MCALLEN,Texas (CNS) -- Three years ago, a humanitarian crisis engulfed the city ofMcAllen as tens of thousands of asylum seekers from Central American countriesentered the border city each day -- often arriving exhausted and traumatizedfrom the long journey north.

Manyof them were fleeing extreme violence and poverty in their home countries ofHonduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

SisterNorma Pimentel, a member of the Missionaries of Jesus, who is executivedirector of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, recognized the need tohelp the refugees -- mostly unaccompanied children and women with children -- whowere pouring into the city on their way to meet family members in other partsof the United States to seek political asylum.

Sheapproached Sacred Heart Church in McAllen about using its parish hall for a fewmonths to create a waystation for these asylum seekers to get a shower, freshclothes, and supplies for infants and children.

Threeyears later, the Humanitarian Respite Center has served 74,000 people -- and theparish is finally getting its hall back.

Anew building one block from Sacred Heart Church will be constructed to housethe respite center, thanks in part to a $100,000 grant from nonprofit CatholicExtension presented by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, who is chancellorof Catholic Extension.

TheChicago-based organization is the leading national supporter of missionary workin poor and remote parts of the United States.

"Youhave welcomed strangers and made them to feel like family," Cardinal Cupichtold Sacred Heart parishioners during a Mass celebrating the Aug. 15 feast ofthe Assumption. "The immigrant is not a statistic. Each one has a story, avoice, a history."

CardinalCupich traveled to McAllen to officially grant $100,000 to the Diocese ofBrownsville for the construction of the new building. The funds were raised ata benefit dinner at the Vatican Museum organized by Catholic Extension on the dayof the Chicago prelate's elevation to the College of Cardinals in November2016.

"TheHoly Father asked that the new cardinals not have big celebrations that drewattention to ourselves, but rather that we would do something that would helpthose at the periphery of society," Cardinal Cupich said. "I'm delighted to bewith you today to dedicate the funds that Catholic Extension raisedspecifically for this event for the Diocese of Brownsville."

Standingat the future site of the new facility after Mass, Cardinal Cupich presented aplaque to Sister Pimentel and Bishop Daniel Flores of the Diocese ofBrownsville, commemorating the occasion.

"Iaccept this gift from Catholic Extension and Cardinal Cupich as being very mucha part of this great venture, which is our common venture in the Churchofgiving witness to Christ, especially in the most vulnerable," BishopFlores said.

The$100,000 raised by Catholic Extension for the new respite center is the latestgrant in the organization's more than 110 years of funding to the state ofTexas. Catholic Extension's historical funding of Texas totals more than $173million when adjusted for inflation, including 1,860 church construction orrenovation projects across the state.

Inaddition to the funds for the respite center, Cardinal Cupich's consistorydinner raised another $75,000 that was granted to Sacred Heart of Jesus Parishin Hidalgo, a rapidly growing parish located blocks from the U.S.-Mexico border.Cardinal Cupich personally presented those funds to the parish Aug. 15 as well,which are earmarked for the construction of a new church building.

Thework of the respite center in McAllen received national attention in September2015, when Pope Francis acknowledged Sister Pimentel during a "virtual papalaudience" at Sacred Heart Church televisednationally by ABC News.

CardinalCupich and a delegation from Catholic Extension toured the current respitecenter, which is in the process of moving out of the parish hall and to aninterim location while the new building is constructed.

Today, the numbers of the people served by the respite center have greatly decreased,but it continues to welcome families traveling from their home countries inCentral America who are escaping life-threatening situations. The three most-representedcountries are still Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Inaddition to attending to the physical needs of its guests, the respite centeralso provides phone services so asylum seekers can contact family members, aswell as information on how to safely travel and live in the United States. Mostrefugees spend less than 24 hours at the center before boarding buses toreunite with their relatives and await their asylum court hearing.

CardinalCupich praised the tireless work of Sister Pimentel and the numerous volunteers-- including parishioners from Sacred Heart Church -- who have staffed therespite center over the past three years. He stressed the need for the CatholicChurch to extend a welcoming hand to the marginalized immigrant and refugeecommunities who pass through the center's doors each day.

"TheCatholic Church has a very important role to humanize and put a face on thestranger and the vulnerable," he said, "especially those who sufferand whose dignity and rights are compromised or threatened."

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Chicago cardinal thanks Texas parish for 'welcoming the stranger' - Catholic News Service

COTTONWOOD Monday, the Cottonwood Planning and Zoning Commission will consider the conditional use permit and design review requested by the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church to allow the construction of a new senior housing complex, a rectory for priests, a new social hall, and new parish offices.

The Catholic Church, located 700 N. Bill Gray Rd. in Cottonwood, has redeveloped a master plan for their property to consist of a multi-story senior center to complement the existing church, school and cemetery.

The faith-based living facility will provide housing for those with interdependent living needs, and those with assisted and memory care living needs. It will also house current and retired priests. The housing is not exclusive to Catholics.

Mark Carlile, chair of the finance council, said its always been a part of the Catholic Churchs mission to help the youth and elderly of the community.

There is a need in the Verde Valley, he said.

The Catholic Church wants to help people on all sides of the financial spectrum, said Carlile.

The proposed facility will be a 150,000 square foot senior housing center, with a rectory for local and retired priests, which will include 155 beds.

The second phase will consist of an additional 75,000 square feet for senior housing, with an additional 55 beds, as growth warrants.

Future growth of the Catholic Church property may include a middle and/or high school, expansion of the cemetery, and sports fields.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will meet Monday at 6 p.m. at Council Chambers, located 826 N. Main. St. in Cottonwood.

Agendas and minutes can be found at http://cottonwoodaz.gov/384/Planning-Zoning-Commission.

