A Tale of Two Cathedrals
What Washington’s great churches reveal about belief and identity
By: Charles Coulombe
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception truly is the embodiment of the people who are the fabric of the Catholic faith and mosaic of our great nation. Saint John Paul II, the first pope to visit the National Shrine, perhaps best expressed its essence: “This Shrine speaks to us with the voice of all America, with the voice of all the sons and daughters of America, who have come here from the various countries…. When they came, they brought with them in their hearts the same love for the Mother of God that was characteristic of their ancestors and of themselves in their native lands. These people, speaking different languages, coming from different backgrounds of history and traditions in their own countries, came together around the heart of a Mother they all had in common.” (October 7, 1979)
---Shrine Website
Grounded in the reconciling love of Jesus Christ, Washington National Cathedral is a house of prayer for all people, conceived by our founders to serve as a great church for national purposes. Washington National Cathedral holds a unique place at the intersection of sacred and civic life. As the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, we strive to serve God and our neighbors as agents of reconciliation, a trusted voice of moral leadership and a sacred space where the country gathers during moments of national significance.
---Cathedral Website
As always for me, a recent trip to Washington, D.C., was an enormous thrill. Now, it might be objected at this point that as I am both a Monarchist and a resident of Austria for the past five years (having visited or revisited most of the capitals of Europe in that time), Washington should hold few charms for me. Just the opposite is true. For all that I have come to love the Mother Continent ever more during my time here, much of that love is based precisely upon the fact that I realise now much more deeply than ever before how truly she is the mother of the land of my birth – and one way or another, of most other countries in the world to-day. But my love of that land of my birth – all fifty States, five possessions, and one Federal District of her – has grown as well; for that matter, my love of country forces me to have a regard for her usually unacknowledged step-children – The Philippines and Liberia – as well. Never has this been truer than this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, although sometimes it feels as though, Tory though I am, I am the only one celebrating it who is neither participating in nor watching some historical re-enactment.
I may not be the Constitution’s biggest fan, nor think much of the denizens of the White House or Capitol; but this past week it was again a thrill to see them and reflect on the more than two centuries of American history they represent. The National Mall – “America’s Main Street” - once again worked its magic on me; I’d be lying if I said the sight of Old Glory waving proudly did not move me profoundly.
