Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori joined Bishop Mark Sisk of New York and the Very Rev. James A. Kowalski, dean of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, New York City, for a Nov. 30 service of rededication of the cathedral’s 8,500-pipe great organ.
 
The instrument was played for the first time publicly since a six-alarm fire in December 2001 crippled it and destroyed the north transept of the massive building.
 
“You’ve probably heard your fair share of ‘wows’ and ‘oh my Gods’,” said Dean Kowalski at the start of his sermon, as quoted by The New York Times. “This may be the longest Advent on record if you count all seven years of waiting.”
 
With a 601-foot center aisle, St. John the Divine claims to be the fourth largest church in the world. It was dedicated in 1941, and remains unfinished 116 years after construction began. Although the cathedral reopened for worship within days of the fire, the cleaning and restoration required more than five years to complete.
 
Several firefighters who helped battle the fire seven years ago participated in full dress uniform in the procession. Later in the service, several on-duty firefighters, dressed in full gear, joined Dean Kowalski at the altar. The congregation rose in applause when the dean thanked the firefighters for saving the cathedral. During the fire, firefighters worked with cathedral staff to identify and protect many of the cathedral’s most valuable religious treasures and artifacts. Their bravery and quick thinking is credited with having prevented a far worse tragedy.
 
Cardinal Edward M. Eagen, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York, also processed, along with other ecumenical religious representatives. Others reported in attendance included former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton, and Rep. Anthony Weiner of Queens and Brooklyn. Dean Kowalski invited several of them to address the congregation from the pulpit.
 
Despite the pageantry and impressive stone façade, Dean Kowalksi emphasized humility when he attempted to describe the cathedral’s greatness to the congregation in his sermon.
 
“It’s too big for us,” he said. “We don’t have enough people to fill it regularly.” The cathedral’s greatness, Dean Kowalski said, lay in its commitment to “the belief that faith expressed through engagement with the world is the only way faith is truly expressed.”
 
The Living Church magazine Online Edition lets you read your copy the day it’s printed, and for just $24.50 for one year! Click here for complete details.