St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

     Throughout the tumultuous twentieth century, there have been church leaders who demonstrated great moral leadership.  As Robert Coles states in his book Lives of Moral Leadership,  there are moments in ordinary lives in which a daring response is made.  Suddenly and surprisingly, an individual becomes an example to others.

     One example is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran theologian from Breslau, Germany.  In 1939 he began working with the resistance movement for the overthrow of Hitler’s dictatorship.  Four years later Bonhoeffer was arrested.  He was transferred from one prison to another, finally to the concentration camp at Flossenburg.  On April 9, 1945, just days before the liberation of the camp by the Allies, Bonhoeffer was hanged by the special order of Heinrich Himmler.

     Martin Niemoller, another Lutheran pastor, also spent years in Nazi concentration camps for refusing to go along with the Nazi program.  His words are inscribed on New England’s Holocaust Memorial: 

    When the Nazi’s came for the Communists, I remained silent.  I was not a Communist.

    When the Nazi’s came for the trade unionists, I remained silent.  I was not a trade unionist.

    When the Nazi’s came for the Jews, I remained silent.  I was not a Jew.

    When the Nazi’s came for me, there was no one left to speak out.

     Bonhoeffer was an inspiration to Reinhold Niebuhr, an American born to  German parents.  Niebuhr became a professor of Christian Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary.  He wrote and lectured on the Christian response to world events.  An adamant opponent of Anti-semitism and the Nazi party, he encouraged American action at a time when it was not popular.

     Moral courage continues in the 21st century.  Church leaders today continue to speak out for those on the fringes of society and the victims of injustice.  Often helping others puts their careers or even their lives in jeopardy, but they continue to follow their calling.  Acting as Christ did for the unfortunate and neglected is a Christian duty.  Those who perform that duty without regard for the personal consequences demonstrate true moral leadership.

     Being an Episcopalian means you are not required to agree with other Episcopalians.  We have different religious beliefs and we’re just as diverse on social and political questions.  Our disagreements are issues of substance and importance, and despite the intensity of our convictions, we still manage to listen to one another.  We gather regularly, some people more occasionally that religiously, and talk about the things that matter most to us.

     The St. Andrew’s Anchor reflects that diversity and that disagreement.  When the Anchor  first began, I edited it, and one of our first series consisited of solicited statements from the delegates to the 2009 General Convention.  No matter how much I disagreed with the perspective of the writers, I edited only for grammar, punctuation, and formatting.

     When Mitzi objected to a perpective, we offered her equal space to respond in the same issue.  In a particular case, Peter Cook submitted an article roughly twice the length we requested, and Mitzi’s response was just as long.  That edition of the newsletter had no other news, but in barely-legible 9-point font, it was brimming with the fair and earnest exchange of ideas.

     I live across the country now, and I don’t really need to know abou the next Ultreya meeting.  What I have been missing is the exchange of ideas among a group of people who are intelligent, serious, and compassionate enough to listen fiarly to each other.  That is why I like the Anchor.

     My father instilled in us his strong belief in attending church wherever he was.  He told my sister and me that, even on vacation, we would not take a vacation from church, because God did not take a vacation from us.  Although we thought an occasional break would be permissible, we found that we liked seeing other churches, how eloquent the sermon was and how well the congregation sang.  The Choral Eucharist at Grace Cathedral ranks as one of the most beautiful and inclusive church services I have attended. 

     Grace Cathedral began as Grace Church in the gold rush year of 1849, but the original building was destroyed by the earthquake and fire of 1906.  Work began on the current structure, built in French Gothic style, in 1928.  Today it is well-known for the Ghiberti doors, the labyrinths, the alaborate stained glass windows, the AIDS Interfaith chapel, its sculptures, and its music.  It is home to the Bishop of the Diocese of California and an active congregation, but for many it is simply a house of prayer, open to all people.

     The Ghiberti Doors of Paradise represent a masterpiece of 15th century Florentine sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti.  Made for the baptistery of the Florence Cathedral, they tell the story of the Old and New Testaments.  The doors for Grace Cathedral were made from the same molds as the originals.

     The Aeolian-Skinner organ was built for the cathedral in 1934.  Its 7,500 pipes make it one of the largest organs in the U.S.  In addition to worship services, the organ has been used for the concerts hosted by the cathedral.  Since its founding, worship at Grace has been led by a men’s choir.  Later boys were added for the treble ranges.  The cathedral is one of only a handful of places in the U.S. to carry forward the Anglican tradition of a choir of men and boys.

     Grace Cathedral has two labytinths, or imprints, used in various forms by several religious traditions.  The outdoor labyrinth, made of terrazzo stone, is available 24 hours a day for walking or meditation.  The indoor labyrinth is open during cathedral hous and during special events.

     The stained glass windows, murals, and icons are some of the most amazing artistic features of the building.  The windows not only display in beautiful detail stories and images from Scripture, but also important historic developments since the time the books of the Bible were collected.  The rose window depicts the poem of St. Francis, “Canticle of the Sun” from ca. 1226.  One series of windows features Human Endeavor and includes Justice Thurgood Marshall, astronaut John Glenn, poet Robert Frost, and physicist Albert Einstein and his famous formula.  One of the murals shows the 1906 earthquake and fire that destoyed the city, including Grace Church.

     The AIDS Interfaith Chapel was completer in 2000 and dedicated to those who have died of AIDS.  It is a place of healing, meditation, and remembrance.

     I have been able to mention a few of the may special things to see at Grace Cathedral.  I can only encourage you to attend church wherever you may be.