David Korten in Columbus, October 14, 2006

This is the beginning of my transcription of David Korten's remarks at the Earth Charter Summit that took place in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, October 14.

It is such a joy to be here in Ohio with such a great group of people --I've just been meeting extraordinary activists everywhere I go. And, I hope you'll excuse me if I just take a moment here to go shake hands with Granny D (laughter and applause). Granny D is such an inspiration, when I was facing my 65th birthday and thinking, "Well, you know, this is kind of a transition. I guess the rest of my life I should be starting to think about winding down and passing on the responsibilities." (Laughter) And Granny D of course is an extraordinary example of what we should all be doing with our elder years. She's a great inspiration.

Now, I'm also fascinated by your politics here. Dennis Kucinich is one of my heroes--one of the most visionary politicians of our time. (Applause). And of course I note that you cover the range, to a candidate for governor who really should be in the penitentiary. Anyhow, hopefully he will find his way to the appropriate outcome.

This is a very special weekend here, I'm sure you know this is one of four sets of activities by different initiatives. And of course the Earth Charter and the Earth Charter Summit is what brings together the visionary framework for all of the rest of our work. And I'm so pleased that the Earth Charter folks here in Columbus are framing the issue in terms of creating earth community, because that, to me, is really the way to frame the Earth Charter. That it presents the principles for the earth community that we must bring forth. And that gives the substance and the lead-in to action.

And then of course the other initiaives, CIRCA, which is focussed on ending corporate colonization--that is one essential step on the path to earth community. Then Simply Living, which working on, "Okay, how do we implement it in the way we live, the way we organize our living space? The way we organize our economies."

The key to this is positive. As was mentioned in the introduction, one of the things I've come to is resistance alone is a losing strategy. Ultimately, to win we must come forward to create the positive.

And then of course the fourth, and absolutely foundational element of this quadrangle is the Voting Rights Revival. And of course Ohio here reminded us all that, among all the democratic reforms we need, it starts with counting the votes. Absolutely foundational. So, I congratulate you all on your work, and thank you for the invitation. I hope my comments today will help put the work you're doing in a deeper historical, cultural, and to some extent spiritual context.

Now, the underlying message of the Great Turning is quite straightforward. We humans have come to the end of a long and deeply destructive era. It is time to turn this world around for our own sake, and for the sake of our children for generations to come.

There's good news and bad news, and it comes in the same package. The news is "business as usual is over". Peak oil, climate change, the collapsing U.S. dollar, and spreading social disinigration born of the marginalization of the majority of humanity are coming together in a constellation of forces desined to fundamentally change every aspect of modern life.

Now, whether this convergence of forces plays out as an epic human opportunity or the final human tragedy, will depend on the stories by which we understand what's happening, and undrestand the choices that it is ours to make. And I'm going to be talking about those choices.

(More to come)

Heads-up to people of faith for Strickland

It might be nice to have a counterpresence for this...

Columbus, OH – On October 18 Christians for Social Justice, an Ohio based organization, will educate voters that “Strickland is Wrong” on moral issues at the “Turnaround Ohio” Rally for Ted Strickland.

Ted’s Truth Truck along with handheld signs and banners will be used to expose Ted Strickland’s record on abortion and homosexual unions. Ted’s Truth Truck has visited several cities in Ohio since its launch on Sept. 28. Dozens of Christians will make the point that Ted Strickland’s votes and public statements on key social justice issues are contrary to the views of most of Ohio’s faith community.

Christians for Social Justice's wes (sic) site, TruthAboutTed.com is designed to compare some of Ted Strickland's votes, positions, and statements to the Biblical Christianity.

The “Strickland is Wrong” Voter Education Outreach will present a billboard truck, banners, and handheld signs displaying Strickland’s record on abortion and homosexual unions at Lifestyle Communities Pavilion (formerly PromoWest), 405 Neil Avenue in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday Oct. 18, 2006 from 5 - 7 PM

Appropriating "social justice" for a narrow conservative agenda...the mind boggles.

