For generations immigrants have come to America, in awe of the ideals that we uphold. Ronald Reagan saw the the Unites States as a “shining city upon a hill.” At the heart of America is our capitol, Washington D.C. , famed for its impressive structures and awe inspiring monuments. Central to its view of itself at the heart of its Capitol, America needed a National Cathedral.
The idea for a national cathedral is as old as Washington itself. In 1791, when Congress selected the site to be the capitol of the United States, President George Washington commissioned Major Pierre l’Enfant to design an overall plan for the future seat of government and it included a national church.While it took more than a century to begin, the foundation stone was laid on September 29, 1907 and after 83 years of construction, the Cathedral was finally completed in September 1990.
So there it is, in the heart of a city that is the heart of a nation, rose a Cathedral helping to define a country calling to out to all. Come. See.
On second thought, let’s not go there. ‘Tis a silly place.
Did you know that one of the grotesques that adorn the facade of the National Cathedral is none other than Darth Vader himself? Yes, that great literary figure of the 1970’s, Darth “I am your father” Vader.
No, I am not making this up. You can see for yourself at the Cathedral website.
I suspect that one day, long after we have received our fair share of Divine retribution, a future archaeologist will uncover the Cathedral in a bid to understand the ‘great people’ that once inhabited this place. They will want to know what we were like and what lead to our downfall. One of my fears is that upon this discovery and many others like it, they will think that we were a profoundly un-serious people not up to the challenges of our day. My other fear is they might be right.
March 17, 2008 at 2:58 am
And that, dear Patrick, is why we have the National Basillica…
Let the Episcopal Organization have their buildings… After that and Saint John the Divine (still incomplete) what else will be found?
March 17, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Oh come on…
Even religion needs a sense of humor. Darth Vader is no worse than some of the gargoyles at Notre Dame or Chartres (Not that I’m comparing the National Cathedral to either of those masterpieces).
March 17, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Anon,
You wrote “Even religion needs a sense of humor.”
Sure, Hence the entire purpose of our blog. With that said, a time and a place for everything.
How about the Lincoln Memorial with with a Bugs Bunny bust?
March 17, 2008 at 7:25 pm
For years I’ve suspected I’d fallen into a worm hole and came out in the Bizarro Universe. Now I’m convinced.
Dear God, please take me home.
March 17, 2008 at 10:52 pm
“How about the Lincoln Memorial with with a Bugs Bunny bust?”
I have been barking up that tree for years! So far the National Park Service is just giving me the cold shoulder…
I think the pro-Bugs faction is growing.
March 20, 2008 at 1:46 am
Well, since the Church of the Usurper stole all our real estate in England I have been lobbying for its return. But that very same “church” in the US seems to have built nothing but junk – they can keep it.
March 20, 2008 at 1:46 am
Well, since the Church of the Usurper stole all our real estate in England I have been lobbying for its return. But that very same “church” in the US seems to have built nothing but junk – they can keep it.
March 20, 2008 at 2:27 am
I would willingly take Saint John the Divine off their hands… And they have some churches in the midwest I wouldn’t mind to have…. were we not closing our own.