prevention Vigil
On three separate Sundays in June, our
Christian Formation team is offering a
“summer sampler” of discussions that
evolved from enthusiastic feedback to
continue the brown bag conversations
and to build on themes expressed by
David Brooks in February. The three
facilitators sense that the discussion
topics could spawn additional meetings in the fall. Participants
will be invited to help define these possibilities. Answering the
call for more Bible Study, Harvey Bale will lead John in July!
The Fourth Gospel Over Three Sundays.
See the calendar side
bar for direct links. Download the flyer »
Sampler at a glance
Edie Ching leads One Man’s Journey to Survive Devastating
Loss centered on the book You Will Not Have My Hate by
Antoine Leiris on June 4.
Contentment: Elusive Dream or Practical Choice? follows on
June 18. Julie Collins leads the discussion based on Contentment:
A Way to True Happiness by Robert A. Johnson and Jerry M.
Tuesday, May 30, 6:30 pm
The
Cathedral
offers
oppor­tunities to walk the
labyrinth on the last Tuesday
of each month. Learn more »
Friday, June 2, 8 am
Buy your
ticket to one
of the
Cathedral’s
signature
events. Bishop Curry and
Dean Hollerith discuss the
church’s role in shaping our
civil discourse. Renowned
journalist Ray Suarez
moderates. RSVP by May
19 »
Friday, June 2, 8 pm
Join us as
we light up
the
Cathedral to
say enough
is enough. Learn more »
One Man’s Journey to
Survive Devastating
Loss
Sunday, June 4, 1–2:15 pm
Our
discussion
focuses on
You Will Not
Have My
Hate and the broader
question of finding grace in
the midst of devastation.
Learn more »
Ruhl.
On June 25 Paula Mays facilitates On Our Way Rejoicing—A
Journey Towards Equality, an exploration of race and
forgiveness using the book Racial Equality in America by John
Hope Franklin as the catalyst.
Cathedral Saints: Volunteer Recognition
Last Wednesday evening members of
the Cathedral family gathered for
Evensong and to recognize our 982
volunteers and especially, the 142
“saints” who reached milestone years—
awarded in five year intervals from 5 to
45 years—for a grand total of 2175
years of service and experience! The
dean thanked our volunteers and acknowledged that one can never
fully wrap one’s head around all that goes on within the Cathedral
and the ways we reach people here and beyond. Our volunteers
define what community means—to love and serve one another.
“Never forget that you are at the heart of it. And represent the
best of serving God and neighbor in God’s house.”
Are you ready to sign up? We’ll have congregation ministry needs
and skills match up sheets ready for you at our meeting on June
11 (see below). If you want to learn more about the Cathedral
Volunteer process visit the Cathedral website.
Congregation Corner
Building our Cathedral
Congregation Life Together II
June 11, 12:45 pm, Perry
Auditorium
Building on our February 12
Congregation meeting, members
are invited to gather for fellowship
and to plan for the arrival of our
new vicar, the Rev. Dana Colley
Corsello. Her first day is July 5.
See the April 2017 newsletter for
the announcement. Members of the
Cathedral Congregation Committee
(CCC) will share steps being taken
with the dean to lay a foundation
for our congregation welcome. A
Briefing Book is being prepared
with input from our many
ministries. A Hospitality Team
will be planning welcome “get-toknow” events to take place over the
next 6 months.
Organ Recital:
Nathan Davy
Sunday, June 4, 5:15 pm
Nathan Davy
from the
Basilica of
the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception,
Washington, D.C., plays
works by Benson, Franck,
Messiaen, and Duruflé.
Learn more »
March in Capital
Pride Parade
Saturday, June 10, 4:30 pm
The
Cathedral
will have a
walking
contingent in the annual D.C.
Pride Parade. Join us »
Building our
Cathedral
Congregation Life
Together II
Sunday, June 11, 12:45 pm
We gather in
Perry
Auditorium
for a potluck reception and to
plan for the arrival of our
new vicar, the Rev. Dana
Colley Corsello. Learn
more »
Practicing Presence
with Mindfulness
Sunday, June 11, 1 pm
Learn how to
develop a
daily practice
to integrate
mindfulness into your life.
