July 9, 2018

Meet Penny Bridges

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Penny Bridges.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Growing up in a divided Northern Ireland, I found a way to connect with the “other side” through music, playing the violin and then viola in integrated youth orchestras. Singing was always a way to ground myself spiritually, both as a child and as a choral scholar at Clare College, Cambridge. After a midlife career change and ordination as an Episcopal priest, I served churches in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington DC, for 17 years before being called to serve as Dean or senior pastor of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Bankers’ Hill in 2014. The artistic vibrancy of St. Paul’s is a perfect match for me. I chant the services with our exceptional choirs each week, and the cathedral acoustic, with its glorious stained glass, is designed to enhance and amplify the human voice. We have one of the best organs in the country and we offer a free organ recital every Tuesday at 12:30.

I share the congregation’s passion for social justice and inclusion. Three years ago I led the effort to install colored uplighting around the cathedral’s exterior, and we use the lighting to make statements of solidarity, celebration, and sorrow. We host art shows and concerts as well as speaker events. We hosted a pan-Latinx memorial for the pulse victims, and each July we Light Up the Cathedral for Pride. This summer we have removed a portion of the pews from the church and will host yoga and Tai Chi classes as well as pop-up exhibits of vestments, paintings, and sculpture, all in the sacred space.

For me, the sacred and secular cannot be kept apart, and St. Paul’s provides a remarkable setting for cultural activities of all kinds.

Please tell us about your art.
I make music: I play viola in chamber groups and love that chamber music makes use of every part of my being. It is emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, and physical. It requires memory and anticipation. I have played in groups since the age of seven, and the orchestra is my happy place, but my current position doesn’t permit me time to commit to an orchestra. Although I am not a conductor, leading a diverse congregation is rather like leading an orchestra, and I enjoy being one of the voices, knowing that my part makes a difference.

My other main artistic activity is singing. Most Sundays I chant the presider’s part in at least one of our liturgies. Lifting up my voice in those ancient (medieval) patterns, hearing it carry out into the Gothic nave, knowing that I am guiding people into the nearer presence of the divine, is incredibly humbling and fulfilling. There is an art to connecting people, and I gain great fulfillment from seeing people connect with each other, make friends, learn to trust, and become part of a community that can transform our world.

Writing is an important art for me. I write my sermons out in full so that we can share the text in the cathedral blog, but I work hard to deliver them in such a way that the listener can’t tell that I have a manuscript. I hope that people take away a greater certainty that they are loved, that the story of faith as told in Scripture is our story, and that we can change the world for the better.

Now that we live-stream and video-record our principal services, I’m aware that my message reaches across the world and endures online. One of my sisters watches our services from Scotland every week. As a progressive Christian, I am passionate about offering a message of love and inclusion to all those battered by life and especially to those battered by other faith traditions. The Episcopal Church is a unique combination of ancient tradition and forward-looking teaching.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
The diminishing support given to arts education of all kinds will lead to an impoverishment of the human spirit.

Withholding musical education from children will stunt their intellectual growth. We MUST support the arts at every stage of life.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Come to St. Paul’s Cathedral any Sunday: ALL are welcome! Services are at 8 and 10:30 am in English, 1 pm in Spanish (I preside about once a month), and a traditional choral evening prayer service at 5 pm. We live-stream the 10:30 and 5 services at stpaulcathedral.org/connect/videos. Sermon texts and letters are on our blog at https://stpaulcathedral.blogspot.com.

The cathedral is open to visitors during the week from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm and for worship services and classes.

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