Earth Charter Summit

What: Earth Charter Summit 2006
When: October 14th, 2006 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Where: SGI-USA Columbus Community Center
1197 Noe Bixby Rd
Columbus OH 43213
614-751-8990
Why: Because you support

I. Respect and care about the Community of Life
II. Ecological Integrity
III. Social & Economic Justice
IV. Democracy, Non-violence & Peace

In addition to "top-down" reforms, ... any lasting solution will require commensurate "bottom-up" reforms that build and strengthen solidarity at the people's level. These are the two interlinked prerequisites of change on a global scale.

Daisaku Ikeda, "The Challenge of Global Empowerment"

We share one planet. What happens in one country can affect the other. We are so inter-dependent that we cannot behave as if we live in isolation.

-- Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, interview in A Quiet Revolution

Sometimes when we think of global problems, we get disempowered. But when we take action at the local level, we are empowered.

-- Dr. Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement

Contact Ernestine Jackson for more info: 614-237-3815

Guest Speaker: David Korten, author of The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community

Letter from We Believe to Rod Parsley

September 18, 2006
Pastor Rod Parsley
World Harvest Church
4595 Gender Road
Canal Winchester, Ohio 43110

Dear Pastor Parsley,
Several Christian Clergy who are members of We Believe Ohio received your invitation to meet at Mt. Sinai Ministries in Cleveland on September 19. Your letter outlined your hope to explore how the resources of World Harvest Church, the Center for Moral Clarity, the World Harvest Church Ministerial Fellowship, and Reformation Ohio might be used to help area churches "win Ohio for Christ."

As members of We Believe Ohio, an interfaith group of religious leaders from across the state, we are concerned about your tactics of manipulating religion for political gain. Faith should inform public policy, but our Constitution does not permit the establishment of any one religion over another. Your wish to “win the state for Jesus Christ” may be shared by many. However, your repeated use of this kind of language in the political arena is exclusionary and crosses the line separating religious and governmental institutions, which has allowed religion to flourish in our state and nation.

We believe the most effective way to promote and protect all Ohioans is to lift our state’s diverse faith voices in support of the common good. Our faith calls us to build a state that includes and celebrates all Ohioans, affirms their dignity and protects their rights. Our faith calls us to build an Ohio in which children and adults no longer fall into poverty and lose their health care and housing. Our faith calls us to build an Ohio in which people earn a living wage to support their families. Our faith calls us to ensure that all children receive a quality education. Our faith calls us to invest in our neglected inner cities and rural areas. Our faith calls us to bring these moral issues into the public arena.

Religion should not be used to divide and exclude, it should unite and include. In your book Silent No More, you wrote of one of our faith traditions, “America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed.” Therefore, we can only assume that when you implore us to “win the state for Christ” you mean that the faiths and traditions of those who are not Christian in Ohio must lose, or even be destroyed. The implications of your perspective are frightening for Ohio.

As brothers and sisters in faith, we call upon you to end your divisive tactics that violate the American tradition of religious tolerance. End your campaign of manipulating religion for political gain, and end your rhetoric that separates Ohioans from one another. Some of the We Believe clergy who you invited to Tuesday’s meeting at Mt. Sinai Ministries plan to attend. We invite you, in the reconciling spirit of the God who loves us all, to join with us in building a united Ohio—an Ohio in which all of God’s people are accorded the dignity, well being and freedom that our faiths and our Constitution demand.

Sincerely,
We Believe Ohio –
Northern Ohio Clergy Leadership
Imam Abbas Ahmad, First Cleveland Mosque
Rabbi Richard A. Block, The Temple-Tifereth Israel
Rev. Daniel Budd, The First Unitarian Church of Cleveland
Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, Chautauqua Institution
Rev. Felix Carrion, Euclid Avenue United Church of Christ
Rev. Dr. Kenneth W. Chalker, First United Methodist Church
Rev. George T. Hrbeck, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry
Rev. Dr. John Lentz, Jr., Forest Hills Presbyterian Church
The Very Rev. Tracey Lind, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle, Antioch Baptist Church
Rabbi Howard H. Ruben, Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple
Kuldeep Singh, Sikh Youth Federation
Rev. Georgiana Thornton, St. Paul AME Church

Columbus Area Ramadan Iftar Dinner

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 7, 6:30-9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Ohio Union West Ballroom, 1739 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43210
(614) 292-5200
DETAILS: Sharing Ramadan Iftar Dinner is a community event sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio Chapter.

