Learning to be Quick to Listen

The majestic Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, perched atop Mount St. Alban in Washington D.C., is often referred to as the "Washington National Cathedral." While its grandeur certainly lends itself to such a title, the reality is far more nuanced, and frankly, more diocesan. Let's cut to the core: there is no such thing as a "national cathedral" in the way many people assume. To understand why, we need to understand what a cathedral is . A cathedral is the seat of a bishop within a diocese . Notre-Dame in Paris is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, St. Paul's in London is the cathedral of the Diocese of London. These are diocesan, not national, landmarks. The Washington Cathedral, despite its grand name, is the seat of the Episcopal Bishop of Washington and the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States. However, the Presiding Bishop is not a "national bishop," and the Episcopal Church is not the "nati...