As a follow up to a 2012 posting on the closing of the Cathedral of St John the Divine in Providence, 
it appears that this historic church may take on a new role as a museum dedicated to the history of the slave trade in Rhode Island, according to a recent article in the Providence Journal.

Noting that ship building and the shipping industry in RI were major players in the slave trade and and that some of those businesses were owned and operated by Episcopalians, church officials say they feel an obligation and an opportunity to speak the truth about the church’s role in the slave trade.

The cathedral has remained shuttered during the last 2 1/2 years, and is considered an "endangered property", according to the article.  Church leaders are presently looking for partners and grant money to help open the center.

Time is running out for historic landmark

Plans to close the Cathedral of St John the Divine were announced in a recent  Providence Journal article.  The last service to be held in this historic church is scheduled for April 22nd, 2012.  


The cathedral, at 271 North Main Street on Providence's East Side, had its beginning way back in 1722 as King's Church.  The church, in fact, was closed once before, the article states - when the congregation refused to pray for King George III during the American War for Independence!

The 1810 building features the familiar square clock tower and belfry with spiky pinnacles above it, left.  The Providence Preservation Society's site includes more architectural details.

The Journal article cites the church's outreach to the community (serving up a weekly meal for the homeless), as well as the diversity of its parish (including 40% of Liberian ancestry).  The cathedral is also the ecclesiastical seat of RI's Episcopal bishop.  In summary, this church is not only an historical landmark, and the Bishop's church, but also a community of faith that seems to be meeting needs and keeping up with changes in its community.   

Yet, the article reports, there is just not enough revenue to maintain the old building.  Let's hope the iconic tower remains on the horizon and, more importantly, that the congregation can find another home in which to worship if they truly have to vacate this beautiful old building.