Cathedral Wins Partners in Preservation Grant

The Washington National Cathedral will receive a $100,000 grant to help restore the earthquake-damaged vaulted ceiling inside its nave.

The Washington National Cathedral won the 2013 Partners in Preservation contest, securing a $100,000 grant to help restore damage caused by the 2011 earthquake. The cathedral was one of 24 local historic sites competing for grant funding from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express. “I would like to thank the entire Cathedral community, both near and far, who joined in voting for us, resulting in our popular vote win today," Andrew Hullinger, the Cathedral’s senior director for finance and administration, said in a press release. "We wouldn’t be the National Cathedral without the support of so many who have come before us, or without those who are part of our community today who want to ensure that the Cathedral …

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Photos: 2013 Flower Mart at Washington National Cathedral

The annual event runs Friday and Saturday on the cathedral grounds.

The annual Flower Mart at Washington National Cathedral is underway Friday and continues Saturday. In addition to flowers and other plants, visitors can find jewelry, crafts, and more. Food vendors range from ice cream to grilled meats to funnel cake. The funds raised at Flower Mart go toward the maintenance and development of the grounds and gardens of the Cathedral. The event runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out the Patch weekend guide.

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Georgetown, DC Historic Sites Vy for Preservation Grants

Partners in Preservation, a partnership between American Express Co. and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, lets you vote for deserving historic sites in the DC area.

Georgetown University, Dumbarton Oaks Park, Washington National Cathedral and others are among a field of 24 DC area historic sites vying for $1 million in grants from Partners in Preservation. The initiative stems from a partnership between American Express Co. and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The contest lets you vote online for your favorite local historic site. The site with the most “votes” online wins full funding for its preservation project. “Washington’s historic sites reflect not only important chapters in our nation’s history, but also the diversity and unique character of our city,” Mayor Vincent Gray said in a press release. “Partners in Preservation celebrates these places by encouraging the public to support…

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Local High School Students Perform at National Cathedral

The 8th annual CELEBRATE YOUTH! high school choir festival tonight features 300 singers from nine DC high schools.

Wednesday night the Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW, will be filled with the voices of 300 students from nine different DC public, charter and independent high schools as they participate in the 8th annual CELEBRATE YOUTH! concert. Washington's Cathedral Choral Society brings students together to rehearse with an orchestra and socialize during a day-long event that culminates in a free public concert, scheduled for 7 p.m. The festival director is Benjamin Hutto who also serves as the director of performing arts at St. Albans and National Cathedral Schools. The video above explains the importance of the Cathedral Choral Society's CELEBRATE YOUTH! concerts and includes recordings of previous youth performances. The …

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Racing with Pancakes: National Cathedral Celebrates Shrove Tuesday

The nation's spiritual home celebrated Shrove Tuesday with its annual pancake races.

Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 12, was a beautiful day for...flipping pancakes in the fresh air. And why not? After all—it was Shrove Tuesday (i.e. Mardi Gras). The Washington National Cathedral's Shrove Tuesday Pancake Races—which have taken place on the last Tuesday before Lent in front of the west entrance of the cathedral for more than a decade—showcased the pancake-flipping skills of many of the cathedral's staff members, as well as of some of the students at the cathedral's St. Albans School, National Cathedral School and Beauvior elementary school. Check out our photo gallery of last year's event. Contestants in the pancake races (there were several heats' worth of races) were given a skillet and an official (frozen) pancake. At the word "…

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Shaun Courtney

4:34 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013

In my family, we called it Fastnacht Day (doughnut day) and it meant my mom made homemade doughnut holes dusted in cinnamon and sugar. What I'd give for one of those warm, messy treats with their slightly crunchy outside! -Shaun   more ›

National Cathedral to Webcast Inaugural Prayer Service

Tuesday morning's service will include participants from several Christian denominations, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, according to a cathedral statement.

Tuesday's Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral will include participants from several Christian denominations, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, according to a cathedral statement. The prayer service will start at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 22, and will be webcast live at www.nationalcathedral.org. Only invited guests will be attending the service. "We are so blessed to be joined by leaders of many faiths for this prayer service to lift up our nation and our president," the Very Rev. Gary Hall, dean of the Washington National Cathedral, said in a statement. "To have represented the diverse faith perspectives of America within the [Washington National] Cathedral’s nave is a sign of the distinct role that people of faith…

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Washington National Cathedral Now Celebrating Same-Sex Weddings

Same-sex marriage is legal in both the District and Maryland.

The Washington National Cathedral will begin celebrating same-sex marriages effective immediately, the cathedral announced Wednesday. “The Episcopal Church has shown faithfulness and courage in the long discernment process that led to the development and approval of this rite. The Diocese of Washington has similarly been a leader in the implementation of marriage equality," Very Rev. Gary Hall, dean of Washington National Cathedral, said in a prepared statement. "I am proud that Washington National Cathedral will be among the first Episcopal institutions to adopt and implement a rite that will enable our faithful LGBT members to share in the sacramental blessings of Christian marriage.” The Episcopal Church approved a new rite adapted from…

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Memorial Service for Bishop Dixon Today

The service begins at 10 a.m. at the Washington National Cathedral and will be streaming online on the cathedral homepage. Bishop Dixon was the second woman bishop in the Episcopal Church.

Memorial for Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon Saturday

Memorial for the Rt. Rev. Jane Holmes Dixon, the second woman bishop in the Episcopal Church, will be 10 a.m. Saturday at the Washington National Cathedral.

Saturday, the Washington National Cathedral will host a memorial service for retired Rt. Rev. Jane Holmes Dixon, who died Dec. 25 of heart disease. Bishop Dixon was the second woman bishop in the Episcopal Church and served as the Bishop of Washington pro tempore. The service at 10 a.m. at the Washington National Cathedral will also be broadcast via a live webcast on the cathedral's website. "We are heartbroken at the death of retired Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon, who passed away early Christmas morning," according to a message posted on the website of St. John's Episcopal Church in Georgetown. Dixon is suvived by her husband David McFarland Dixon, Sr., her three children, David, Jr., Edward and Mary, and her beloved grandchildren, Ed, Emma, …

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