Washington National Cathedral Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Major events== ===Major services=== [[File:REAGANWNC.jpg|thumb|The 2004 state funeral of the 40th President, [[Ronald Reagan]]|upright=1.2]] State funerals for four [[President of the United States|American presidents]] have been held at the cathedral:<ref name="Washington National Cathedral - Presidential Funerals">{{Cite web |title=Presidential Funerals |url=https://cathedral.org/history/prominent-services/presidential-funerals/ |access-date=December 3, 2022 |website=Washington National Cathedral |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/01/former-president-george-hw-bush-dead-at-age-94.html |title=Former President George HW Bush dies at 94; Trump designates Wednesday as national day of mourning, markets to close |first=Cynthia |last=Johnson |website=CNBC |date=November 30, 2018 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Zeke |last2=Lucey |first2=Catherine |date=December 1, 2018 |title=Trumps to Attend State Funeral for George H.W. Bush |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-remember-george-hw-bush-for-unflappable-leadership/2018/12/01/f1b99178-f533-11e8-99c2-cfca6fcf610c_story.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202070714/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-remember-george-hw-bush-for-unflappable-leadership/2018/12/01/f1b99178-f533-11e8-99c2-cfca6fcf610c_story.html |archive-date=December 2, 2018 |access-date=December 1, 2018 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> * 34th President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] (1969): [[lay in repose]] at the cathedral before [[lying in state]] * 40th President [[Ronald Reagan]] (2004) * 38th President [[Gerald Ford]] (2007) * 41st President [[George H. W. Bush]] (2018) Memorial services were also held at the cathedral for the following presidents:<ref name="Washington National Cathedral - Presidential Funerals" /> * (29th) [[Warren G. Harding]] * (27th) [[William Howard Taft]] * (30th) [[Calvin Coolidge]] * (33rd) [[Harry S. Truman]] * (37th) [[Richard Nixon]] Presidential prayer services were held the day after the [[United States presidential inauguration|inaugurations]] for:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalcathedral.org/about/presidentialInaugurals.shtml |title=Presidential Inaugural Prayer Services at Washington National Cathedral |website=Washington National Cathedral |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402023439/http://cathedral.org/about/presidentialInaugurals.shtml |archive-date=April 2, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> * 32nd President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s second inauguration in January 1937 * 40th President [[Ronald Reagan]]'s second inauguration in 1985 * 41st President [[George H. W. Bush]]'s inauguration in 1989 * 43rd President [[George W. Bush]]'s first and second inaugurations in 2001 and 2005 * 44th President [[Barack Obama]]'s first and second inaugurations in 2009 and 2013 * 45th President [[Donald Trump]]'s inauguration in 2017<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cathedral.org/event/58th-presidential-inaugural-prayer-service/ |title=The 58th Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service |website=Washington National Cathedral |access-date=April 23, 2018}}</ref> * 46th President [[Joe Biden]]'s inauguration in 2021 [[File:Washington National Cathedral (March For Our Lives prayer and vigil).jpg|thumb|Prayer and vigil for the [[March for Our Lives]] rally, March 23, 2018|upright=1.2]] Other events have included: * Funeral for former first lady [[Edith Wilson]] (1961)<ref name="Washington National Cathedral - Presidential Funerals" /> * Memorial service for former first lady [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] (1962)<ref name="Washington National Cathedral - Presidential Funerals" /> * Memorial service and interment of [[Helen Keller]] (1968)<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 4, 1968|title=Service for Helen Keller |work=Canberra Times |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107055476?searchTerm=Helen%20Keller|page=[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107055476/11662132 Page 5 ] col 1 |access-date=November 13, 2022|quote=Miss Keller's body was cremated today at a private ceremony. The ashes will be taken to Washington tomorrow and will be placed in a crypt in the cathedral following the service.