Reservations requested by calling the CAIR-Ohio (Columbus) Office at 614-451-3232.

Please note, there is an OSU home football game at 3:30 so please carpool and leave early to avoid traffic delays. Valet Parking will be available near the Union entrance on High Street for a small fee.

We Believe GOTV Rally

Please join We Believe Ohio on Thursday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m. for a Get Out the Vote Rally for Justice at Congregation Tifereth Israel!

Our Keynote Speaker will be the Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Sr. Pastor of the Riverside Church in New York City. Dr. Forbes has been recognized by Newsweek Magazine as one of the twelve "most effective preachers in the English-speaking world."

The rally will also feature Sister Simone Campbell, the National Coordinator of NETWORK, a leader in the global movement for justice and peace.

Bring your friends and family to rally for a more just Ohio!

Congregation Tifereth Israel is conveniently located in downtown Columbus at 1354 Broad St.

For additional information about the evening and our speakers, please visit our Web site at www.webelieveohio.org.

If you are interested in becoming involved with initiatives that We Believe has endorsed, please note that over the summer of 2006, We Believe endorsed several issues with implications for the November election. These include the Minimum Wage Effort (Let Justice Roll), Get out the Vote (IAF), and Affordable Health care (CAHO). Each of these efforts has a need for volunteers, and are listed (along with contact information) on our Web site at:
www.webelieveohio.org/press/volunteerendorsed.html

Thank you for your support of We Believe Ohio! We look forward to seeing you on October 5th!

Defending Church-State Separation: National speaker comes to Columbus

I posted about this a while ago, but since the event is tomorrow, I thought a timely reminder was in order...

Sunday, September 17, 2006 3:00 P.M.

North Congregational UCC
2040 W. Henderson Rd.
Columbus, OH 43220

Rob Boston (assistant director of communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State) will be speaking on speaking on "Defending the Separation of Church and State in Difficult Times"

Click here for more details.

You can read more about Rob Boston here.

Rob Boston's book, The Most Dangerous Man in America?: Pat Robertson and the Rise of the Christian Coalition is available at Powells.com, Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble.com.

Episcopal Social Justice Forum

Crossposted from the Diocese of Southern Ohio Updates blog...

Social justice forum

Jeffrey Price, director of Public Policy for the Diocese of Southern Ohio, will speak at St. Alban's on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. The church is located at 333 S. Drexel Avenue in Bexley.

Price will discuss how Episcopalians can be educated to understand the Christian faith so that they may be strong disciples, equipped to exercise ministries of social justice and reconciliation. The Church has historically been an exceptional agent of direct services, hands-on care of and for persons in need. Where it has (in the past) fallen short of the mark of justice is in the area of systemic change and addressing the political and social systems that keep people in poverty or fail to uphold all persons as children of God, worth of dignity and respect.

The event is free and open to the public. For directions or more information, call St. Alban's at 614.253.8549.

Blog issues

I've been having some trouble with the template of this blog, so I decided to start from scratch with a new template. Some things are missing at this point, like the Haloscan comment code. Thank you for your patience while I get this sorted out.

The Challenge of Terror

I thought this might be a good time to excerpt and link The Challenge of Terror, written by John Paul Lederach in the days that immediately followed September 11, 2001. Lederach is a Professor of International Peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame. Clearly, the U.S. government didn't heed his advice when responding to the events of 9/11/01, but I still think the essay is worth reading. And, since the media is busily revisiting everything else about that tragic day, I can't think of any reason *not* to revisit these thoughtful words.

Military action to destroy terror, particularly as it affects already vulnerable civilian populations will be like hitting a fully mature dandelion with a golf club: This will further perpetuate the myth of "evil United States military might" and will assure yet another generation of recruits.

Faithful Democrats

I'm aware of not having posted much lately on this blog--haven't had a whole lot to say, or time to compose my thoughts. Most of my efforts have gone into trying to generate some income for our household. Getting kids settled back into school, and Daughter in Ohio's birthday the other day. My "baby" is now 11 years old. Kids are good for reminding you just how fast time goes by.

