Voices from the Cathedral

The Right Reverend Clifton Daniel, Dean of the Cathedral, reflects on St. John the Divine, the Cathedral's namesake and patron, in this sermon from the first Sunday after Christmas.

The Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday, is a time to rejoice amid the solemnity of Advent. In this sermon, The Reverend Deacon Kent Curtis preaches on our need for joy in the midst of darkness.

In his sermon for the Second Sunday of Advent, the Rev. Deacon Paul Daniels reflects on the power of waiting, and the powerful changes that the season brings.

"God is faithful." In this sermon, The Reverend Canon Steven Lee offers a reflection on the steadfastness of God.

The Reverend Canon Patrick Malloy, Ph.D, Sub Dean and Canon for Liturgy & the Arts at the Cathedral, delivers a sermon on the Feast of Christ the King.

The Right Reverend Clifton Daniel III, Dean of the Cathedral, reflects on the Cathedral's history, its contemporary mission, and its place in the complex journey of the United States in this sermon from November 15.

In this sermon, the Reverend Pamela Cooper-White reflects on the 2020 election and on the Episcopal baptismal vows to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.

In his sermon for the Feast of All Saints, The Rev. Deacon Kenton Curtis reflected on Jesus's Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes in the context of 2020. 

In this sermon, The Rev. Deacon Paul Daniels reflects on Psalm 1, and the power of language to challenge and influence Christian notions of reconciliation. 

In this sermon, the Reverend Canon Steven Lee preaches on Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, and makes a distinction between idolatry and true faith. 

On Sunday, October 11, the Rev. Canon Patrick Malloy preached about the importance of mourning for all we have lost in order to move from mourning into unity. 

On Sunday, October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis Day, the Right Reverend Andrew ML Dietsche preached on the seeming contradiction between Saint Francis' love of animals and his love of poverty.

The Cathedral's UN Sunday service, now in its fourth decade, took place online this year, with a sermon by His Excellency Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly. The Right Reverend Clifton Daniel, Dean of the Cathedral, offers a welcome and introduction. 

In this sermon, The Reverend Deacon Kenton J. Curtis preached about doing theology through direct action to the poor and needy, taking inspiration from Jesus's parable of the vineyard owner and the life of the martyred St. Lawrence. 

On Sunday, September 13, Dean Daniel preached about victimhood, oppression, and the importance of righting our current path

In this sermon, The Reverend Deacon Paul Daniels reflects on Jesus's discipline of playfulness and the lessons children can teach us.

On Sunday, August 30, the Rev. Canon Steven Lee asked us to not listen to the temptation to take on God's wrath as our own. In leaving room for God's wrath, he preached, we create room in ourselves for something more.

The Reverend Pamela Cooper-White preaches on the nature of the apostle Peter, and how his strengths and weaknesses speak to our own struggles of faith.

On Sunday, August 16, the Rev. Canon Patrick Malloy wrestled with the seemingly dueling ideas that Jesus was sinless and the he could learn from people he met.

The Reverend Deacon Kenton J. Curtis discusses the example set by Jesus' miracles, their relevance to our contemporary lives, and the legacy of "good trouble" left by the late John Lewis.

On Sunday, August 2, the Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel III preached on the hope of the fisherman and the universal prayers that bind us all together.

"What, for the Christian, is the measure of faith?" In this sermon, from July 26, 2020, the Reverend Deacon Paul Anthony Daniels II reflects on the lives and legacies of C. T. Vivian and John Lewis, and the power of the Spirit of God in them and in all of us.

On Sunday, July 19, the Rev. Deacon Paul Daniels preached a sermon he titled "Make Ye No Idol of Progress" where he draws on the parable of the weeds among the wheat to remind us that Jesus teaches of a world that will always involve good and evil, which means that our work to root out evil is also never finished.

On Sunday, July 12, the Reverend Canon Patrick Malloy, Sub-Dean of the Cathedral, reflected on the Parable of the Sower and its resonance with the uncertainties of contemporary life, including the difficult questions raised by the murder of George Floyd and the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement.

On Sunday, July 5, The Reverend Pamela Cooper-White preached on the persistence of American racism and the triumph of radical hope.

On Sunday, June 28, we were introduced to the Cathedral's newest Deacon, the Rev. Paul Daniels, and learned about his interest in Howard Thurman and discovering New York City on foot, as well as why he's excited to join the Cathedral Community. We look forward to hearing more from Deacon Daniels in the coming weeks!

On Sunday, June 21, The Rev. Deacon Kent Curtis preached on the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement and how systemic change might seem overwhelming and impossible but we, as Christians, know that through Christ all things are possible.

On Sunday, June 14, the Rev. Deacon Jennifer Allen peached about the importance of setting our burdens aside in order to have the room to take necessary risks.

On Sunday, May 31, the Rev. Canon Patrick Malloy preached on Pentecost Sunday asking, "How can we live in this time of such pain, such boredom, such fear, in such a way that we can have hope?"

On Sunday, May 24, the Rev. Deacon Kent Curtis preached about reconciling a belief in God in the midst of so much sadness.

On Sunday, May 17, the Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel III, Dean of the Cathedral, preached on heartbreak. He reminded us that where hearts are broken, God can work.

On Sunday, May 10, Wisdom Year resident Jennifer Allen preached on Saint Stephen, the original church innovator. It's easy to point out the exclusion of others, she said, but harder to look inward. She asked us to challenge ourselves to acknowledge the limitations we've consciously or unconsciously created and seek to reimagine a church without any barriers. 

On Sunday, May 3, The Rev. Canon Patti Welch preached at her last Sunday service on the role of the shepherd as a cowboy, not a nurturer. A good shepherd is rough, rugged, and will prod us and poke us not as a punishment but rather so that we can have life abundantly.

On Sunday, April 26, The Rev. Canon Dr. Patrick Malloy preached on the Third Sunday of Easter about the road to Emmaus and how, even in the depth of our despair when we cannot see him, Jesus is with us.

On Sunday, April 19, the Rev. Deacon Kent Curtis preached on the Second Sunday of Easter on the comfort we can find in St. Thomas’s doubts.