}}</ref> * Memorial service for the casualties of the [[Vietnam War]] on November 14, 1982 * Funeral for Supreme Court Justice [[Thurgood Marshall]] on January 29, 1993 * Public funeral for Chief of Naval Operations, [[United States Navy]], Admiral [[Jeremy Michael Boorda]] (1996) * Funeral for [[United States Secretary of Commerce|Secretary of Commerce]] [[Ron Brown|Ronald Brown]] (1996) * Funeral for U.S. Ambassador to France [[Pamela Harriman]] (1997) * Memorial service following the [[death of Diana, Princess of Wales]] (September 6, 1997)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/diana/stories/cathedral.htm|title=Washington Says Goodbye to Diana|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Retha|last=Hill|date=September 6, 1997|access-date=May 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708222454/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/diana/stories/cathedral.htm|archive-date=July 8, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> * Funeral for ''[[The Washington Post]]'' newspaper publisher [[Katharine Graham]] (2001) * Memorial service for the victims of the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001, attacks]] * Special [[Evening Prayer (Anglican)|evensong]] for the victims of the [[Virginia Tech shooting]] * Funeral for educator and national civil rights leader [[Dorothy Height]] (2010) * Memorial service for [[NASA]] [[astronaut]] and first person on the Moon [[Neil Armstrong]] (2012) * Funeral for [[United States Senator|Senator]] [[Daniel Inouye]] of [[Hawaii]], [[President Pro Tempore of the Senate]], and [[Medal of Honor]] recipient (2012) * Funeral for [[Charles Colson]], founder of Prison Fellowship (2012)<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 16, 2012 |title=Charles W. Colson Funeral |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/charles-w-colson-funeral/2012/05/16/gIQAihZMUU_gallery.html |access-date=October 27, 2018}}</ref> * Memorial service for former [[South African President]] and anti-apartheid activist [[Nelson Mandela]] (2014) * Interfaith service of Prayer and Remembrance: The Fifteenth Anniversary of the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001, attacks]], Sunday September 11, 2016 * March for Our Lives Prayer Vigil: A vigil for "activists, students and pilgrims" participating in the [[March for Our Lives]] anti-gun violence rally in Washington, D.C. and other cities, Friday March 23, 2018<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cathedral.org/event/march-lives-prayer-vigil/ |title=March for Our Lives Prayer Vigil |website=Washington National Cathedral |access-date=March 23, 2018}}</ref> * Funeral for U.S. Senator [[John McCain]] of [[Arizona]] (September 1, 2018) *Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance for [[Matthew Shepard]] (October 26, 2018).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cathedral.org/matthewshepard|title=Celebration of Life and Interment for Matthew Wayne Shepard}}</ref> *Funeral for U.S. Army General (Ret.), Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]] (November 5, 2021). *Funeral for U.S. Senator [[Bob Dole]] of [[Kansas]] (December 10, 2021) *Funeral for former [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] and diplomat [[Madeleine Albright]] (April 27, 2022) *Memorial service following the [[death of Queen Elizabeth II]] (September 21, 2022)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/a41245384/donald-trump-barack-obama-george-bush-queen-elizabeth-memorial/|title=All of the Living Former Presidents Have Been Invited to a Memorial for Queen Elizabeth|work=Town & Country|first=Lauren|last=Hubbard|date=September 16, 2022|accessdate=September 16, 2022}}</ref> It was from Washington National Cathedral's "Canterbury Pulpit" that [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] delivered his final Sunday sermon on March 31, 1968, just 4 days before his assassination on April 4, 1968.<ref>{{Cite speech |last=King |first=Martin Luther Jr. |date=March 31, 1968 |access-date=June 14, 2011 |via=mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu |title=Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution |url=http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_remaining_awake_through_a_great_revolution/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603032638/http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_remaining_awake_through_a_great_revolution |archive-date=June 3, 2011}}</ref> A memorial service for King was held at the cathedral later the same week. ===2011 earthquake=== [[File:Washington National Cathedral undergoing repair in 2017.jpg|thumb|right|Washington National Cathedral undergoing repairs in 2017]] The cathedral was damaged in August 2011 during the [[2011 Virginia earthquake|Virginia earthquake]]. [[Finial]] stones on several pinnacles broke off, and several pinnacles twisted out of alignment or collapsed entirely. Some gargoyles and other carvings were damaged, and a hole was punched through the metal-clad roof by falling masonry. Cracks also appeared in the flying buttresses surrounding the apse. Inside, initial inspections revealed less damage, with some mortar joints loose or falling out.