A Message from Dean Hollerith: The Work We Have To Do; Washington National Cathedral, November 6, 2024

The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, Washington National Cathedral ; A Message from Dean Hollerith: The Work We Have To Do

"Today, America woke up to a new President, a new Congress and a new understanding of who we are as a nation. For some, this was a long-sought victory after years of work and organizing; for others, this seismic shift feels disorienting and disheartening.  

Whether your preferred candidates won or lost, our work as Americans is just beginning. There is healing we must do, as individuals and as a people. Now is when we must listen to Abraham Lincoln and “bind up the nation’s wounds,” and we must follow his example to do it with “malice toward none and charity for all.”

This will not be easy work. We must start by showing grace to ourselves and to others. There are many among us who are hurt, fearful or angry, and they may have no desire to extend a hand, or give their neighbor the benefit of the doubt. Others among us may be tempted to write this next chapter with a sense of winner-take-all vengeance.      

We are weary of division and bitter politics; we have no need for more of that. Instead, let us aim for a better way to move forward together, as one people, one family of God. We may not agree, we may not understand each other, we may not even like each other. But we are tied together in our shared humanity, and as hard as it may be to hear, in the end there is no us and them; there is only us. 

If we can learn anew how we see each other, then maybe we can learn anew how to treat each other. In this moment, and in all the days to come, let us strive to embody the challenges and promises of our faith. As Jesus said: 

Love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who abuse you.
Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Give, and it will be given to you.
For the measure you give will be the measure you receive. 

And the blessing of God Almighty — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — be with you this day and always. Amen."

Crossroads: Episode 2 - AI and Ethics; Crossroads from Washington National Cathedral, April 17, 2024

 Crossroads from Washington National Cathedral; Crossroads: Episode 2 - AI and Ethics

"Tune in for the Cathedral's first conversation on AI and ethics. Whether you are enthusiastically embracing it, reluctantly trying it out, or anxious about its consequences, AI has taken our world by storm and according to the experts, it is here to stay. Dr. Joseph Yun, CEO of Bluefoxlabs.ai and AI architect for the University of Pittsburgh, the Rev. Jo Nygard Owens, the Cathedral's Pastor for Digital Ministry, and Dr. Sonia Coman, the Cathedral's Director of Digital Engagement discuss the state of AI, its risks, and the hope it can bring to the world."

Matthew Shepard, whose 1998 murder became a symbol for the gay rights movement, will be interred at Washington National Cathedral; The Washington Post, October 11, 2018

Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post; Matthew Shepard, whose 1998 murder became a symbol for the gay rights movement, will be interred at Washington National Cathedral

[Kip Currier: A powerful story, particularly appropos today on National Coming Out Day (see here and here), affirming every human being's right to dignity, respect, and equality.]

"When Matthew Shepard died on a cold night 20 years ago, after being beaten with a pistol butt and tied to a split-rail wood fence, his parents cremated the 21-year-old and kept his ashes, for fear of drawing attention to a resting place of a person who was a victim of one of the nation’s worst anti-gay hate crimes.

But now with the anniversary of their son’s murder approaching on Friday, the Shepards have decided to inter his remains inside the crypt at Washington National Cathedral, where gay-equality activists say they can be a prominent symbol and even a pilgrimage destination for the movement. Although the cause of LGBT equality has made historic advancements since Shepherd was killed, it remains divisive in many parts of a country reembracing tribalism of all kinds.

The 1998 killing of Shepard, a University of Wyoming student, by two young men in a remote area east of Laramie, Wyo., was so horrific that his name is on the federal law against bias crimes directed at LGBT people."