From the President

A Club By Any Other Name

The decision to change the name of the storied Layman’s Club of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine to Friends of the Cathedral was not taken lightly.

Since its founding in 1908, the Layman's Club has been an integral part of the life of this great church. For many years, the club was the organizing body of the lay volunteers who served as ushers and tour guides. Countless lay women and men have used the Club as a sort of vessel--a way to give their time and resources to further the Cathedral’s mission. And thanks to decades of fundraisers, estate gifts, and donations small and large--and the prudent management of its funds--the club has provided significant financial support both to programming and to a wide variety of “bricks and mortar” projects at the Cathedral. Today one would be hard-pressed to find a corner of the building that does not bear the club’s fingerprints.

But, of course, much has changed in the century since the Club was organized. In recent years, an increasing proportion of our membership realized that, to contemporary sensibilities, our name unintentionally implied sexism (Layman) and exclusivity (Club). As much as we treasured our proud history and legacy, we didn't want our name to get in the way of our mission. It was clear that we needed to "rebrand" for the 21st Century. .

“Friends of the Cathedral” is not new or unique as names go – there are dozens of “friends” organizations attached to great cathedrals around the world. We chose it because it is clear and straightforward, and hopefully makes clear that anyone who loves the Cathedral is welcome as a member whether they live in Harlem in New York or Haarlem in the Netherlands.

As the world shrinks and pilgrims come from every corner of the earth to visit this great church in Morningside Heights, our desire is that they will all consider themselves friends of the Cathedral. We hope that “Friends of the Cathedral” will serve as a virtual community for people from around the world to stay connected and remain a part of the Cathedral’s life. Whoever you are, wherever you are from, whatever your tradition--Welcome Friend!