An outdoor Episcopal Church cathedral in Virginia celebrated 100 years of operation this month at a service featuring former Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.
The Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration, an outdoor worship space located at a retreat property in Orkney Springs known as Shrine Mont in western Shenandoah County, turned one century old last Wednesday.
A ceremony was held that day, with Curry preaching the sermon. He wished the property a happy birthday, then jokingly added that “you don’t look a day over 30.”
Curry told those gathered that the founders of the outdoor cathedral “could not have dreamed what this sacred place would do in generations in their time yet unborn.” He added that they couldn’t have predicted how many people have been “touched and changed and transformed here at Shrine Mont” over the decades.
“They could not have known the people who would pass through this way,” Curry said. “Diocese of Virginia, Shrine Mont, at this 100th anniversary, I’m here to tell you, it is no secret what God can do.”
The outdoor cathedral was consecrated by the Rt. Rev. William Cabell Brown in 1925, with worship services held at 11 a.m. on Sundays from early April until mid-November.
Based in the western mountains of the commonwealth, the property is not only a place of worship but also has a conference center for gatherings by various groups.
A representative of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia directed The Christian Post to a statement on the centennial milestone.
“I give thanks to God for 100 years of faithful ministry at Shrine Mont,” said Virginia Bishop E. Mark Stevenson.
“May it continue — by God’s grace — to be a sacred place of welcome, formation, and renewal, where disciples are shaped to share Christ’s love with the world.”
According to Shrine Mont Director of Development Kirk Gibson, the Shrine Mont property is not directly supported by the regional body, but rather keeps “a relationship of financial independence.”
“The diocese does what they do so well, which is programming and outreach into the parishes. And what Shrine Mont does is provide the facility, amenities, meals, and hospitality,” explained Gibson.
“Our 100 years of success is because of that tight relationship with the diocese and that very clear distinction in what we do and what the diocese does.”