<ref name="wjladamages">{{Cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Suzanne |date=August 25, 2011 |title=D.C. Earthquake Damages National Cathedral, Washington Monument |work=WJLA-TV |url=http://www.wjla.com/articles/2011/08/d-c-earthquake-damages-national-cathedral-washington-monument-65647.html |url-status=dead |access-date=August 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028152427/http://www.wjla.com/articles/2011/08/d-c-earthquake-damages-national-cathedral-washington-monument-65647.html |archive-date=October 28, 2011}}</ref> The cathedral, which had no [[earthquake insurance]], struggled to cope with the cost of the damage.<ref name="fandos" /> Washington National Cathedral closed from August 24 to November 7, 2011,<ref name="wjladamages" /> as $2 million was spent to stabilize the structure and remove damaged or loose stone.<ref name="fandos" /> Safety netting was erected throughout the nave to protect visitors from any debris that might fall from above.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/1/national-cathedral-adds-safety-netting/ |title=National Cathedral Adds Safety Netting |last=Hill |first=Daniel |date=September 1, 2011 |work=The Washington Times |access-date=July 5, 2015}}</ref> The cathedral reopened for the consecration and installation of [[Mariann Budde]] as the ninth Bishop of Washington on November 12, 2011.<ref name="ruanecost">{{Cite news |title=Cathedral Seeks to Raise $25 Million |last=Ruane |first=Michael E. |date=October 5, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=B1}}</ref> At that time, estimates of the cost of the damage were about $25 million.<ref name="ruanecost" /> Identifying the full extent of the damage and construction planning and studies over the next two years consumed another $2.5 million.<ref name="fandos" /> In 2011, the cathedral received a $700,000 preservation work matching grant from the [[Save America's Treasures]] program, a public-private partnership operated by the nonprofit [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]]. The program, which is federally funded, required the cathedral to match the grant dollar-for-dollar with private funds and use the money solely for preservation work.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/arts-post/2011/02/americas_treasures_receive_fed.html |title=National Cathedral, Renwick Gallery Win Federal Funds |last=Trescott |first=Jacqueline |date=February 2, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=July 5, 2015}}</ref> [[Gary R. Hall]] was chosen to be the 10th dean of Washington National Cathedral in July 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 31, 2012 |title=Gary R. Hall Named Dean of Washington National Cathedral |url=https://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/article/gary-r-hall-named-dean-washington-national-cathedral |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423170615/https://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/article/gary-r-hall-named-dean-washington-national-cathedral |archive-date=April 23, 2018 |access-date=April 23, 2018 |website=The Episcopal Church}}</ref> Although fundraising to repair the damage began soon after the earthquake, it took the cathedral three years to raise the $15 million to complete the first phase of repairs.<ref name="fandos" /> In August 2013, the cost of the repairs was re-estimated at $26 million. About $10 million had already been raised by this date to pay for the repairs, half of that coming from the Lilly Endowment.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/08/national-cathedral-earthquake-repairs-to-top-26-million-93087.html |title=National Cathedral Earthquake Repairs to Top $26 million |date=August 22, 2013 |work=WJLA-TV |access-date=July 5, 2015}}</ref> The cathedral began charging a $10 admission fee for tourists in January 2014, and started renting out its worship and other spaces to outside groups to raise cash.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/national-cathedral-opens-worship-space-to-free-classes-and-more-to-boost-profile-coffers/2014/01/14/216f87b4-7d3f-11e3-95c6-0a7aa80874bc_story.html |title=National Cathedral Opens Worship Space to Free Classes and More to Boost Profile, Coffers |last=Boorstein |first=Michelle |date=January 15, 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> The cathedral also transformed the Herb Cottage (its old baptistry building adjacent to the cathedral) into a for-profit [[coffeehouse]] operated by the Open City cafΓ© chain.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/religion-events-from-around-the-washington-area/2014/12/05/2a33626c-7c26-11e4-b821-503cc7efed9e_story.html |title=Religion Events From Around the Washington Area |last=Marmer |first=Gerri |date=December 5, 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Phase I of the restoration, which cost $10 million,<ref name="fandos" /> repaired the internal ceiling's stone and mortar and was completed in February 2015. The planned 10-year, $22 million Phase II will repair or replace the damaged stones atop the cathedral.