But I wanted to make sure I posted about this new site, for anyone who wasn't aware of it. It is called Faithful Democrats.

In it, Ted Strickland, who is running for Governor of Ohio, has a piece about being a 'golden rule" Democrat.

For me, the goal is not to be a liberal Democrat or a conservative Democrat. For me, the goal is to be a Golden Rule Democrat.

Being a Golden Rule Democrat means you do your best to treat other people the way you yourself would want to be treated. In a political context, it means working for a government rooted in sound judgment, having a thirst for justice and committed to serving its people.

During my early years as a Congressman, I placed a plaque in my office with the following quote from the Hebrew Scriptures. It's from Micah 6:8: "And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Throughout my public service I've tried to live by those simple, powerful words.

Click here for the rest.

Last month, I took part in a blogger conference call with Ted Strickland. It is transcribed in three parts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

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One Year After Katrina

On anniversary of Katrina storming ashore, residents mourn, celebrate life
Bells toll 1 year after Katrina hit

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B.R.E.A.D. Columbus Fundraising

Back in the spring, Demetrius reworked the logo (seen below) for a local interfaith social justice organization. The organization's name is B.R.E.A.D., which stands for "Building Responsibility, Equality, and Dignity". They now have a Cafe Press shop, and proceeds from the sales will go to support the work of B.R.E.A.D. Columbus (currently having a fundraising drive). Click the logo to visit the store.

If you would like to know more about the work and philosophy of B.R.E.A.D., I have provided some links:

BREAD Rises in the Buckeye State
The Nehemiah Assembly: packed like sardines for justice
Rabbi: G-d *expects* us to do justice!
Bread rises!

Those are about the most recent assembly. Here are some older articles:

Pulling together to fight for jobs
Casting Stones (a sermon by Susan Ritchie at a Unitarian Universalist church in Dublin, Ohio)
Church-based programs transform communities (from the Worldwide Faith News archives)

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Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio Update Blog

After the past couple days of e-mail updates from the diocese, I decided it was time to put together a blog just for matters related to the diocese. Click the graphic below to visit the new blog.

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The Rt. Rev. Herbert Thompson Jr. 1934-2006

From the Diocese of Southern Ohio

A giant of the faith
The Rt. Rev. Herbert Thompson Jr.
1934-2006

Rest in Peace

In an e-mail note to you yesterday, Bishop Price shared the news that Bishop Thompson died unexpectedly on Wednesday while in Florence, Italy. He was supplying there and had preached on Sunday. He apparently collapsed after swimming and could not be revived.

We don't know any details about arrangements at this point, but we will let you know as soon as possible, both through this e-mail and posted on our website.

We have established a website for you to share your memories of Bishop Thompson and to celebrate his life. Some of these may be used for a special tribute issue of Interchange that will be published later this month. Visit the site at http://bishopthompsontribute.blogspot.com/ I also invite you to submit stories, memories, photos or comments about Bishop Thompson to Interchange. Send them to Richelle Thompson by e-mail, please. The deadline is Aug. 23.

Bishop Price plans to send to the clergy later this afternoon a special prayer for Bishop Thompson that he is asking to be included in Sunday worship. Some congregations are holding special services today and tomorrow to celebrate the life and ministry of Bishop Thompson. A release to the media and a biography of Bishop Thompson are on our website and can be reprinted for inclusion in the worship bulletins, if you'd like.

Please keep Herb, Owen, Kyrie and Christian, and all of Bishop Thompson's family in your prayers.

Rest eternal grant to him, O Lord;
And let light perpetual shine upon him.
May his soul, and the souls of all the departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Sincerely,

Richelle Thompson
Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio

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Sad news

I just received this message from the Diocese of Southern Ohio

Brothers and Sisters

Word has just reached us that The Rt. Rev. Herbert Thompson, Jr, retired bishop of Southern Ohio, died suddenly today. He was traveling in Italy and passed out after swimming and was unable to be revived.
...
Faithfully,

Bishop Ken Price
Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio

I can't even begin to imagine what his family is feeling right now. All I can think to say is that they are in my prayers.

