St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church (Manhattan)
General
St. Bartholomew's Church, an Episcopal church founded in January 1835, is located at Park Avenue and 51st Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City. Designed by Bertram Goodhue and containing stained-glass windows and mosaics by Hildreth Meiere, it is considered as one of the city's landmarks and is known for its wide range of programs. It draws parishoners from all areas of New York City and its surroundings.
St. Bart's, as it is usually known, is also noted for its pipe organ, the largest in New York and one of the ten largest in the world. One of the church's former organists was the famous conductor Leopold Stokowski and the church's choir has achieved distinction under the direction of conductors such as William Trafka and James Litton.
Center for Religious Inquiry
The Center for Religious Inquiry (CRI) is an inter-religious program based at St. Bartholomew’s Church and directed Rabbi Leonard A. Schoolman. It is based on the premise that there are few opportunities for religious seekers who can study their own and other religious traditions in a safe and non-judgmental environment. Rabbi Schoolman was previously the founding director of the Center for Theological Studies at Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal) in Houston, which served as a prototype for the program at St. Bart's. CRI offers a vast array of opportunities for religious seekers of any background or affiliation to learn in an open and welcoming environment. Instructors are distinguished academics, known for solid and engaging teaching skills. Classes are designed for anyone who is interested in religious and spiritual issues, those exploring their own or other faiths, and anyone else who loves to learn. Harvard Divinity School, Yale Divinity School, Columbia University, the University of Chicago, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church, and Union Theological Seminary are some of the institutions whose faculty have participated in CRI programs since its inception in the Fall of 1999.
Clergy Blogs
The Rev. William McD. Tully has been rector of St. Bartholomew's since September 1994. Keeping with St. Bart's outreach to the community and nation around it, Reverend Tully accepted and participates in a "blogging mission" at the church. This was a revolutionary move or a mainstream church. St. Bart's is groundbreaking in the ministry of blogging for Episcopalian churches, as many clergy find uncomfortable the idea of the anonymity and ease of word choice inherent in Internet communication with their communities. Or, as Tully's blog states, "None of the seven of us who have—maybe with a little fear and trembling—agreed to begin these journals have done anything like this, so bear with us as we learn."
Internal Images
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First stained glass window from the entrance on the northside of the church -
Stained glass over balcony overlooking the pews. -
Facing west, silhouette of the organ against stained glass panels in balcony -
The Altar
See also
External links
- Saint Bartholomew's Church in New York City (official website)
- Blog of Reverend Tully, Rector
- Saint Bartholomew's Clergy blogs
- Review of St. Bart's Choir
- Architectual images of St. Bart's
- Article: The portal of Saint Bartholomew's Church in New York City