<ref name="StoneMason">{{Cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday-chris-wallace/videos#p/158303/v/4154874618001 |title=Making Washington's National Cathedral Whole Again |date=April 5, 2015 |work=Fox News |access-date=April 6, 2015 |format=video}}</ref> In June 2015, Washington National Cathedral leaders said the church needed $200 million, which would both complete repairs and establish a foundation to give the cathedral financial stability. The cathedral began working on a capital fundraising campaign, which ''The New York Times'' said was one of the largest ever by an American religious institution, to begin in 2018 or 2019. Hall said that the cathedral also planned to reopen its continuing education college and its Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage (a space on the cathedral's crypt level dedicated to prayer, meditation, and devotional practice). After three years of deficit spending, however, the cathedral also announced additional cuts to music programs to balance its budget.<ref name="fandos" /> === Lee-Jackson stained glass windows === [[File:Robert Edward Lee in art at the Battle of Chancellorsville in a stained glass window of the Washington National Cathedral, from- Robert E Lee Stain Glass (cropped).JPG|thumb|150px|Robert Edward Lee in art at the Battle of Chancellorsville in a stained glass window of the Washington National Cathedral (removed in 2017)]] [[File:Stonewall Jackson with the flag of the Confederate States in art in a stained glass window of the Washington National Cathedral detail, from- Stonewall Jackson Stain Glass (cropped).JPG| thumb|150px|Jackson reading the Bible in a Confederate camp in a stained glass window of the Washington National Cathedral. The windows were removed in 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/09/06/washington-national-cathedral-to-remove-stained-glass-windows-honoring-robert-e-lee-stonewall-jackson/|title=Washington National Cathedral to remove stained glass windows honoring Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson|last=Boorstein|first=Michelle|date=September 6, 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>]] {{See also|Modern display of the Confederate flag|Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials}} In June 2016, after an examination by a five-person task force, it was announced that two Confederate battle flag images would be removed from stained glass windows commemorating the lives of Confederate generals [[Robert E. Lee]] and [[Stonewall Jackson]]. The windows were installed in 1953 after lobbying by the [[United Daughters of the Confederacy]]. In its report, the task force wrote that it "is unanimous in its decision that the windows provide a catalyst for honest discussions about race and the legacy of slavery and for addressing the uncomfortable and too often avoided issues of race in America. Moreover, the windows serve as a profound witness to the cathedral's own complex history in relationship to race."<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://cathedral.org/press-room/cathedral-to-explore-racial-justice-through-public-forums-arts-worship/ |title=Cathedral to Explore Racial Justice Through Public Forums, Arts, Worship |work=Washington National Cathedral |access-date=October 25, 2016}}</ref> On September 6, 2017, the cathedral, in a statement signed by the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of the cathedral, and John Donoghue, chair of the cathedral chapter, announced its decision to deconsecrate and remove the stained glass windows honoring Lee and Jackson.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cathedral.org/press-room/announcement-future-lee-jackson-windows/ |title=Announcement on the Future of the Lee-Jackson Windows |first1=Mariann Edgar |last1=Budde |first2=Randolph Marshall |last2=Hollerith |first3=John |last3=Donoghue |date=September 6, 2017 |website=Washington National Cathedral |access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref> On September 23, 2023, the "Now and Forever Windows" were unveiled and dedicated at the Cathedral. The dedication service featured remarks from world-renowned visual artist and window designer Kerry James Marshall, and a special reading of 'American Song' by poet Elizabeth Alexander.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andone |first=Dakin |date=2023-09-24 |title=Washington National Cathedral reveals new stained glass windows that replace those that honored Confederate generals |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/24/us/washington-national-cathedral-stained-glass-windows/index.html |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page