NYC grants Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine $1.5M

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Wednesday, August 21, 2024

The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan has been awarded a $1.5 million grant by New York City to renovate a historic building on the church's 11-acre campus called Synod Hall to create a larger community center to help people in need.

Thanks to the support of the New York City Council, the church's social service arm known as Cathedral Community Cares, which has been in operation for nearly 40 years, the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York will be better able to help the community's most vulnerable members with services like clothes, hot meals and a weekly food pantry.

"It's a privilege to do this work," Thomas Perry, program director of Cathedral Community Cares, said in a statement. "Every morning, we get to come in and do everything we can to help other people, to make a positive difference in the world. Not everyone gets to do that. But that also means expansion is the next step. If we want to keep serving others, helping everyone who comes to us and not turning anyone away, we need to tackle this project of Synod Hall."

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

Subscribe

About 40% of the people served by Cathedral Community Cares are considered regular clients and another 60% are considered new or temporary. This cohort includes low-income New Yorkers, homeless or insecurely housed families, seniors, and people newly arrived in the United States.

The Rev. Canon Eva Suarez said Cathedral Community Cares served 35,000 visitors last year, and she expects that number to grow.

"New Yorkers from all walks of life are finding themselves in dire need of food, clothing, and access to social services," she said in a statement sent to The Christian Post. "Our current space is just too small to serve the diverse needs of our clients, or to welcome everyone who would like to volunteer."

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and City Council Member Shaun Abreu were noted among the key figures behind the grant. They pointed to the church's legacy of service to the community as a factor.

"When it comes to getting resources to those who need it most, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine does a lot with a little space. This $1.5 million investment in Synod Hall will take the vital work they do to the next level, allowing for increased wellness and social services," Abreu said in a statement. "I couldn't be more excited to break ground on this project and support this new community hub as it uplifts Morningside Heights and all of Upper Manhattan for years to come."

"Scripture tells us 'to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share,'" he added. "This is the driving force behind this renovation: to make sure no one goes unserved on our watch."

Speaker Adams said this center at the cathedral and other places like it is critical to building a safe and healthy city.

"[W]e must continue investing in their maintenance and expansion," Adams said. "I look forward to seeing the positive impact of this investment for years to come."

The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine claims to be the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world. It was originally built in 1913 by J.P. Morgan as a convention space for the Episcopal Church.

Synod Hall was designed in the French Gothic Style by noted architects Ralph Adams Cram and Frank Ferguson. The renovation of the hall is expected to preserve the building's beauty and historical character, while increasing its usefulness as a community space.