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Immaculate Conception Catholic Church plans to build senior ... - Camp Verde Bugle

The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States.[1][2] Of Neo-Gothic design closely modeled on English Gothic style of the late fourteenth century, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world,[citation needed] the second-largest in the United States,[3] and the highest as well as the fourth-tallest structure in Washington, D.C. The cathedral is the seat of both the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Bruce Curry, and the Bishop of the Diocese of Washington, Mariann Edgar Budde. In 2009, nearly 400,000 visitors toured the structure. Average attendance at Sunday services in 2009 was 1,667, the highest of all domestic parishes in the Episcopal Church that year.[4]

The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, under the first seven Bishops of Washington, erected the cathedral under a charter passed by the United States Congress on January 6, 1893.[5] Construction began on September 29, 1907, when the foundation stone was laid in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt and a crowd of more than 20,000, and ended 83 years later when the "final finial" was placed in the presence of President George H. W. Bush in 1990. Decorative work, such as carvings and statuary, is ongoing as of 2011. The Foundation is the legal entity of which all institutions on the Cathedral Close are a part; its corporate staff provides services for the institutions to help enable their missions, conducts work of the Foundation itself that is not done by the other entities, and serves as staff for the Board of Trustees.

The Cathedral stands at Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in the northwest quadrant of Washington. It is an associate member of the recently organized inter-denominational Washington Theological Consortium.[6] It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2007, it was ranked third on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.[7]

In 1792, Pierre L'Enfant's "Plan of the Federal City" set aside land for a "great church for national purposes." The National Portrait Gallery now occupies that site. In 1891, a meeting was held to renew plans for a national cathedral. On January 6, 1893, the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia was granted a charter from Congress to establish the cathedral. The 52nd United States Congress declared in the act to incorporate the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia that the "said corporation is hereby empowered to establish and maintain within the District of Columbia a cathedral and institutions of learning for the promotion of religion and education and charity."[8] The commanding site on Mount Saint Alban was chosen. Henry Yates Satterlee, first Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Washington, chose George Frederick Bodley, Britain's leading Anglican church architect, as the head architect. Henry Vaughan was selected supervising architect.

Construction started September 29, 1907, with a ceremonial address by President Theodore Roosevelt and the laying of the cornerstone. In 1912, Bethlehem Chapel opened for services in the unfinished cathedral, which have continued daily ever since. When construction of the cathedral resumed after a brief hiatus for World War I, both Bodley and Vaughan had died. Gen. John J. Pershing led fundraising efforts for the church after World War I. American architect Philip Hubert Frohman took over the design of the cathedral and was thenceforth designated the principal architect. Funding for the National Cathedral has come entirely from private sources. Maintenance and upkeep continue to rely entirely upon private support.

The United States Congress has designated the "Washington National Cathedral" as the "National House of Prayer."[9] During World War II, monthly services were held there "on behalf of a united people in a time of emergency." Before and since, the structure has hosted other major events, both religious and secular, that have drawn the attention of the American people, as well as tourists from around the world.

State funerals for three American Presidents have been held at the cathedral:[10]

Memorial services were also held for the following former presidents:

Presidential prayer services were held the day after the inaugurations for the following U.S. Commander-in-Chiefs:

Other events include:

It was from Washington National Cathedral's "Canterbury Pulpit" that the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered the final Sunday sermon of his life on March 31, 1968, just a few days before his assassination in April 1968.[13] A memorial service for King was held at the cathedral later the same week.

The cathedral was damaged in August 2011 during the Virginia earthquake. Finial stones on several pinnacles broke off, and several pinnacles twisted out of alignment or collapsed entirely. Some gargoyles and other carvings were damaged, and a hole was punched through the metal-clad roof by falling masonry. Cracks also appeared in the flying buttresses surrounding the apse. Inside, initial inspections revealed less damage, with some mortar joints loose or falling out.[14] The cathedral, which had no earthquake insurance, was essentially leaderless and struggled to cope with the cost of the damage.[15]

Washington National Cathedral closed from August 24 to November 7, 2011,[14] as $2 million was spent to stabilize the structure and remove damaged or loose stone.[15] Safety netting was erected throughout the nave to protect visitors from any debris that might fall from above.[16] The cathedral reopened for the consecration and installation of Mariann Budde as the ninth Bishop of Washington on November 12, 2011.[17] At that time, estimates of the cost of the damage were about $25 million.[17]

Identifying the full extent of the damage and construction planning and studies over the next two years consumed another $2.5 million.[15] In 2011, the cathedral received a $700,000.00 preservation work matching grant from the Save America's Treasures program, a public-private partnership operated by the nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation. The program, which is federally funded, required the cathedral to match the grant dollar-for-dollar with private funds and use the money solely for preservation work.[18] Whether the provision of such aid violates the First Amendment, on the ground that frees up, for religious work, funds that otherwise would have been spent for the restoration, historically has been a controversial topic.[19]

The Reverend Canon Gary R. Hall was chosen to be the 10th dean of Washington National Cathedral in August 2012.[20]

Although fundraising to repair the damage began soon after the earthquake, it took the cathedral three years to raise the $15 million to complete the first phase of repairs.[15] In August 2013, the cost of the repairs was re-estimated at $26 million. About $10 million had already been raised by this date to pay for the repairs, half of that coming from the Lilly Endowment.[21] The cathedral began charging a $10.00 admission fee for tourists in January 2014, and started renting out its worship and other spaces to outside groups to raise cash.[22] The cathedral also transformed the Herb Cottage (its old baptistry building adjacent to the cathedral) into a for-profit coffeehouse operated by the Open City caf chain.[23]