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Muslims and the Separation of Church and State

The following is a partial transcript (in progress) of a talk given at last night's meeting of the central Ohio chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

Predident of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Central Ohio Chapter:
Our speaker is Romin Iqbal. He is the civil rights coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He's an attorney practicing in Ohio, and works primarily in the area of religious discrimination in the workplace, and other issues which affect civil rights of Muslims and other minorities. CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, increase dialog, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Romin Iqbal: A little bit about myself. I was born and raised in India, which would be the largest democracy, and then I immigrated to the U.S., which would be the oldest democracy. I went to law school here as well, and what I found fascinating was the whole concept of separation of state and church. On how a secular democracy in India deals with the issue, and how they deal with the issue in the U.S. And what surprised me when I came over here is that there was still a debate going on in the U.S. over the issue of separation of state and church.

Now America is an advanced economy and an industrialized society, and I was surprised that there was still a debate going on in the westernmost nation, if you will, on the separation of state and church. And what surprised me even more is that there is a significant portion of the American population which does not necessarily believe in the concept.

As an outsider, and as a person who has lived in a third world nation, this is not something you think of the U.S. and for a western democracy, that is something which really surpised me--that the debate is still going on in the U.S. and the matter is still not settled. From an outsider's perspective, I found it very interesting.

I actually saw a poll recently, and in it they asked people living in western democracies their views on evolution and creationism. And the U.S. was in the bottom in terms of people who believe in evolution. I think Finland is the highest at 84%, and then you keep going down. And again, I was just blown away by the fact that the U.S. was actually at the bottom of people living in western democracies who actually do not believe in evolution. So that is something which to someone like me is very interesting, and maybe once I get done here, someone can fill me in on what's going on. (Laughter) Why so many in the American population, living in a prosperous, industrial democracy still do not believe in evolution.

Anyway, today I'm going to basically talk about the Muslims in the U.S. Seventy-five percent of the Muslims in the U.S. are actually born in the U.S. I was not, so I would be a minority of Muslims who have actually immigrated. What I'm going to talk about today is who the Muslims are in the U.S., and what do they believe in, and whether organizations like yours can build an alliance with Muslim organizations on this issue of separation of state and church, and whether it's even possible. And where do the Muslims stand on these issues of vouchers or evolution or stem cell.

The speaker explained that he looked at polling data from the past five years, and that his talk would be centered around that rather than his own views and experiences. He also noted that he was not speaking for CAIR.

Demographics:

Columbus has about 45,000 Muslims, most are Somalis who have come here as refugees, but that's not typical. In terms of ethnicity, the largest group of Muslims are from South and Central Asia, which would be India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and that would be around 33%. Then African Americans are the second largest group of Muslims, which is around 30%. The third is people of Arab origin which is around 25%, and then you have Whites and East Asians.

In terms of other demographics, 60% of Muslims have an undergraduate degree. Eighty-two percent of citizens are registered to vote.

Voting patterns of Muslims in 1996, 2000, and 2004

In 1996, almost 75% voted for Clinton, Dole got 20%, and 5% went to the third party candidate.

In 2000, the Republicans were very successful in getting a large share of the Muslim vote. Bush and the Republican party were very successful in reaching out to Muslims, and they had a faith-based alliance--that's what they called it. A faith-based alliance between Muslims and Evangelical Christians. And even though more Muslims voted for the Democrat in 2000, the difference from 50% came down to only 10%. And I was reading the Zogby international poll, and they said there were 55,000 Muslims in Florida in 2000, and almost 70% of them voted for Bush, as compared to 1996, when only 27% of them voted for Bush. So Bush was very successful in winning over the Muslim vote in Florida. And in fact all over the country, even though he did not get more votes than the Democrat, he narrowed the gap in 2000.

How he did that was basically, again, the Republicans were able to build a faith-based alliance with the Muslims. Also, I remember watching this debate in 2000. It was the second debate, and they asked a question about racial profiling of African Americans. And Bush talked about that and then he said Arab Americans are racially profiled in what's called "secret evidence". People are stopped, and we have to do something about that. So Bush spoke up against racial profiling in the debate, and supposedly this was a reason that a lot of Muslims went over to the Republican side, because Bush brought up the issue of racial profiling and he spoke against it.

