CATHEDR AL AGE WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL | EASTER 2013 gun violence in america Lenten Crosses: Sawn, Shot, Burned At the height of the Bosnian War in the mid-1990s, sofa with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at artist Thomas Sayre found himself reflecting just lunch on Sunday afternoon (just days before King’s before Holy Week on the violence that people inflict assassination) and Dean Sayre’s trip to Alabama to upon other people. His meditation on that theme march across the bridge with Ralph Abernathy and became a trio of crosses, each four feet square, and other civil-rights leaders. each—sawn, burned, or shot—distressed through Thomas today is best known for his technique of a diΩerent means of violence. The pieces were “earthcasting,” creating monumental sculptures from displayed during Holy Week at his home parish in poured concrete using molds fashioned deep into Raleigh, N.C., St. Mark’s, where they remain on the ground. This art aligns in many ways with the permanent exhibit. A few years later, for Lent 1999, current “green consciousness,” which it predates, but all three pieces traveled to the National Cathedral more importantly it creates places where people can cover detail from for an exhibition in Resurrection Chapel. Sayre later find themselves in relation to the natural world and artist thomas made a number of smaller, 20 by 20–inch crosses can discover new spiritual dimension in their lives. sayre’s gunshot- that St. Mark’s uses for its Stations of the Cross distressed lenten Standing prominently on public land and in major cross (shot) each year. cities across the country, this work clearly reflects photos provided by t. sayre The son of the Very Rev. Francis B. Sayre, Jr., the creation of vast and holy space at the Cathedral: above lenten fifth dean of Washington National Cathedral, another place where a powerful mixture of craft and crosses: sawn, shot, Thomas grew up on the grounds of the Cathedral stories (even when unfamiliar) combine to point burned, in situ at st. mark’s church, in what was then merely called the Deanery but now beyond themselves, lending inspiration and new raliegh, n.c. is known as Sayre House. He credits attending St. perspective to all who enter. Albans School, attending services with his mother A closer look at the cross featured on the cover, and siblings, and absorbing the skills and creativity steel mounted on a wood panel, can be an arresting of artisans and builders who were constructing the experience: the bullets that passed through had all Cathedral itself among his influences when maturing been pointed at the viewer. The art demands that from a young boy to a college-bound man. A faculty you consider the violence of someone shooting—at member at St. Albans introduced him to welding to you. “You have to own human violence in order to create art, for instance, and in a basement workshop beat it,” Sayre explains. at home Thomas’s father showed him woodworking. He also remembers sitting on the living room To see more of his work, visit www.thomassayre.com. CATHEDR AL AGE EASTER 2013 d. marks Contents 2 Comment 14 Why Gun Violence is 28 In Memoriam obituaries of artisans, preachers, A Public Cathedral a Religious Problem administrators, and stewards the very rev. gary hall the very rev. gary hall 30 From the Pulpit 4 Taking a Stand 18 “Guide Us in the Lessons from Moses New Dean’s Activism Mirrors Way of Truth” the rev. adam hamilton a Founding Ideal The 57th Presidential Inaugural The Cross Lobby richard m. weinberg Prayer Service the very rev. gary hall margaret shannon 9 Faith in America Broken Windows interviews with David and 22 Sustaining Support the very rev. gary hall Scarlett Lewis, Ann Wilson, Creative Acts and Tom Sullivan celebrating a gift from Kate Holmes Caldwell 36 Passages reflections on faith in America from different "A Most Successful Flower Mart” religious backgrounds or perspectives 24 Focus a look at the history and wisdom News from the Cathedral in the Cathedral Age archives panel on China, photography exhibit, marriage equality, staff departure, Senator Inouye’s memorial service, and a restoration update above colin goddard, survivor of the 2007 virginia tech shooting, with maryland congressman chris van hollen and cathedral dean gary hall on saturday, march 16, as part of a panel discussion during the gun violence prevention sabbath weekend. commentAcomment Public Cathedral American culture is highly individualistic. We understands its life and ministry as centrally engaged Americans tend to personalize ethical decisions in public life. A cathedral [from cathedra, bishop’s chair] and appeal to the Bible for guidance about our is a bishop’s church, and the ministry of bishops in individual moral decisions. But the Bible’s major Western Christianity is essentially a public one. ethical concerns are actually corporate, social ones: Bishops are the focal points for faith and