Phase I of the restoration, which cost $10 million,[15] repaired the internal ceiling's stone and mortar and was completed in February 2015. The planned 10-year, $22 million Phase II will repair or replace the damaged stones atop the cathedral.[24]

In June 2015, Washington National Cathedral leaders said the church needed $200 million, which would both complete repairs and establish a foundation to give the cathedral financial stability. The cathedral began working on a capital fundraising campaign, which The New York Times said was one of the largest ever by an American religious institution, to begin in 2018 or 2019. Rev. Hall said that the cathedral also planned to reopen its continuing education college and its Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage (a space on the cathedral's crypt level dedicated to prayer, meditation, and devotional practice). After three years of deficit spending, however, the cathedral also announced additional cuts to music programs to balance its budget.[15]

In June 2016, after an examination by a five-person task force it was announced that two Confederate battle flag images would be removed from stained glass windows commemorating the lives of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The windows were installed in 1953 after lobbying by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. In its report, the task force wrote that it "is unanimous in its decision that the windows provide a catalyst for honest discussions about race and the legacy of slavery and for addressing the uncomfortable and too often avoided issues of race in America. Moreover, the windows serve as a profound witness to the Cathedral's own complex history in relationship to race."[25]

In January 2003, the Reverend Nathan D. Baxter, dean of the cathedral, announced his retirement effective from June 30, 2003. Baxter had led the cathedral since 1991.[26] After an 18-month search, Samuel T. Lloyd III was named dean and began his tenure on April 23, 2005. Lloyd was charged with helping to enlarge the church's congregation and make the cathedral a center for Christian thought and spiritual life.[27] Using a $15 million bequest the cathedral received in 2000, Lloyd rapidly expanded the cathedral's programming.[28][15] Meanwhile, the cathedral deferred maintenance and declined to make needed repairs.[15] Construction also began in 2004 on a $34 million, four-level, 430-car underground parking garage. The structure was pushed by John Bryson Chane, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, and was funded primarily by debt. It opened in 2007.[15][29] Debt payments on the garage were $500,000.00 a year, with a major increase in the annual debt service beginning in 2017.[30] In early 2008, the National Cathedral Association, the church's fundraising donor network, was disbanded after cathedral leaders concluded that the building was "finished" and it was no longer necessary to raise significant funds for construction.[15][31]

The 20082009 Great Recession hit the cathedral hard. By June 2010, the cathedral cut its budget from $27 million to $13 million (more than half), outsourced the operation of its gift shop, shut its greenhouse, and ceased operation of a college that had provided Episcopal clergy nationwide with continuing theological education. The cathedral also laid off 100 of its 170 staff members (about 60 percent of the total), including its art conservator and its liturgist (who researched and advocated the use of liturgies at the cathedral).[32] It also significantly cut back on programming, music performances, and classes.[33] To help stabilize its finances, the cathedral began an $11 million fundraising campaign and used $2.5 million of its $50 million endowment to plug budget holes.[32] The National Cathedral Association was recreated as well.[30]

In June 2010, the cathedral announced that it was exploring the sale of its rare book collection, the value of which was estimated to be several million dollars.[32] It sold a number of books to a private collector in 2011 for $857,000.00[15] and in 2013 donated most of the remaining collection to Virginia Theological Seminary.[15][34]

As the economic downturn continued, a report by cathedral staff identified $30 million in needed maintenance and repairs at Washington National Cathedral.[15] Among the problems were cracked and missing mortar in the oldest sections of the building; broken HVAC, mechanical, and plumbing systems throughout the structure; extensive preservation needs; and a main organ in disrepair. Repointing the building was estimated to cost at least $5 million, while organ repair was set at $15 million.[30]

In July 2011, Lloyd announced his resignation, effective in September.[33]

Its final design shows a mix of influences from the various Gothic architectural styles of the Middle Ages, identifiable in its pointed arches, flying buttresses, a variety of ceiling vaulting, stained-glass windows and carved decorations in stone, and by its three similar towers, two on the west front and one surmounting the crossing.

Washington National Cathedral consists of a long, narrow rectangular mass formed by a nine-bay nave with wide side aisles and a five-bay chancel, intersected by a six bay transept. Above the crossing, rising 91m (301ft) above the ground, is the Gloria in Excelsis Tower; its top, at 206m (676ft) above sea level, is the highest point in Washington.[35] The Pilgrim Observation Gallerywhich occupies a space about 3/4ths of the way up in the west-end towersprovides sweeping views of the city. In total, the cathedral is 115m (375ft) above sea level. Unique in North America, the central tower has two full sets of bellsa 53-bell carillon and a 10-bell peal for change ringing; the change bells are rung by members of the Washington Ringing Society.[36] The cathedral sits on a landscaped 57-acre (23-hectare) plot on Mount Saint Alban.[37] The one-story porch projecting from the south transept has a large portal with a carved tympanum. This portal is approached by the Pilgrim Steps, a long flight of steps 12m (40ft) wide.

Most of the building is constructed using a buff-colored Indiana limestone over a traditional masonry core. Structural, load-bearing steel is limited to the roof's trusses (traditionally built of timber); concrete is used significantly in the support structures for bells of the central tower, and the floors in the west towers.

The pulpit was carved out of stones from Canterbury Cathedral; Glastonbury Abbey provided stone for the bishop's formal seat, the cathedra. The high altar, the Jerusalem Altar, is made from stones quarried at Solomon's Quarry near Jerusalem, reputedly where the stones for Solomon's Temple were quarried. In the floor directly in front of that altar are set ten stones from the Chapel of Moses on Mount Sinai, representing the Ten Commandments as a foundation for the Jerusalem Altar.

