The mission statement harkens to the cathedral founders’ intent that it be the spiritual home for the United States. The vision outlined says the cathedral ought to be a “catalyst for spiritual harmony in our nation, renewal in the churches, reconciliation among faiths, and compassion in our world.”
The four goals call for the cathedral to be:
a sacred place, welcoming the country to pray, commemorate, celebrate, and mourn.
an historic landmark and national treasure symbolizing the role of faith in America.
a living, Christian community in the Episcopal tradition welcoming people of all faiths.
a leader in convening people of all faiths to examine and respond to important issues in the world.
The 44-page plan, which is being printed and readied for distribution, explains the mission, vision and goals in detail, and is based on interviews, workshops, analysis, and review. It is, the dean said, “the culmination of several years of thinking hard about our strategic future.”
Fine, so long as the de-consecrate it.
Zzzzz.
Better than expected; Christian worship takes Bronze.
How about a really large coffeeshop? A really large bookstore? I read they made a former Episcopal church into condominiums…how about the Cathedral Condo’s?
The goals may yet include exploring the moves by St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle. The Nat Cathedral began having Islamic worship back in the 70’s. Having exhausted all the old typical architectural features of European cathedrals they might make a more complete ecumenical gesture and add a minaret.
I might add that the place is well on the way to mosque status already. The Council of 681 forbade putting the Cross on the floor of a church:
Canon LXIIII
The Cross is to be venerated (proskuneois) “in mind, in word, in feeling”. A cross paved in the floor should be removed, lest the trophy of Christ’s victory should suffer the indignity of being trampled upon.
The picture in the link above shows the assembly of various “religious folk” (including an Orthodox bishop who should know better) doing precisely what is forbidden in the Canon.
nwlayman, that simply reproduces what was laid into the floor beneath that platform several decades ago. Sayre might have already become dean by that time but surely it is ultimately the work of Frohman’s medieval mind.
Be that as it may, my eye was caught by the phrase “After the building was deemed complete in October 1990.” Um, as one of the 6000 people who were there, I would rephrase that more accurately as “after the building was consecrated.” I don’t mind interfaith discussion as long as I don’t have participate in it, but first and foremost, it is after all the cathedral of the diocese and the titular cathedral of the Episcopal Church.
As hinted in the article, what happened was that they had a bit of a financial crunch. I don’t think they responded to it particularly coherently; for example, the greenhouse was closed when I am given to understand it was actually making a profit. But having been jostled, they still cling to the notion that they enjoy something of a bully pulpit, when they do not.
#4–The National Cathedral already have all three of those things–no kidding.
The National Corruption, rather.