The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in D.C. is celebrating its 175th anniversary as the parish in the center of the nation’s capital. Mass has been celebrated in the current church since 1895. The cathedral has stood through war and peace, through World War I and the Depression, through Pearl Harbor and 9/11, and it has been the place where many great Americans, from President John F. Kennedy to Chief Justice William Rehnquist, have received their funeral rites.

It is a place that has seen a lot of suffering along with a lot of joy; a massive number of sinners have passed through its doors, and similar numbers of people seeking forgiveness and comfort.