Sign up »
Organ Recital:
Christopher Keady
Sunday, June 11, 5:15 pm
Christopher
Keady from
Yale
University, New Haven,
How can members help? First of
all, plan to attend! Bring your ideas
and your volunteer spirit. Our
ministries need additional members
now. Where and how can you serve
Caritate Dei? To help with set-up or clean up, please email
[email protected]. Please bring finger fare to
share. Learn more »
Chorister News
In thanksgiving for our Cathedral Choristers
Evensong, Thursday, May 18, 5:30 pm
The end of the school year is fast
approaching. Before our choristers go
on summer holiday, Brian Glosh,
Chorister Program Manager, invites us
to attend the annual Valediction of the
Cathedral Choristers to recognize
choristers who are completing their
service and also officially welcome the
new boy and girl choristers who have
been training since January to become members of the choir next
year. Learn more about the Chorister Program. »
Choristers in the UK
The Cathedral Choristers will be traveling to the United Kingdom
from June 17–June 25 to perform concerts and Evensongs and to
sight-see around some of the most spectacular places in the UK.
Conn., plays a recital of
works by J.S. Bach,
Bairstow, Sowerby, and
Langlais. Learn more »
Contentment: Elusive
Dream or Practical
Choice?
Sunday, June 18,
1–2:15 pm
Using the
work
Content­ment: A Way to
True Happiness as a
springboard, we will explore
the mystery of personal
contentment. Learn more »
Summer Hours
Beginning June 20, 5–8 pm
Explore the
main level of
the
Cathedral on most Tuesday
and Thursday evenings until
8 pm during June, July, and
August.
On Our Way
Choristers will have the opportunity to sing choral Evensong at
Worcester Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral and St. Paul’s Cathedral
in London. They will also be performing concerts at Ely
Cathedral, Collegiate Church of St. Mary’s in Warwick and
Riverbank Trust Holy Trinity Church in Richmond-upon-Thames.
This thrilling tour will be the perfect scene to celebrate the hard
work and amazing music the Cathedral Choristers provide every
week. For more detailed information about performances, please
contact Brian Glosh, Chorister Program Manager,
[email protected].
Steps on the Journey
Confirmation
On Saturday, May 13, the following
congregation members celebrated a
significant step in their Christian
journeys. Amy Elyse Clark, Jaime
Lynne Colman, Eleanor Claire Jerry,
Ferrial Hussein Lanton, Christina
Janelle Newton and Nicoleta Carolina
Parau were confirmed. Arleen Cheston, Jeffrey Alexander Clark,
Aaron K. Han, Somi Han, Robert Alan Joachin, Kathleen Louise
Long, Joanne Douglass Meikle, Kathleen Louise O’Quinn, and
Andrew Stephen Price-Gibson were received.
Pastoral news
If you or someone you know in the congregation would like to
discuss a pastoral concern or wish a hospital or home visit or to
receive Communion, please contact the Pastoral Care Office, at
(202) 537-3127 or [email protected]. And if you have a
prayer request, please email: [email protected].
Stephen Ministry
If you are going through a crisis or a difficult time, you can
request to meet with a Stephen Minister. These well-trained
congregation members serve as fellow travelers if you need help
working through a crisis such as grief, divorce, unemployment,
hospitalization, terminal illness, a loss of faith, and countless
other difficulties. They meet with you once a week for about an
hour, offering distinctively Christian care and support. To request
a Stephen Minister, send an email to our Stephen Ministry leader
David Deal at [email protected]
Washington National Cathedral
3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20016
(202) 537-6200
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Rejoicing—A Journey
Towards Equality
Sunday, June 25,
1–2:15 pm
We will
explore John
Hope
Franklin’s
Racial
Equality in
America as
well as look at racial equality
from a Biblical perspective.
Learn more »
Annual Independence
Day Concert
Tuesday, July 4, 11 am
Cathedral
organists
Benjamin
Straley and George Fergus
are joined by Washington
Symphonic Brass and the
U.S. Navy Sea Chanters in
presenting a program of
patriotic favorites. Learn
more »
John in July! The
Fourth Gospel Over
Three Sundays
Sundays, July 9–23,
11:30 am–12:45 pm
Join our
study of
John’s goodnews
message
over 3 Sundays. RSVP »