Welcome to this week's episode of Tower Talks! In today’s episode, we’re talking to Jay Hall Carpenter – a sculptor and artist who has contributed a great number of gargoyles, grotesques and other sculptures to the Cathedral, though as I learned from talking to him, that exact number is up for debate. You probably know his most well-known contribution, the Darth Vader grotesque, but his work can be found throughout the Cathedral and all around the DC and Maryland area! Jay is also our first artist to be featured on the podcast, so we were particularly thrilled to connect with him for a conversation. Please enjoy this week's episode of Tower Talks!

Hello, and welcome back to Tower Talks! This week, we're talking to Dora Currea - a docent and active member of the Cathedral's congregation. While Dora is one of our newer docents, her love of history, architecture and religious studies shines through in everything she does - and she certainly knows her stuff! We loved talking to her about her love for the Cathedral, both the physical space and the community it serves and represents. Speaking of serving the community - please join us for our upcoming Pack the Truck food and baby items drive on June 10th and 11th, 2020! We've partnered with the Capital Area Food Bank and the Emergency Child Care Initiative to distribute these items to folks who need them. For more information visit https://cathedral.org/event/food-drive-3/2020-06-10/. Thank you!

In this week's episode of Tower Talks, we're talking to Dean Randy Hollerith - one of the most prominent voices of the Cathedral in its current era, and almost certainly someone you've heard speak before! In this conversation, though, we had a chance to talk to Randy as Randy - delving into his background and life-long connections to the Cathedral, sharing stories of what he loves about his work and generally getting to know him outside the pulpit. Please join us for this very special episode of Tower Talks!

Welcome back to Tower Talks! In this week's episode, we're talking to Andy (aka Clift) Seferlis - a longtime Cathedral docent and tour guide around DC. Andy has a particularly interesting understanding of the Cathedral - his parents met and worked there, and he grew up with the Cathedral as his playground. We caught up with Andy to talk about the ways in which the Cathedral fits into the cultural history of DC and American history at large - as well as his own background, what he loves about the Cathedral and what he's up to now. Please enjoy this week's episode of Tower Talks!

While you may not have seen this week's Tower Talks guest, you have certainly heard his work before - George Fergus serves the Cathedral as Assistant Organist, playing for worship services, accompanying the Cathedral choir and demonstrating the organ to visitors twice a week when the building is open. He is also "famous" for a few fun and silly YouTube appearances - most notably, playing "Baby Shark" to cheer on the Nationals baseball team during their World Series run! We caught up with George about his background, path to the Cathedral and favorite things about the organ and the building in this episode of Tower Talks.

Welcome back to Tower Talks! In this week's episode, we're talking to Francel Trotter Bellinger - who we all know as Fran. Fran is a long-time Greeter with us, who also recently started volunteering with our LEGO project! Fran has a long personal history with the Cathedral, and the National Cathedral School for Girls, that truly exemplifies the ways in which the Cathedral can exist as both a grand public institution as well as a place of deep personal resonance. Please enjoy this week's episode of Tower Talks!

In this week's episode of Tower Talks, we're talking to Camille Hersh - a docent who brings an extensive and diverse background to her work at the Cathedral. With a background in education and religious studies with a career in the intelligence community, Camille is particularly good at finding the connections between the Cathedral's craftwork and the many stories being told throughout the building. Join us as we talk about all the little things that make the Cathedral such a rich tapestry of story-telling!

Welcome back to Tower Talks! In this week's episode, we're talking to Joe Alonso, Washington National Cathedral's Head Stonemason. Joe has been with the Cathedral for 35 years and literally placed the final stone on the Cathedral in 1990. He talked aboutwhat stone masons actually do, the 2011 Earthquake that caused so much damage and so much more.

In the first-ever episode of Tower Talks, we're talking to Andy Bittner - who is often the first person you might bump into on a visit to the Cathedral! We explore his background, where his life-long love of the Cathedral comes from and what makes Washington National Cathedral his favorite place on Earth.