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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Elizabeth Mullen |
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NEW YORK TO BE CELEBRATED WASHINGTON – Washington National Cathedral will host a worship celebration on December 16 in recognition of the people and leaders of New York. More than 200 visitors from the Empire State including invited clergy, elected leaders and parishioners are expected at the majestic house of prayer for the service. As part of its national ministry, Washington National Cathedral offers prayers for the people and leaders of each state annually. The Cathedral, which hosts state funerals and other events of national significance, honors each state with a major observance once every four years. New Yorkers will play key roles at the Cathedral’s 11:15 am service marking the state’s celebration. They will participate in the service’s opening procession and will bear communion elements and offer up gifts to the poor. The state flag will be placed on the chancel steps in the Cathedral for the following week to further mark New York State Day. The Right Rev. Orris G. Walker, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, will preside at the service. The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of Washington National Cathedral, will preach the sermon. The Capital District Youth Chorale, of Clifton Park, will perform the service prelude. The chorale, which is celebrating its 25th year and is conducted by Diane Warner, draws singers from 30 schools in Albany and surrounding counties. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, will take part in New York State Day. He will be spotlighted in the Cathedral’s Sunday Forum program leading up to the worship service. “The Sunday Forum at Washington National Cathedral: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith,” is moderated by Dean Samuel Lloyd III. It provides a space for honest, intellectually probing and generous-spirited dialogue about the major issues of our time as seen from the Christian perspective. Kobia, a minister in the Methodist Church of Kenya and author of “Called to the One Hope: A New Ecumenical Epoch,” will discuss the topic, “A World at Stake: Can Churches Be Peacemakers?” Afterwards, Cathedral guides will lead guests on a special tour of the Cathedral, the sixth-largest in the world, highlighting its ties to New York. The bronze statue of President Abraham Lincoln that stands at the rear of the Cathedral’s nave was cast in a Peekskill foundry. The cannons of Fort Ticonderoga are carved in the right label molding on a door leading to the Cathedral’s slype, a vesting room. Walter Kantack of New York City designed the hanging lamps in the Great Choir. New York also was the home state of the Right Rev. Henry Yates Satterlee, the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington in 1896 and the key visionary in the establishment of Washington National Cathedral, which is celebrating its centennial. “As a house of prayer for all people, the Cathedral opens its doors to all. On December 16, we especially welcome New York citizens as we honor their contributions and service to their neighbors and our nation,” said Benjamin Bradburn, program director of the National Cathedral Association, which is organizing the event. “New York State Day will be a celebration of the role the state plays in the life of the Cathedral and our nation.” The National Cathedral Association, the organization of friends of Washington National Cathedral, has nearly 13,000 members from many denominations in every state and around the world. Its regional leaders in New York include Ann S. Merrill of Skaneateles, and John Harbeson of Croton on Hudson.
ATTN PRINT MEDIA: An account of the celebration and photos from the event will be available on December 17. If you desire e-mail transmission of this account and/or photos sent as JPEG attachments please contact Elizabeth Mullen at the number above. Available on the web site are print-quality photos of Washington National Cathedral (you may also click “News” then “Photos for Print” at www.nationalcathedral.org.) | |