There are many other works of art including over two hundred stained glass windows, the most familiar of which may be the Space Window, honoring mankind's landing on the Moon, which includes a fragment of lunar rock at its center; the rock was presented at the dedication service on July 21, 1974, the fifth anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.[38] Extensive wrought iron adorns the building, much of it the work of Samuel Yellin. A substantial gate of forged iron by Albert Paley was installed on the north side of the crypt level in 2008. Intricate woodcarving, wall-sized murals and mosaics, and monumental cast bronze gates can also be found. Most of the interior decorative elements have Christian symbolism, in reference to the church's Episcopal roots, but the cathedral is filled with memorials to persons or events of national significance: statues of Washington and Lincoln, state seals embedded in the marble floor of the narthex, state flags that hang along the nave, stained glass commemorating events like the Lewis and Clark expedition and the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima.

The cathedral was built with several intentional "flaws" in keeping with an apocryphal medieval custom that sought to illustrate that only God can be perfect.[dubious discuss] Artistically speaking, these flaws (which often come in the form of intentional asymmetries) draw the observer's focus to the sacred geometry as well as compensate for visual distortions, a practice that has been used since the Pyramids and the Parthenon.[citation needed] Architecturally, it is thought that if the main aisle of the cathedral where it meets the cross section were not tilted slightly off its axis, a person who looked straight down the aisle could experience a slight visual distortion, making the building seem shorter than it is, much like looking down railroad tracks.[citation needed] The architects designed the crypt chapels in Norman, Romanesque, and Transitional styles predating the Gothic, as though the cathedral had been built as a successor to earlier churches, a common occurrence in European cathedrals.[citation needed]

Numerous grotesques and gargoyles adorn the exterior, most of them designed by the carvers; one of the more famous of these is a caricature of then-master carver Roger Morigi on the north side of the nave. There were also two competitions held for the public to provide designs to supplement those of the carvers. The second of these produced the famous Darth Vader Grotesque which is high on the northwest tower, sculpted by Jay Hall Carpenter and carved by Patrick J. Plunkett.[39]

The west facade follows an iconographic program of the creation of the world rather than that of the Last Judgement as was traditional in medieval churches. All of the sculptural work was designed by Frederick Hart and features tympanum carvings of the creation of the sun and moon over the outer doors and the creation of man over the center. Hart also sculpted the three statues of Adam and Saints Peter and Paul. The west doors are cast bronze rather than wrought iron. The west rose window, often used as a trademark of the cathedral, was designed by Rowan leCompte and is an abstract depiction of the creation of light. LeCompte, who also designed the clerestory windows and the mosaics in the Resurrection Chapel, chose a nonrepresentational design because he feared that a figural window could fail to be seen adequately from the great distance to the nave.

The cathedral contains a basement, which was intentionally flooded during the Cuban missile crisis to provide emergency drinking water in the event of a nuclear war.[40]

The cathedral's master plan was designed by George Frederick Bodley, a highly regarded British Gothic Revival architect of the late-19th and early-20th centuries, and was influenced by Canterbury. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. contributed a landscaping plan for the cathedral close and Nellie B. Allen designed a knot garden for the Bishop's Garden. After Bodley died in 1907, his partner Henry Vaughan revised the original design, but work stopped during World War I and Vaughan died in 1917. When work resumed, the chapter hired New York architecture firm Frohman, Robb and Little to execute the building. Philip Hubert Frohman, who had designed his first fully functional home at the age of 14 and received his architectural degree at the age of 16, and his partners worked to perfect Bodley's vision, adding the carillon section of the central tower, enlarging the west faade, and making numerous smaller changes. Ralph Adams Cram was hired to supervise Frohman, because of his experience with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, but Cram insisted on so many major changes to the original design that Frohman convinced the Cathedral Chapter to fire him. By Frohman's death in 1972, the final plans had been completed and the building was finished accordingly.

The cathedral is both the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Washington (currently the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde) and the primatial seat of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (currently the Most Reverend Michael Curry). Budde was elected by the Diocese of Washington in June 2011, to replace Bishop John Bryson Chane; upon her confirmation in November 2011 she became the ninth bishop of the diocese and the first woman to fill the role.

In May 2016, Randolph Marshall Hollerith was named as the next Dean of the Cathedral.[42][43] Hollerith comes to the National Cathedral from St. James Episcopal Church (Richmond, Virginia), where he was rector from 20002016.

Former deans:

The National Cathedral Association (NCA) seeks to raise and provide funds for and promote the Washington National Cathedral. Across the United States, it has more than 14,000 members, more than 88 percent of whom live outside the Washington area, and who are divided into committees by state. Visitors to the cathedral provide another significant source of funds, through donations and group touring fees. Every year, each state has a state day at the cathedral, on which that state is recognized by name in the prayers. Over a span of about four years, each state is further recognized at a Major State Day, at which time those who live in the state are encouraged to make a pilgrimage to the cathedral and dignitaries from the state are invited to speak. American state flags were displayed in the nave until 2007; currently the display of the state flags alternates throughout the year with the display of liturgical banners hung on the pillars, reflecting the seasons of the Church year.

The budget, $27 million in 2008, was trimmed to $13 million in 2010. Staff was reduced from 170 to 70. There was an endowment of $50 million.[44]

The worship department is, like the cathedral itself, rooted in the doctrine and practice of the Episcopal Church, and based in the Book of Common Prayer. Three services are held each weekday, including the daily Eucharist. Sunday through Thursday, the Cathedral Choirs sing Evensong. The forty-minute service is attended by roughly fifty to seventy-five people (more on Sunday). Three services of the Eucharist are held on Sunday, along with Choral Evensong.[45]

The cathedral also has been a temporary home to several congregations, including a Jewish synagogue and an Eastern Orthodox community. It has also been the site for several ecumenical and/or interfaith services. In October 2005, at the cathedral, the Rev. Nancy Wilson was consecrated and installed as Moderator (Denominational Executive) of the Metropolitan Community Church, by its founding Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Troy Perry.

