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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Elizabeth Mullen |
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RHODE ISLAND TO BE HONORED AT SPECIAL SERVICE WASHINGTON – Rhode Island leaders and citizens will be celebrated at a special Feb. 19 service at Washington National Cathedral, with dozens of worshipers from the state expected to attend. The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of Washington National Cathedral, will serve as preacher. Worshipers from the Ocean State will play key roles at the service, bearing communion elements and offering up gifts to the poor. As part of its national ministry, Washington National Cathedral offers prayers for the people and leaders of each state annually. The cathedral honors each state with a major observance once every four years. The Rhode Island flag will be placed on the chancel steps for the service and will remain there for a week in further recognition of the state. “The National Cathedral Association invites all from Rhode Island to participate in this special day,” said Vanessa Andrews, director of the National Cathedral Association. “Since 1899, when people first gathered on the Cathedral site, we have recognized that our strength is the citizens from across our nation and around the world who helped build this cathedral church and help us live into our mission as a national house of prayer for all people.” Lloyd will address the congregation from the historic Canterbury Pulpit, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his final Sunday sermon, and from where former Missouri senator John Danforth, an Episcopal priest, gave the homily at Ronald Reagan’s state funeral in June 2004. The Right Rev. Geralyn Wolf, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, will serve as chief celebrant. Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian will be among political leaders in attendance. Other invited guests include Rhode Island members of Congress and members of the Rhode Island State Society, the organization of state natives who live and work in the Washington area. Afterwards, docents will lead guests on a special tour of the cathedral, the sixth-largest in the world, highlighting references to Rhode Island, including needlepoint kneelers in St. John’s Chapel that honor Samuel Slater, Roger Williams and Gilbert Stuart among other significant Rhode Islanders. “As a national house of prayer for all people, the Cathedral opens its doors to all. On January 22, we especially welcome Rhode Island citizens as we honor their contributions to our nation,” Andrews said. “Rhode Island Day will be an energetic celebration of the state.” The National Cathedral Association (NCA) is the friends’ organization of Washington National Cathedral. It counts more than 14,000 members in every state and around the world who support the Cathedral’s missions and ministries. The Cathedral’s regional volunteer leaders for Rhode Island are Eleanor Owens Earle of Providence and Martha Peters of Bristol.
ATTN PRINT MEDIA: An account of the celebration and photos from the event will be available by Feb. 20. 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 (“Photos for Print” under “News” at www.cathedral.org/cathedral). | |