Now in 2001, we obviously had the terrorist attacks, and in the 2004 election, I looked at a lot of different polls, and I did not see any poll where more than 10% of Muslims voted for Bush.

To be continued...

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Dispatch article on "We Believe"

I was wondering what was going on lately with We Believe--hadn't heard anything from them for a while. There's an article in the Columbus Dispatch about their efforts...

Congregations such as Brown’s on the Near East Side are moving beyond traditional charity work by conducting voter registration before and after Sunday services. Other churches helped collect petition signatures to place a minimum-wage initiative on Ohio’s Nov. 7 ballot.

We Believe recently agreed to support a get-out-the-vote effort targeting urban neighborhoods in Columbus, Dayton, East Cleveland and Lorain.

"There has certainly been a variety of evidence that the religious left has sought to countermobilize in response to the Christian Right," said Corwin Smidt, director of the Henry Institute and Political Science Department at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.

"It’s a little too early to tell how much effect they are likely to have."

Many congregations involved in the movement experienced declining membership in recent years while attendance at the megachurches associated with the religious right soared.

Still, leaders say they believe their message will attract those in a wide variety of denominations as well as non-churchgoers who consider themselves religious or spiritual.

"This is our moment," Ahrens said. "The vision for a Christian Ohio that the religious right has is not a vision that most Christians in Ohio have.

"Given time this will catch fire."

Click here for the rest.

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Church/state separation and Muslim civil liberties

I received notice of the following event from the Central Ohio chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State...

CHAPTER EVENT
Monday, August 14, 2006 - 7:00 PM
Northside Branch Library 1423 N. High Street Columbus 43201

Mr. Romin Iqbal, Civil Rights Coordinator for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), will be speaking on:

* The Muslim perspective on issues such as school vouchers, religious prayer in schools and other church-state separation issues
* How a weakened wall of separation between church and state affects the rights of Muslims and other religious minorities
* Issues on which Muslims and evangelical Christians agree and disagree; where the relationship between the two groups is headed

A question and answer session will follow. The monthly chapter meeting will be conducted after the Q&A. All members and non-members are welcome to attend the speaker and meeting.

Romin Iqbal is an attorney, licensed to practice law in Ohio and works primarily in the area of religious discrimination in workplace and other areas that affect the civil rights of Muslims and other minorities.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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General Admission for Jefferts Schori's Investiture

I received these details in an e-mail newsletter from the Diocese of Southern Ohio. The investiture of Katharine Jefferts Schori on November 5 is open to the general public, but general admission tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Details below...

Investiture of 26th Presiding Bishop

In rites on November 4-5 at Washington National Cathedral, the Episcopal Church will welcome Katharine Jefferts Schori as its 26th Presiding Bishop.
The Cathedral's 11 a.m. All Saints' Sunday liturgy on November 5 will include the formal seating of Jefferts Schori -- elected to office June 18 during proceedings of the 75th General Convention -- in the Presiding Bishop's cathedra, or official chair. All are welcome to attend the service on a first-come, first- seated basis as capacity allows.

General-admission tickets for the Saturday Investiture will be distributed on a first-come, first- served basis by the Office of the Presiding Bishop, which, in consultation with the Cathedral, has sought to achieve the fairest possible manner of ticket distribution. According to policy detailed below, tickets may be requested no earlier than August 15 and by postal mail only.

Requests must be mailed to: The Office of the Presiding Bishop, 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017. They must be mailed and be postmarked no earlier than August 15, 2006. Tickets will be distributed on the basis of when requests were mailed (not received).

Each request may include the names of up to two people
No requests for groups will be honored
No requests by e-mail or fax will be accepted

The request for tickets should include a self- addressed stamped envelope in which tickets will be sent or in which you will be informed that tickets are not available
Tickets will be mailed the first week after Labor Day. Included in the mailing will be information about access to The Cathedral and when the doors will be opened.

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