Each Christmas, the cathedral holds special services, which are broadcast to the world. The service of lessons and carols is distributed by Public Radio International. Christmas at Washington National Cathedral is a live television broadcast of the 9 a.m. Eucharist on Christmas Day. It is produced by Allbritton Communications and is shown on national affiliates in most cities around the United States. Some affiliates broadcast the service at noon. The Christmas service at the Cathedral was broadcast to the nation on television from 1953 until 2010 and is still webcast live from the Cathedral's homepage.

The Washington National Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, founded in 1909, is one of very few cathedral choirs of men and boys in the United States with an affiliated school, in the English choir tradition. The 1822 boys singing treble are of ages 814 and attend St. Albans School, the Cathedral school for boys, on vocal scholarships.

In 1997, the Cathedral Choir of Men and Girls was formed by Bruce Neswick, using the same men as the choir of the men and boys. The Choir consists of middle and high school girls attending the National Cathedral School on vocal scholarships. The two choirs currently share service duties and occasionally collaborate.

Both choirs have recently recorded several CDs, including a Christmas album; a U.S. premiere recording of Stle Kleiberg's Requiem for the Victims of Nazi Persecution; and a patriotic album, America the Beautiful.

The choirs rehearse separately every weekday morning in a graded class incorporated into their school schedule. The choristers sing Evensong five days a week (the Boys Choir on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the Girls Choir on Mondays and Wednesdays). The choirs alternate Sunday worship duties, singing both morning Eucharist and afternoon Evensong when they are on call. The choirs also sing for numerous state and national events. The choirs are also featured annually on Christmas at Washington National Cathedral, broadcast nationally on Christmas Day.

The Great Organ was installed by the Ernest M. Skinner & Son Organ Company in 1938. The original instrument consisted of approximately 8,400pipes. The instrument was enlarged by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company in 1963 and again between 1970 and 1975, during which time more than half of the original instrument was removed. The present instrument consists of 189ranks and 10,647pipes. It is the largest organ in the city of Washington and one of the 20 largest organs in the world.[46][47]

Specifications:

Michael McCarthy is the Director of Music, Benjamin Straley is the Cathedral Organist and Associate Director of Music, and Jeremy Filsell is the Artist-in-Residence. The carillonneur is Edward M. Nassor.[48] Former organists and choirmasters include Edgar Priest, Robert George Barrow, Paul Callaway, Richard Wayne Dirksen, Douglas Major, Bruce Neswick, James Litton, Erik Wm. Suter, and Scott Dettra.

The resident symphonic chorus of Washington National Cathedral is the Cathedral Choral Society.

The cathedral is unique in North America in having both a carillon and a set of change ringing bells.

The ring of 10 bells (tenor 32longcwt0qr4lb; 3,588lb or 1,627kg in D) are hung in the English style for full circle ringing. All ten were cast in 1962 by Mears & Stainbank (now known as The Whitechapel Bell Foundry) of London, England.[49]

The carillon has 53 bells ranging from 17 pounds (7.7kg) to 24,000 pounds (11,000kg) and was manufactured by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough, England in 1963. The bells are hung dead, that is rigidly fixed, and are struck on the inside by hammers activated from the keyboard.[50]

Several notable American citizens are buried in Washington National Cathedral and its columbarium:

The rest is here:
Washington National Cathedral - Wikipedia

SUNBURY As the saying goes, the family that prays together, stays together.

The people that have been a part of Klinesgrove United Methodist Church, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this month, will tell you its true.

Brian Moyer, who is in his fourth year as pastor of the church, said they live out the mission statement they developed prior to his arrival: Where you are a part of the family of God.

That truly defines the characteristics of this congregation, he said. They truly believe in the family nature of the church and the community, of being a part of the family of God. I see that very much in the types of outreach, ministry, and service that they do.

I think we have a strong family, echoed member Ray Shipe, who has been attending Klinesgrove since the early 80s, and who is also serving on the 150th anniversary celebration committee. We have lots of fellowship.

Well known in the area for their annual fall apple butter boil, which goes way back into the churchs history, and the huge amounts of coconut and peanut butter Easter eggs they make each year, the churchs members, though few in number, are also known for the love and support they pour out on the community around them.

Community connection

The thing about this church that affects me the most, Moyer said, is the level of activity of its youth group.

Thats something that is often not seen in many churches nowadays, he explained. But the young people of Klinesgrove are busy not only enjoying fun activities with each other, but completing effective mission work in their local community, volunteering regularly at AGAPE in Bloomsburg, Elijahs Bowl, and Haven Ministries, among other outreaches.

The church also provides food on a regular basis to people living on fixed incomes.

Their connection with each other and their connection to the community, Moyer said, is what has kept the church going for 150 years.

A lot of times, a church starts to falter and fail when its just internally focused. The more successful churches are the ones that are externally focused.

Historical connection

Currently in seminary, Moyer was taking a recent history course when he decided to write about Klinesgrove United Methodist Church for one of his assignments. During his research, he discovered the building was soon to reach its 150th anniversary. Upon that realization, the church in the winter began planning a celebration, with numerous activities this month including visits from previous pastors and historical talks. Today, Shipe said, they are celebrating with a meal, entertainment, and some re-enactors during a tour of the adjacent cemetery that is more than 210 years old. Someone is even planning to arrive at the celebration on horseback, portraying a circuit-riding preacher who had ministered to the people of the area who met in each others homes before the church was built.

