[keithtoo]

No nailing of Theses on the front door please.

[Coleus]

*Breaking News* - Cardinal McCarrick's Resignation Not Accepted At This Time

[Tall_Texan]

I'm protestant but I wouldn't be upset at having my funeral at a Catholic Chrurch. I need all the help I can get, especially at that point in my life. ;)

[3AngelaD]

This doesn't answer the question of why they didn't use the National Cathedral, another large, fairly centrally located house of worship that is Protestant.

[NYer]

Which protestant denomination was Rehnquist?

Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[warsaw44]

Who knows? Maybe someone in attendance will find something beautiful within the service. You never know where that might lead. It wouldn't be the first time I have heard of someone converting. Especially the poor Episcopalians. I sure have met a few who have given their church up in total disgust.

[Oystir]

Why not the National Cathedral?

[FormerACLUmember]

Fascinating post. More Info:

The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle honors the patron saint of civil servants. The Cathedral plays a major role in the Catholic life of the nation's capital. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Washington.

Pope John II celebrated Mass here on October 6, 1979. President John F. Kennedy's funeral Mass was said on November 25, 1963. Requiems have been held here for several heads of state. The "Red Mass," celebrated annually in the fall, requests guidance from the Holy Spirit for the conduct of the legal profession. It is attended by Supreme Court justices and members of Congress, the Cabinet, diplomatic corps, and other government departments, sometimes including the President of the United States.

Established in 1840, St. Matthew's originally was located at 15th and H Streets, N.W. Construction of the present church began in 1893 under the direction of Monsignor Thomas Sim Lee. The first Mass was celebrated on June 2, 1895. The church was dedicated in 1913 and designated a cathedral in 1939 when the Archdiocese of Washington was established. The Cathedral is one of the most impressive houses of worship in the United States. Designed by noted New York architect C. Grant La Farge, the Cathedral has been cited "as [having] one of the most beautiful church interiors of modern times." Its walls are laden with shimmering mosaics suggestive of those found in the renowned churches of Ravenna, Italy. The Cathedral is in the form of a Latin cross 155 feet long and 136 feet wide at the transepts. The interior of the dome rises 190 feet. The body of the Cathedral seats about 1,000 persons.

[mom-7]

So--what is the problem?

[muir_redwoods]

"The dead don't have a religion"

[Deo volente]

What's the problem? We've got lots of other religions, including pagans, worshipping here in Los Angeles in the cathedral.

[fatima]

Fitting.

[Salvation]

St. Matthew's Cathedral NPS Photo

St. Matthew's Cathedral is one of the most impressive houses of worship in the United States. The red brick church, designed by C. Grant La Farge in 1893, has eclectic features inspired by Italian churches. The simplicity of the exterior contrasts with the rich decorations of the interior. Its imposing copper ribbed dome is one of the visual focal points of the Washington skyline. The Roman Catholic parish of St. Matthew's was established in 1839 to relieve the overcrowding at St. Patrick's Church. On July 22, 1939, Pope Pius XII announced that the archdiocese of Washington was established and that St. Matthew's was its cathedral. In 1947 Washington was made an independent archdiocese, and St. Matthew's continues as a cathedral. The cathedral has been the site of a number of important services, most notably the funeral of President John F. Kennedy on November 25, 1963. Today a memorial marks the location of Kennedy's casket during the service. Pope John Paul II celebrated mass at St. Matthew's in 1979.

St. Matthew's Cathedral is located at 1735 Rhode Island Ave., NW. It is open to the public for services. For more information call 202/347-3215. Metro stop: Farragut North

[markomalley]

Pity he couldn't have had a funeral at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (http://www.nationalshrine.com) and been buried in proximity to the Canon Law school at CU (http://www.cua.com). In doing so, he could have made the libs crazy...even in death.

(Why not St. Matthew's? Because that's McCarrick's see...and the Shrine dwarfs St. Matthew's)

[NeoCaveman]

Requistat en pacem William Renquist.

[dangus]

The Catholic Cathedral in Washington, St. Matthew [the Tax-Collector] (no kidding), is much smaller than the National Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, an episco-pagan church, normally used for such purposes. It's also much smaller than the Catholic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

This will further the flames of a secret right-wing Catholic cabal taking over the United States Supreme Court.

OK, no-one really believes that conspiracy theory, but I keep pumping it up for fun.