Cathedral Announces Election-Related Services to Foster Unity and Peace

October 10, 2024

WASHINGTON – As Americans head to the polls in a highly divisive election season, Washington National Cathedral will offer a season of election-related services and prayers for the country focusing on peace, justice and safeguarding democratic values. 

From Election Day through the Presidential Inauguration in January, these events are designed for quiet reflection, prayer and spiritual support for the country. They are part of the Cathedral’s election-year initiative, A Better Way, to help Americans learn from each other, listen to each other and find our way forward as a nation. 

 “We have a breach in our public life, a brokenness that requires us to take on the work of reconciliation,” said the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, Dean of Washington National Cathedral. “Jesus’ command is very clear: `love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.’ That is a tall order, and it requires us to pray for God’s grace, to pray for healing.” 

On Election Day (November 5), the Cathedral will be open for prayer from 7 am to 10 pm ET, including a continuous vigil for prayer and reflection from 8 am to 9 pm ET. All tours will pause for the day as the Cathedral offers prayers for America; admission is free all day. All events will be livestreamed and include:

  • A Service of Morning Prayer at 8 am ET to launch the day-long vigil.
  • An interfaith Noonday Service of Prayer at 12 pm ET, with Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders offering messages of hope, unity and civic responsibility.
  • A Service of Evening Prayer at 5 pm ET to provide space for reflection and emphasize respect for the process, a call for patience and protection of the peaceful transition of power.
  • A Service of Compline at 8:45 pm ET to close out the day and strengthen our souls for whatever lies ahead. 

On November 6, the day after the election, the Cathedral will be open all day for prayer, including A Service of Unity and Hope After An Election at 12 pm ET and Choral Evensong at 5 pm ET, recognizing the importance of maintaining peace and unity as the country moves forward.  

In addition, the Cathedral will host a special interfaith Service for the Nation on January 21, 2024, the day after the presidential inauguration. This service will emphasize the need for healing and national unity. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde will preach, and the service will underscore the values of reconciliation, shared purpose and the work required to bring the nation together.

A draft of the January service has already been created. It is an interfaith service that draws together the breadth of religious expression in America, and includes opportunities for interfaith and ecumenical partners to share elements of their faith traditions with the nation.

“We are in a unique moment in our country’s history, and it is time to approach this differently,” Dean Hollerith said. “This will not be a service for a new administration. Rather, whichever party wins, this will be a service for all Americans, for the well-being of our nation, for our democracy and the importance of the core values that must undergird our democracy.” 

Over the years, the Cathedral has hosted 10 official inaugural prayer services for various presidents, including Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden, all in conjunction with the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Dean Hollerith emphasized that the upcoming service will have a different focus than the inaugural services that have taken place since 1933.

“Regardless of who the president is or whether he or she attends, the liturgy will center on the country,” Dean Hollerith said. “Whether voters choose Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, a large percentage of Americans will feel anxious, upset or fearful. We need to find a way to heal what divides us, and prayer is an important part of that healing process.”

###

MEDIA CONTACTS
Lincoln Le, 954-701-1363, [email protected]

About Washington National Cathedral
Grounded in the reconciling love of Jesus Christ, Washington National Cathedral is a house of prayer for all people, conceived by our founders to serve as a great church for national purposes.