The 60- by 40-foot brick structure that still stands today was built in 1867, just after the Civil War, at a cost of $9,000. Previously the Klinesgrove Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the families of the church played a direct part in its construction.

The Campbell family, who lived on a farm near the soon-to-be location of the church on donated land, used clay from their property to make bricks, which they cooked in their kiln and hauled to the construction site. Another family, the Klines from which the church gets its name also had a big part in building the church.

Even all the way back to the grassroots of this church, Moyer said, it was truly a family-oriented and family-based congregation.

Mission connection

I believe all churches have one mission, Moyer said, to make disciples for Christ for the transformation of this world.

When Moyer became pastor at Klinesgrove, he encouraged the members to start adding to their mission statement with action words to create a vision for the churchs future.

They use the words offer, love, grow and serve to steer everything they do.

It keeps us focused on the purpose and reason that we are the church, Moyer said. And that is to be the hands and feet of Christ here in the community to which we belong.

Thats our goal, Shipe added, to offer Christ to others.

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Church prepares to celebrate 150th anniversary - Sunbury Daily Item

GRACETON A stretch of cooperative weather has enabled contractors to regain lost time and move up the target date for finishing a bridge construction project west of Homer City.

The Center Township board of supervisors reported Thursday that the crews completed five 12-hour workdays last week on the replacement of a culvert that carried Bethel Church Road over Aultmans Run.

The road has been closed since the start of work early this summer.

Were still holding on to Sept. 1, Chairman John Bertolino said. And we will notify the 911 center and fire departments if we are able to open the road sooner.

A long stretch of wet weather, including heavy storms and flooding that affected the work site, at one point had authorities looking at mid-September to complete the project.

The supervisors also reported Thursday, in a biweekly business meeting, that the township has asked county and state offices to allow Center Township to redirect a grant that had been intended for work on streets in the Coral area.

Instead, the supervisors plan to spend the $106,063.40 grant and the townships required local share of $31,819.02 for reconstructing Six Flat Road.

The supervisors decided that a tar-and-chip application wouldnt be suitable for resurfacing Six Flat Road following extensive storm drain pipe and waterline replacement projects this year.

The township has already advertised for contractors bids on the project. The supervisors will hold a pre-bid meeting at 10 a.m. Aug. 24 to explain the project for prospective bidders.

The board will open bids and possibly award a contract at 3 p.m. Aug. 31, at the next meeting.

In other business, the supervisors reviewed a proposed site plan for relocation of the Fastenal company to a new building planned on Old Route 119 just north of Lucerne Road Extension.

Fastenal now operates in a building shared with Nicks Bullseye Firearms along Route 119 south of Lucerne Road.

Engineer Terry Johnston presented the plan on behalf of developer Earl Hewitt, who owns the current and future locations of Fastenal.

Although the plan doesnt require formal site approval because the township has no zoning code, Bertolino offered a letter of approval that Johnston could submit with the plan for county construction-code approval.

The supervisors agreed to have the letter ready at the next biweekly meeting on Aug. 31.

The board continued to heap accolades on Trinity Energy Services, of Argyle, Texas, a company that has temporarily stationed its workforce at the new Route 119 Business Park along Luciusboro Road.

Trinity is a contractor on a cross-stat gas product pipeline construction project on behalf of Sunoco Logistics. The multi-billion-dollar project cuts a path along the Route 22 corridor in southern Indiana County.

Theyve been ideal neighbors, Bertolino said.

Trinity donated heavily to the Independence Day fireworks display held in early July in the Coral-Graceton area.

The company also sent its helicopter to hover over a rain-soaked ball field to help dry the ground for a statewide American Legion baseball tournament in late July.

We know of no other company that would come together and do these kinds of things for the community, Bertolino said.

NOTE: This story edited at 12 noon to correct the name of the waterway.

Staff writer/Web Editor, The Indiana (Pa.) Gazette

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Work progressing on Bethel Church Road bridge project - Indiana Gazette

The congregation of East Highway Baptist Church will celebrate its 70th anniversary during Sunday morning service. Flanked by cotton fields, the church building sits east of Temple on State Highway 53, just across the road from its first location.

Originally the Czech Baptist Church, the first building was constructed around 1936 by the churchs first pastor, Joseph F. Rundus, who came to Texas from Blue Rapids, Kan. Services were done held Czech until the mid-1940s, when the church changed to English.

It was a very small church. Just an auditorium and two small classrooms, said the Rev. Ernest Thompson.

Thompson, a former pastor for East Highway Baptist, now serves as pastor emeritus. He said he has seen a lot of change during his time with the church, including the construction of a new building after the congregation outgrew its original structure.

We built on it all the way around as far as we could, Thompson said. And 64 filled it back then. I mean, I had them sitting in the aisle, had them sitting everywhere.

In 1990, the old building was moved from its foundation to land across the street that had been donated to the church.

Thompson retired as the full-time pastor in November after 49 years of ministry. He said he would have gone to 50 years, but his health wouldnt allow it. He still serves the church whenever he can.

We still have three services a week out there, he said. A lot of them dont have that, you know? Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. And then we have our fellowships and everything.

Thompson said the East Highway congregation is one of the friendliest groups hes dealt with.

When new people come through the door, they make them feel at home, he said. I trained them years ago, and I told them When someone comes through these doors, you be sure theyre made welcome at home.

He said the church members love everyone and are committed to serving the Lord.

Thompson said some smaller churches are shutting their doors, but he doesnt want to see that happen to his church.

We dont want to do that, he said. Its like I tell them, Its not the name of the church. Its what where there to do: worship and praise the Lord.

