August 26, 2011
National Cathedral, damaged in quake, will hold services in shul
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Joe Alonso, Chief Mason at Washington's National Cathedral, attempts to piece together the fallen pieces from a stone spire that collapsed during an earthquake Aug. 24. Photo by REUTERS/Jason Reed
After their building took a battering from Tuesday’s earthquake, parishioners from Washington National Cathedral will instead worship in a Washington synagogue.
Due to earthquake damage, the church canceled services, including a Saturday dedication event for the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, while the building undergoes assessments. In the meantime, Washington National Cathedral will hold its Sunday services in the Washington Hebrew Congregation buildling.
Washington National Cathedral sustained what it called “significant damage” after the earthquake, losing ornate capstones from the church’s central tower, which at its peak is the highest point in Washington, D.C. There were also cracks in the flying buttresses in the area around the altar, the church said in a statement.
The cathedral’s dean, the Rev. Samuel Lloyd III, noted in a statement “the need to take every measure to ensure safety.” He also thanked the Washington Hebrew Congregation and its rabbi, Bruce Lustig, “for inviting us to hold services there for the next two Sundays.”