ministry economic and social justice; the treatment of the in our church, and their cathedrals have historically poorest and most vulnerable; peacemaking at home been the places where their public ministry is lived and abroad. Those of us who lived through the civil out. Because we are both the Washington and the rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s remember a National Cathedral, we are naturally concerned with time when the mainline American faith community social issues that have both a profound theological engaged in dialogue and action around that great grounding and combined local and national impact. social, moral issue. Those who have come into the Gun violence, poverty, education, healthcare, human church more recently have seen only the conservative, rights: these are religious, social issues that rightly evangelical segment of Christianity at work in the claim the attention of a national and local cathedral political arena. So when a major faith institution such church. as Washington National Cathedral re-enters the As to the second, suΩering: in the Western public square, some understandably ask what religion intellectual tradition, we are accustomed to has to do with politics. examining issues abstractly, from a distance. No Because our Constitution disallows the establishment one can read the interviews with survivors of gun of any one faith as America’s “o≈cial religion,” violence in this edition of Cathedral Age and come away some have thought that the “separation of church untouched. Christianity is an incarnational religion, and state” would relegate all religious activity to one that understands truth to be embodied both in a the private, personal, individual sphere. While that person (Jesus) and in the human community. Because impulse is an understandable one, it betrays a shallow gun violence has emerged as the primary religious and understanding both of the Constitution and the social issue of our moment, we feel it is essential that Bible. Not establishing one religion is not the same we look beyond the policy questions to the cost of gun as saying religion has no role in public life, though violence on particular human lives. there are those who would like to compartmentalize A longtime priest friend of mine is fond of observing religion and isolate it from our ongoing social that a mature faith community, like a healthy discussion, there is nothing in the historic Anglican family, can talk about sex, money, and politics. As way of understanding scripture or tradition to a church striving to be a spiritual home for the support that point of view. nation, Washington National Cathedral strives Hence the occasion for this issue of Cathedral Age. In to be a mature faith community as well. In the the following pages, we address two major questions following pages you will encounter a history of that that any mature faith community must consider: what maturational process as lived out in the ministries are the key issues in our public life that demand our that have gone before us in this wonderful place. I attention, and what does suΩering look like from the hope you will find strength and encouragement for victim’s point of view? your own prayerful engagement in our public life. As to the first: because we are a cathedral church the very rev. gary hall in an historically Anglican mode, Washington cathedral dean National Cathedral is the inheritor of a tradition that right then-dean nathan d. baxter offering a sermon 2 cathedral age about violence and youth after the massacre at columbine high school in 1999 photo k. cobb CATHEDR AL AGE Cathedral Age is the official quarterly publication of Washington National Cathedral. the very rev. gary hall dean Cathedral Age is produced by the Communications and Marketing Department of Washington National Cathedral. richard m. weinberg director of communications craig w. stapert associate director for online strategies mimi m. mcnamara senior graphic designer m. leigh harrison communications manager cathedral chapter David J. Kautter, chair; Alexander H. Platt, vice-chair; C. Raymond Marvin, secretary; Thomas W. Anderson; Maxmillian Angerholzer iii; Boyce L. Ansley; John D. Barker; Richard F. Bland; Dr. Ann Carol Brown; The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of Washington; Timothy C. Coughlin; Robert B. Coutts; The Hon. John H. Dalton; Cynthia Fowler; The Hon. C. Boyden Gray; The Very Rev. Gary Hall, dean; The Rev. Martha Horne; Craig M. McKee; Dr. Eric D. K. Melby; Dr. Eric L. Motley; The Hon. Thomas R. Pickering; Geoffrey S. Stewart; The Rev. Dr. James P. Wind; Dorothy Woodcock = To Subscribe to Cathedral Age Cathedral Age is a benefit of nca membership. For information on membership, email [email protected]. Postmaster Send subscription orders, change of address, and other circulation correspondence to Cathedral Age c/0 Records Department, Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016-5098.