Thompson said the church is in good hands with its new pastor, the Rev. Duane McCoy.

McCoy said the 70th anniversary celebration will begin with Sunday service at 10:30 a.m. He said there will be presentations on the history of the Czech Baptist Church and history up through the building of the new church.

Three groups will sing, including students from the childrens ministry. McCoy said Thompson will deliver a sermon, and Dr. Tom Henderson, Bell Baptist Association director of missions, will bring a closing message and charge for the future.

A congregational luncheon will follow the service.

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East Highway Baptist Church celebrating 70th anniversary - Temple Daily Telegram

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Many church clients use our Morton designBUILD project delivery method as it provides single-source responsibility, integrated design, collaborative construction planning, and accelerated schedules.

We work with organizations in various stages of their building projectsome have already had plans drawn by an outside architect, some are only in the planning phase, and some are ready for our designers/architects to draw up plans and move forward with construction. No matter what stage you are in currently, we will help guide you to the best possible outcome. We invite you to experience the award-winning Morton Buildings difference.

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Church | Morton Buildings

by Eric Peterson, FOX 11 News

Hope Community Church east of Shawano, August 11, 2017 (WLUK/Eric Peterson)

SHAWANO COUNTY (WLUK) -- Construction on a memorial project, and fitness trail at a Shawano area church, is starting to take shape.

The initiative is to honor Four-Star General Robert Cone.

Cone lost his battle with cancer last year, after retiring to Shawano with his wife Jill.

At Hope Community Church east of Shawano, construction crews were hard at work. The General Cone Memorial Fitness Trail was shaping up.

"I just got goose bumps. I just can't believe this is coming to be. All these great hearts that have been a part of this. It's bee a blessing to me through my grief," said Jill Cone, Shawano.

Jill Cone is Robert Cone's widow. The couple attended Hope Community Church. She says her husband's funeral created a wave of donations from all across the country.

"I came up with a very large idea, and that was a one mile paved fitness trail with fitness stations, like pull-ups, sit-ups, balance beam," said Cone.

"This is just a gift to the community to honor Bob, and what he stood for. His faith, his attitude, the fitness," said Pastor John Anderson, Hope Community Church.

About 35 Bayland Buildings team leaders volunteered their time on Friday. While coping with cancer, Cone was scheduled to speak to the Bayland group, but passed away before the meeting took place.

"One of his biggest things was leadership is a privilege. And I think that says a lot for who he was as a general, and I kind of want to bring that into our company, and let everybody know, that leadership is a privilege," said Shawn Mueller, Bayland Buildings Vice President of Sales.

Cone served 35 years in the U.S. Army. He was a veteran of both Gulf Wars, and Afghanistan too. Cone was commander at Fort Hood, Texas, during the 2009 shooting rampage which killed 13 people.

"So here at the trail, we're going to put in 13 trees, to represent the 13 that were massacred there," said Cone.

Cone says the memorial trail will give people a chance to run, reflect, and remember. She says her General would approve.

"He'd grab my hand and squeeze it, and say oh my God hon, I can't believe you did this. This is such an incredible thing," she said.

A dedication ceremony will be held for the Memorial Trail on September First.

The park will be free and open to the public.

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Memorial fitness trail under construction at Shawano area church - Fox11online.com

Home | Top Stories | Alabama-rooted ministry approaching 4 decades of church construction

August 12, 2017

By Karen O. AllenCorrespondent, The Alabama Baptist

Heres the church. Heres the steeple. Open the doors and see all the people.

Remember the church rhyme? As children it brought a smile to our face. The building did not seem as important as the wriggling people (fingers) inside. But Alabamas Builders for Christ (BFC) group prefers to focus on the building so the people will have a place for corporate worship and fellowship.

Every summer BFC volunteers from around the country converge at a site that has undergone an extensive screening process. The project site could be anywhere from Maine to Louisiana or the upper Midwest. Volunteers (aka construction missionaries) give one week of their time for one purpose: to construct a church or church addition in a community with accelerated church growth or dire need. The motto on the BFC truck reinforces the purpose: a network of Christian laypersons who build churches for congregations who are rapidly leading others to a saving knowledge of Christ as Savior and Lord.

The vast majority of volunteers are nonskilled laborers (e.g. teachers, health care workers, homemakers, salespersons, truck drivers). Skilled volunteers include home builders, engineers and architects. Some are newcomers while many are seasoned BFC veterans. No matter the age, gender or skill set, there is a job for everyone.

The BFC leadership team prepares months in advance for the 15-week construction period that begins in late May and goes through mid-August. Along with planning and coordinating, the leadership team provides advice and consultation to the host church throughout the entire process. The leadership team is composed of a project team leader, construction leader, financial analyst, church team leaders and kitchen coordinator.

Wood and light steel framing, electrical work, plumbing, HVAC services, roofing, drywall, cabinetry, carpentry, hardware installation and painting are services provided by the construction missionaries. Typically it will take about eight months before a building is ready to be occupied.

Constructing meals

While the kitchen team may not swing hammers and drive nails, they play a vital role in the building effort constructing 300 to 500 meals per day. They prepare a big breakfast, a sandwich/fruit lunch combo and finally a hearty dinner equivalent to that of a Thanksgiving meal, said Lawrence Corley, BFC founder.

Corley, a Birmingham architect and member of Brookwood Baptist Church, Birmingham, describes the BFC seed as having been planted following his pastors return from the Southern Baptist Convention in 1979. The pastor gave the disheartening announcement that it would not be possible to tell the world the good news by the year 2000 as hoped.

Laypeople were going to have to be enlisted to help fulfill the daunting challenge.

Corley accepted the challenge and focused his efforts on helping build churches.

The first church construction project took place in Adamson, Oklahoma, in 1981. It didnt take long before a network of interested churches began to form.

In 1994, Appleton, Wisconsin, made its debut as the first official construction site under the Builders for Christ name. Another BFC team was developed in 1991 and aptly named Team B. In 2005 Team C was added. Corley serves as team leader for Team A while Earl Rhyne and Allan Ivemeyer from Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Birmingham, have served as team leaders for B and C, respectively. With the combined efforts of all three teams, BFC boasts a total of 70 projects in 21 states in the past 37 years.

When asked about the ministry name, Corley says Builders for Christ was decided collectively by the volunteers and represents a comprehensive body of builders, not just contractors, electricians, etc.

Volunteers represent a variety of groups including Baptists, Methodists, nondenominational churches, Lutherans, Catholics and Presbyterians as well as come from various states.

Gatlinburg project

This summer BFC went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to rebuild the worship center and family life center for Roaring Forks Baptist Church following the devastation of the 2016 fires. The project logged 25,000 square feet. Seventy-six church teams from 22 states with 1,850 volunteers paid their own expenses to sweat in the sweltering heat.

Twenty-two teams were from Alabama Baptist congregations.

Kellyann German, a four-year BFC veteran from Meadow Brook Baptist Church, Birmingham, said, Every year we encounter churches with different ministries and different needs. This years trip was unique in that it followed a disaster.

At least two other churches have been built by BFC in response to a disaster Phil Campbells Mountain View Baptist following the April 2011 tornadoes and First Baptist, Chalmette, Louisiana, following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.German said she and her husband plan to serve Christ by serving His church through BFC as long as they can.

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For more information on Builders for Christ, visit http://www.baptistbuildersforchrist.org.

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Alabama-rooted ministry approaching 4 decades of church construction - Alabama Baptist

The Rev. James Donovan has a clear goal as the new pastor of St. Barnabas Roman Catholic Church: keep the momentum going.

Donovan officially assumed his new role with the church, 10134 S. Longwood Dr., on July 1. He has been assigned to the church for nine years.

At St. Barnabas, he leads a parish that is preparing for a major expansion project at both its elementary school and church, as well as enjoying an increase in student enrollment.

Donovan replaced the Rev. William Malloy, who retired and has dealt with health issues since late last year. The new pastor said hes fortunate to be at St. Barnabas.

Its a great parish, so you just want to continue the tradition, Donovan said. Weve had some great pastors, so Im pretty lucky to be here.

Donovan, a North Side native, has been a priest since 1987, and he also served the parish of Our Lady of Loretto Roman Catholic Church in Hometown.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, he was secretary of priest placement from 2008-2013, and in July 2013, Cardinal Francis George appointed him vicar of priests.

Now, he will lead St. Barnabas during a busy time.

The parish is in the midst of its Imagine. Innovate. Inspire campaign, a three-phase project with a $5-million first phase that calls for a major addition to the school and church renovations.

A new education center will be built, officials said, in front of the school on Longwood Drive in an area that is currently open between the north wing of classrooms and the gym on the south.

Church updates will include new flooring, improved acoustics, built-in technology including Wi-Fi internet access, an updated kitchen and bathroom, increased storage, new lighting and a hospitality counter.

That construction is planned to begin in spring of 2019.

Phase II calls for an addition to the second floor of the school that will include classrooms and a science lab, and an expansion of the church vestibule, including a renovated main entrance.

The school addition will cost $2.85 million, officials said, and the church improvements will be $1.2 million. Construction is planned to begin in 2023, according to the campaign Web site.

Phase III, which would begin in 2030 and cost $8 million, officials said, will include demolition of the convent, located on the south end of the campus, and construction of a parish center that will feature a fine arts activities center/gym, an early-childhood center and parish offices. A rooftop space could also be included to host events ranging from student activities to community gatherings.

According to the school, over the past eight years, enrollment has increased by about 30 percent; there were 604 students in 2016-17, and as of last summer, 60 new families had joined the parish since July 1, 2015.

Donovan hopes the project continues to progress as planned.

Its doing pretty well so far. Certainly, you want the campaign to run its course, he said. Hopefully, we get everything we need. Its a wonderful parish with a great tradition, so well see how we can continue to build that up.

The past two years, St. Barnabas has also hosted ecumenical meetings and services, inviting people of all faiths for discussions on major issues in the city.

In February 2016, What Can We Do? addressed violent crimes, and the meeting included a panel of police officials and religious leaders.

Last March, You Are My Neighbor was held in response to the travel ban imposed after an executive order from President Donald Trump. A near-capacity crowd gathered with leaders from various religions.

Donovan praised church members for organizing such events.

That really started with some key parishioners bringing it forward, Donovan said. So it was important to kind of run with it.

Malloy will remain active with the parish as pastor emeritus, and he will continue to reside in the church rectory.

Last December, he announced in a church bulletin that he has an aggressive form of prostate cancer, and he underwent surgery to remove his prostate.

Malloy said the operation went well and that he finished radiation treatments about a month ago.

His tenure at St. Barnabas, Malloy said, can be summed up in one wordgratitudeand he expressed confidence in the new pastor.

Whatever we accomplished, Im grateful because we did it together as a parish, Malloy said. I think weve turned over a pretty good parish community to Fr. Donovan, who I know is going to do well. Hes got a lot of skills and ability, and he is going to be a fine pastor.

St. Barnabas celebrates Mass on Saturdays at 4 p.m., as well as on Sundays at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and noon.

Excerpt from:
Donovan becomes pastor for busy St. Barnabas parish - The Beverly Review